The Debra Milke Death Penalty Case - video on ex-cop and taking the 5th Amendment

An AZ Cop & Death Penalty - the Debra Milke case Part II

Are you the Weak Link? Leadership Style - Reliable Realist

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Violence inside Prisons on Staff video

Violence inside Prisons video

Violence inside Prison on Staff video

Violence inside Prisons on Staff

Management Meddling

Management Meddling

 

Bureaucratic meddling is a symptomatic disease that is prevalent wherever there are motives or reasons for control and dominance. Although it sounds like it has a harmless effect on things it is quite contagious and must be addressed in order for things to get back on track and run smoothly or as designed. The matter of fact when such conditions exist in many areas of law enforcement and public safety  are that there are harmful practices that are endured or sustained while inflicting irreversible damage to people’s reputation and work ethics without a warning. It also creates hazardous conditions and elements of risk along the way.

Giving you or an example of governance interference or meddling take the case where a county detention facility has failed repeatedly over the last ten years to retain a qualified and successful jail administrator and how the dynamics in the background impact the quality of such programs to exist and endure catastrophism that could have been avoided if the government knew how to control itself. It seemed that at the end of every year or so, they would fire or dismiss this individual for reasons that amount to incompatibility with the board of county commissioners or county manager.

Self-control and regulatory controls are a basic necessity for good operational values and effectiveness. However, head of government agencies or regulatory boards or commissions should allow those chosen or appointed to such key positions to function as designed or designated by both state law or personnel rules and regulations covering their job description, responsibilities and accountability factors. Unfortunately many are reluctant to give up their own power to allow this to happen.

Whether they believe it or not bureaucratic meddling carries with it unintentional consequences that are often misbranded on the wrong persons. Sadly, this creates reasons for wrongful terminations and ill branded reputations because the blame has been shifted to those under the supervision of such bureaucrats and not these officeholders themselves. It is a sanitized way to conduct business these days and offers many a blanket of being politically correct and without blemishes on their records.

Meddling in operational issues such as safety and security, staffing patterns and roster management they trend to direct rather than coach and is indicative of how the bureaucratic wisdom has caused severe shortages of people, services and resources where you need them. Sometimes bureaucratic interference doesn't create an actual shortage of something but simply drives its price sky high and somewhat spirals costs out of control. The fact remains they override the role of the person in charge of such decision making and sabotage [directly or indirectly] or interrupt [intentionally or unintentionally] the role of the administrator.

Staffing shortages, pricing screw-ups related to contractual services [food, medical, transportation, etc.]and procurement of essential safety or facility equipment, tools and services, unintended adverse consequences based on the practice of micromanaging areas where they have no expertise or experience in [specifically the promulgation of policies and procedures, post orders etc.] all contributes to governmental meddling that drives those charged with the responsibility to perform crazy because of their inability to control their work environment.

In the end, there is no progress, no chance and no hopes of ever getting back on track and do the best they can using established written and verbal practices already sanctioned by the national accreditation organizations that oversee such practices nationwide.

Therefore the one main ingredient for better government and operational values is to instill a culture of trust within the organization and its leadership positions. It is very important that we recognize that trust is a most valuable commodity within any workplace and that is something that must be cherished, fostered and maintained over the years to ensure there is a spirit of clear and concise communications between the upper management levels and the work force.

Trust will eliminate many problems and issues that are created by rumors, gossip and any awkward or unexplainable behaviors that foster such suspicions. So how does an organization build trust and confidence in its leadership you must ask? It’s not that simple and takes deliberate planning by the organizational culture to ensure it is being embraced.

Gaining trust means engaging with others and winning them over to your way of thinking. It means to make a situational assessment on everything you are exposed to and giving off an inference that you care and willing to address it appropriately and in a timely manner.

Searching for common ground is one method. Finding those individuals that have shared similar experiences as yourself is one way to find yourself dealing with it in a “human factor” method. Sharing experiences offers mutual respect. When respectful behavior or involvement is recognized you establish mutual feelings and skill levels.

Understanding the reality of the workplace and showing others that you are not without fault is another method of winning people over. Being described as someone with his or her “feet on the ground” gives credibility to what you say and do. This elimination of the persona barrier helps formulate a circle of inference that gives off support, understanding, honesty and open mindedness that is essential is effective communication efforts. Share your moral values, your professional intentions and let them know what your value system consists of whenever you are in a position to come across as being an understanding leader.

Giving someone your personal and professional advice is difficult in a workplace culture. It stands to be extorted or manipulated to suit those that have ulterior motives to mislead others into acts damaging to the organization or individuals within. However, this vulnerability is an effective tool to show people you care about their welfare, their needs and sustains your credibility longer and stronger than words will ever give you during your career.

Personally, I have found that getting into the “trenches” and doing things to get your “hands dirty” is one of the most effective ways to win people over. Showing you know what it takes to get the job done is most impressive to those that watch and notice everything you do. Not only do you earn respect but you have the opportunity to learn more about the workforce and their culture.

Last but not least is your time management on engaging with the workforce. You must make time for those who work for you and with you. It’s much easier to win people over when you work besides them and show them a genuine effort to do the same things they are responsible for doing. Sitting at the same table they eat and talk adds value to your presence and your leadership qualities. It also gives you ample opportunities to learn more about the job at hand and make better decisions to allow management the headway to do the job without meddling and giving the process a chance to work as it should per performance expectations and outcomes designed by the strategic plan.

Quiet Tyranny

Arizona is a difficult place for politicians to hide from the media or other sources willing to criticize public servants and services. Flying under the radar appears to be a tricky quest for many but not for prison director Charles L. Ryan. He has managed to remain silent and unnoticed for the past six months even though his agency is under constant barrage of criticism and lawsuits for poor custodial care, wrongful deaths and security concerns related to public and staff safety.

He is now a more prominent member of the Brewer administration. He has served her every whim and every demand has been fulfilled under his term. Apart from feeling the heat by the media he has remained cool and calm under duress as if whatever is said doesn’t matter to him as he has been assured by those that put him in power, his job is secure as long as he serves loyally and focuses on the expansion of private prison beds under his command. He has certainly earned his dark wings from them.

Ryan has faced many drawbacks and has caught more flak than any other director from the past and rightfully so. His resilience is mastered only by the strings attached to the governor’s office that clearly fronts every decision he makes. There are no counterparts, no competition for his job and he is well situated to do more of the governor’s bidding.

He is neither the point man nor the major decision maker for the agency and takes this role in stride. All signs point to the Chief of Staff for the governor as being the shot caller but that may be offset by the legislative influences of the private prison lobbyist that put money in their pockets. His low key approach and staying away from television cameras is paying off.

He has managed to go unnoticed in public and has not drawn any attention to his agency’s numerous failures and investigations into medical delay litigation, personnel criminal activity and other well controlled failures and flaws hidden under the disguise of being “under investigation” drawing a no comment status.

The perks for this lower profile has become clear – he is a direct benefactor of the private prison lobby group that will receive a large and significant endowment of funds from state government for beds filled and unfilled. The advantages were negotiated in their contracts and appear to be self-assuring of making a significant amount of profit for 2014 and 2015 and maybe as far ahead as 2016.

As chief executive of an ailing agency he has decimated its wellness into a state of chaos. He has consistently refrained from granting interviews citing litigation as the reasons. Although he used to be like a magnet of bad news since the Kingman escape, he has succeeded to stay low and still serve point man for the cause of privatizing prisons.

His demeanor shows not compassion or kindness to anyone. His cold and ruthless manner of operating the agency is reflected by a high number of staff assaults and excessive deaths within the prisons. He continues to resist building a more open and transparent relationship with state media outlets as well as regulators that appear to be interested in his management style of Arizona prisons.

In the meantime, through his personal relationships with former mentors and bosses now with the private prison groups, he is adopting a more conservative tone with them and has not apologized for anything they have done since he took over as director.

Lessons Learned - Overrated?

Basically speaking, much of a correctional officer’s world is based on personal experiences and the process of learning how to do or don’t do things you encounter while doing the job. The fact is that the concept of lessons learned is overrated and should be put into perspective by making sure there are five solid steps taken to ensure you don’t make the same mistakes again as before. Making mistakes can be the difference between winning and losing and the battle between good and bad things happening on the job.

The first thing we need to reduce or address is the temptation to become complacent. Being careless is a game changer and should be avoided at all costs. Officers need to think before they take action – analyze your options and depend on your training to calculate your risks. Time permitting, practicing patience by planning and thinking of the consequences gives you the “extra time” needed to make the right move or action. Using your intuitive skills helps as well as what you have been taught by others.

Never give up and never fear what you will run into when you already know the odds are stacked against you from the beginning as you are outnumbered and put at risk anytime you report for duty. Don’t think about throwing in the towel and stick to the plan to turn the odds around so you are safer when you work. Remember that quitting is not in your vocabulary so looking for new strategies and tactics is the alternative in this environment.

Working inside a prison takes a special person – thinking like an inmate can be an effective strategy and allows you to think in a preventive mode. Don’t leave yourself wide open for their manipulative and sometimes violent plans. Learn how to stay ahead of them by attention to detail and deciding your next step making it a defensive one if necessary keeping your opponents off balance.

Remember I said “think like an inmate” and not “act as an inmate.” One distinct advantage for an officer is to learn how to empathize and think in the shoes of the person do things so you can find alternatives or solutions to their or your problems. Being empathetic means asking good questions and engaging effective listening skills while you sort out the fact and take action.

Remember where you are at all times. Working this job will bring you good days and bad ones. Unfortunately you will also work with good staff and bad ones. How you make your choices or decision is based on your own ability to remain consistent and fair at all times. You will win some and lose some but what is most important is how you play the game. Remain respectful and relax (avoid taking on too much stress) as much as you can under the circumstances. Never lose focus on your responsibilities and control your emotions.

Avoid any negativity that may surround you or those you work with daily. Maintain your sense of humor and keep your mind clear. Avoid taking things personal and focus on being professional at all times. Your demeanor will determine your credibility and respect from others. Walking the talk is more than words, it is who you are.

The longer you work the more you learn and the more you learn the less mistakes you will make if you pay attention to the lessons learned and adapt or modify your strategies or tactics to improve the outcome of the last encounter and most of all, bring your learned experiences to the table and share them with others to avoid making miscalculations.