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Ptc officals consider a bad idea For the most part, I tend to stay out of local politics. This is not one of those times. I read recently that Peachtree City officials met in a workshop to look at the possibility of changing division directors and the city’s fire and police chiefs to an “at-will status.” If this is ever seriously considered, it is, in my opinion, a very, very bad idea. Now in the interest of full disclosure, let me say that, for over 18 years, I have served as an unsalaried chaplain to the police department and as an assistant chaplain to the fire department. I also have a relative who works for the city who would be unaffected by any policy change of this nature. Further, prior to writing this article I spoke to no one in the employment of the city about this issue. At the present time, the division directors and fire and police chiefs have the same rights and privileges as any other city employee. In a recent memo, an at-will employee was defined as an “employee-employer relationship with no definite period of employment specified which can be terminated …without cause or justification.” In other words, the chiefs and the division directors could be fired at any time for no reason at all—with no right of an appeal process, And this was thought by someone as a good idea---why? In essence, the directors and chiefs would become political appointees subject to the changing whims of the city council, the mayor, the city manager, or whoever is determined to be able to make that decision. There are several other reasons I believe this idea, especially as it relates to the police department, should be permanently scrapped: 1) The mayor, city council members, their families, and whoever else is in power, would be above the law. If a council member is pulled over for DUI, do you think the chief, whose very livelihood is dependent on staying in his or her good graces would authorize an arrest? Of course not. 2) In the distant past, Peachtree City elected officials actually carried police radios and told police officers where to go and what to do. Amateurs should not have the ability to interfere with law enforcement. 3) The quality of directors and chiefs would go down. No chief worth his salt should submit himself to a position where, with the changing emotions of whoever happens to be elected, he could be fired for no reason at all. 4) Rather than remaining professional managers, the directors and chiefs would become politicians whose primary job would be to do whatever it takes to keep their job. 5) There would likely be a high turnover in chiefs, as is the case in little towns where the councils like to meddle with law enforcement. 6) If implemented it would look too much like a naked grab for additional political power. 7) As a pastor, I would never accept a position with a church where I could be removed simply because someone got up on the wrong side of the bed that day. In one denomination, a pastor is fired nearly every day somewhere and many of those firings are without cause. The pastor simply stepped on the wrong toes. Is this how managers would be expected to function? 8) Currently, the police department in Peachtree City can, for the most part, operate without fear or favor, enforcing the laws more or less equally, no matter who commits the offense. That would almost certainly change if an “at-will” policy were adopted. If the directors and chiefs are not doing their jobs and there is legitimate cause, then, fine, fire them and get someone who will do the job. But if the men and women who occupy these stress-filled positions are competent and getting the work done, then they should be left alone. If something about the current system needs to be changed or adjusted then do it. But to implement a change that would fundamentally affect the way law enforcement and other services are administered is a bad idea. To their credit, city officials shot this idea down last Monday. It should stay that way. . login to post comments | Father David Epps's blog
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