Baltimore police see decline in morale Command shake-up, lack of plan among complaints July 16, 2003|By Del Quentin Wilber | Del Quentin Wilber,SUN STAFF With Baltimore on pace to record nearly 300 killings for the year, many police officers and several top commanders are complaining of widespread discontent and unease throughout the ranks that, they say, could harm the Police Departments crime-fighting abilities. The officers and a half-dozen commanders expressed concerns about an assortment of problems they say are hurting morale - ranging from the departure of several senior leaders and the reshuffling of others to the issuance of unclear and sometimes conflicting orders. Union officials, the president of the Vanguard Justice Society - a group that advocates for black officers - and some former top police officials expressed similar concerns. Commissioner Kevin P. Clark denied that there were morale problems and said yesterday that the complaints were overblown and that the department is heading in the right direction. This takes time, said Clark, who took over the department in February. There is a leader in place. There is somebody making tough decisions. ... I think [were] going in an exciting, positive and effective direction. ... Fifteen months from now, this thing is going to be moving. The commanders and officers - most of whom requested anonymity because they fear reprisals - are worried that the department will be unable to curb this years spike in killings, a central pledge of Mayor Martin OMalley. Through yesterday, Baltimore had recorded 160 homicides in 2003, putting it on pace for 297 killings for the year. That is well above last years total of 253 and just below the symbolic annual benchmark of the 1990s - 300. Its frustrating to try and to do the hard work and serve the public and see the homicide rate increase, said Dan Fickus, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3. There is quite obviously a morale problem. The constant changes of command, the purging of experienced command staff members and a lack of communications of the direction of the department is having quite an effect. While they questioned the direction and leadership of the department, many commanders and officers said they admired Clarks ideas and energy. Several commanders insisted that any dip in morale and loss of focus shouldnt be blamed on the commissioner. They note that Clark doesnt enjoy the same advantages as his predecessor, Edward T. Norris, a leader popular with the rank and file. For instance, Clark has had to curtail overtime, which helped fund police efforts to stem homicides during Norris tenure. Officers are working without a contract and appear unlikely to get raises, in contrast to the previous three years when officers received hefty pay increases. He stepped into the frying pan, said one top commander. He has no raise [for the officers] and is in a budget crunch. Still, much of the criticism stems from other issues, according to interviews with union officials, former commanders, current commanders and officers. Clark has reorganized the top ranks of the department several times. Of the citys nine police districts, only one has the same commander who was in place when Clark arrived. He also lost three widely respected top commanders: the agencys deputy commissioner of operations, chief of patrol and chief of detectives - the three highest operational positions at police headquarters. The shake-ups and losses have created unease among commanders, particularly those who have several years remaining until they can retire. Commanders are exempt from civil service protection and serve at the pleasure of the commissioner, meaning they can be fired or reduced in rank at any time. Every time I drive to work, I wonder if I still have my job, said one commander, who requested anonymity. Its a difficult environment to work in. A former deputy commissioner, Bert F. Shirey, said he has heard many complaints about morale and lack of direction from those inside the department. Shirey said he thought there was still time for things to settle down, however. The turnover in command has been unsettling to not only the command staff but to the rank and file as well, Shirey said. I have not seen changes like this since I started with the department in 1966. Clark said he selected the best people he could find to be commanders although he conceded that the moves were made quickly. In the five months that Ive been here, a lot of the changes have been accelerated, Clark said. Normally, you have 15 to 18 months to [make] a lot of your changes. I took time to identify people, he added, that I believe have the ability to carry out the overall mission of this department. And thats to maintain crime reduction but really over a long-term period. He also said he had no role in the departure of several high-ranking commanders: They just left on their own. Nobody was asked to leave. Another issue raised by police officers, commanders, the police union and the Vanguard Justice Society is that districts are sending out short-staffed shifts of officers with too few police cars. Commanders said they lost some of their best officers to specialized units, such as the new Organized Crime Division. Clark agreed that each of the citys nine districts was short about 25 to 30 officers but blamed medical leave, military deployments and suspensions. He said he was working to replace about 124 cars the department lost to budget cuts in 2001. Some commanders and officers also expressed concerns about miscommunication from headquarters. Several said they were ordered to conduct anti-crime or traffic initiatives without any input and received conflicting orders or confusing ones. They pointed to Clarks assertion two months ago that officers did not have to warn people to move before issuing them citations for loitering. State law requires a warning, and Clark has since backed off those orders. Commanders and officers also complain about a lack of a written plan or instructions for clear, big-picture guidance. When Norris took over in 2000, he and OMalley published a 161-page plan for reducing crime in the city. The lack of clear guidance is trickling down to the rank and file, according to the Vanguard Justice Societys president, Jeffrey Redd. Theres a lack of communication, Redd said. A lot of [my] members are guessing whats going on. There is no communication from the top about what the mission is. ... Morale is poor. ... If this man has a vision, he needs to set it down. Clark said he has effectively communicated his plan. He said commanders need to take responsibility for their own areas and develop tactics. If you are waiting for instructions and not out there with your people in the street, not making contact with the public, are you a leader? Clark said. I want commanders who make decisions on their own and think of their own strategies and devise their own tactics, he said. Right now, I have one of the best lineups of district commanders that they have had in a long time. The commanders and several officers said their dissatisfaction goes beyond new police leadership. They are upset that OMalley hired Clark in the first place - the second time the mayor went outside the agency to hire a top officer. Clark, like Norris, is a former New York police commander. They said there is a contradiction between OMalley praising the department for a nation-leading drop in violent crime over the past three years and his new commissioner revamping the command structure that helped lead those efforts. And theyre upset that three key jobs were filled by relatively junior, former New York police officers. Clark defended those hires: They are doing exactly what they were brought here to do. In another move the police union and some commanders called unsettling, a 37-year veteran officer was given a months notice that he was out of a job. Maj. Gary DAddario, a former Northeastern District commander, said he was driving to the Eastern Shore for vacation with his wife and daughter two weeks ago when he received a call from headquarters to return for a meeting. He was then told by a top police official to retire within 30 days and was denied a meeting with Clark. Had he remained on the books for another four months, DAddario would have received full pension benefits for his time as a major. Maj. Elfago Moye, another veteran, was ordered to leave during the meeting. Moye could not be reached for comment. It was a cold slap in the face to a veteran officer, said Fickus, the union president, referring to DAddarios firing. It could have been done in a more graceful manner. ... Its going to have some effect on morale. If they can do that to a commander, it makes you wonder whats in store for the officers. Clark defended the dismissal, saying he was concerned about fighting crime and finding the right people to lead the troops. Were not here to make decisions that grant an individual a fatter pension, Clark said. articles.baltimoresun/2003-07-16/news/0307160300_1_commanders-morale-clark
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 11:35:03 +0000
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