In the lawsuit, Officer Philip Satterthwaite claims that LMPD officials promoted friends and family members over better-qualified candidates. Charles Morgan started his career as a corrections officer at MECC, a level 3 facility, and then transferred to ERDCC, a level 5 facility. We are not aware of any effort that was made to establish who posted the signs. (Government Executive Magazine, "Playing Favorites," by Brian Friel, October 2004). We have the same advice for "good old boys" that we have for all employers - but we emphasize it more. Those who are insular limit the abilities of work engagement and limiting an organizations true potential. Racist signs were posted in at least two years: 1990 and 1992. With respect to a second individual, formerly employed by INS but now an employee of Treasury, we are transmitting information to the applicable Department of Treasury component by which he is now employed for consideration of possible discipline. Although not identified as such, Randall and Hayward proved to be members of a militia group based in Alabama that sought to discredit the ATF. The public drunkenness began far earlier and was a reason cited by many DOJ employees and others for not returning to the Roundup. We have referred to the Director of the FBI a report with respect to this one current FBI employee for whom we recommend that punishment be considered for his behavior at the Roundup. Half of the DOJ participants did not go to any Roundups after 1988 -- a significant fact because no egregious racist misconduct was alleged to have occurred prior to 1989. It makes the job undesirable to those who could very likely possess the skills and training to become an asset. He refused to comply with any aspect of this subpoena. f) T-shirts Randall was served with an OIG administrative subpoena for photographs of the Roundup and the original videotape, which Hayward had turned over to him. Because of the lack of controls placed on the distribution of fliers once they reached particular offices, the extent to which they were brought to the attention of the agents in these offices varied. CAIRO, Ga. It was Election Day in Grady County, and Sheriff Harry Young, 76, had hardly slept three hours the night before. Many fell somewhere in between. Police organizations in particular are always on an uphill march and need every person to be on the winning team for the progress that needs to take place. Although we found that in certain years egregious acts of racism occurred, in most cases we concluded that the DOJ employees in attendance those years were either unaware of such conduct or had learned that the organizers had taken action to terminate it. Even male attendees told us that would not have wanted any female family member or friend to attend the Roundup because of how women were treated. In conducting this investigation, the OIG's principal purposes were (1) to determine whether DOJ employees had committed acts that might warrant sanction by their components and (2) to determine whether existing standards of conduct provide adequate guidance as they relate to off-duty conduct or whether any changes in administrative policy or practice should be made. Even where we developed substantial evidence that acts of misconduct took place, we have not in every case been able to identify who was responsible, despite determined efforts to do so. To complicate issues even more, when groupthink is rampant, police organizations begin relying on successful implementations from the past that may no longer be relevant or produce the greatest yield for the department; but because it worked before, it stands to reason that it should be an acceptable means for today. Nepotism is an even narrower form of favoritism. When there is a more formal approach to succession planning, departments usually build more buy-in and elicit better work outputs from people. The last person to be able to consume the required amount without a break was the winner. This failure, together with the availability of massive amounts of alcohol, no doubt contributed to the recurrence of such incidents. The OIG Investigation Satterthwaite says he and Chief Chavous uncovered several issues of discrimination and bias within the department that, he says, mirror the results of the Hillard Heintz internal investigation. A widely-publicized excerpt from a home video allegedly filmed at a Roundup showed a sign that read, "Nigger check point." In July 1995, national attention focused suddenly on an annual private gathering in southeastern Tennessee known as the "Good O' Boy Roundup" (Roundup). Hayward and his attorney terminated the interview shortly after the questioning turned to Hayward's own white supremacist views and activities. To call a sheriff a part of the Good Ol' Boy network, I think is an injustice," Kemp said. Tweet. Our investigative and interviewing strategy was designed to get beyond potentially self-serving accounts. Furthermore, the failure of the Roundup organizers to take any action regarding conduct that was less blatant, but still offensive to many, created a racially hostile environment such that blacks who attended would not have felt welcome. In conducting this investigation, the OIG's principal purposes were (1) to determine whether DOJ employees had committed acts that might warrant sanction by their components and (2) to determine whether existing standards of conduct provide adequate guidance as they relate to off-duty conduct or whether any changes in administrative policy or In the 1970s the percentage of women in law en-forcement was only at 2% (Price, 1996). The law is clear and yet, somehow, different troops arent held to the same standard for the same crimes. All troops arent always going to get along. He contended that racist signs and an effigy of a black person were displayed at the registration desk for the entire Roundup. Although we found credible evidence that Rightmyer gave speeches exhorting participants to stop such behavior, his efforts were sporadic at best and essentially went unheeded. Introduction Good Ol boys club. For more information about government ethics programs and resources contact John Pelissero. Verifying the allegations, therefore, required assessing the accuracy and reliability of testimony given by witnesses. Although Rightmyer again criticized the officer who performed this skit, he took no other action. Compounding the frustration is that these small groups of in-players are loyal to each other to the core, even when one of their members is incompetent. Why this hurts us At our direction, DOJ components canvassed their employees to determine whether any had either attended or been invited to a Roundup or knew anyone who had. 6. On two occasions the Redneck of the Year contest contained blatantly racist material. This woman denied that she was raped. Although not raised initially as allegations, OIG found substantial credible evidence of rampant alcohol abuse and extreme cases of juvenile and shocking behavior. The interview comes after the DOJ released a report on Tuesday, revealing that women make uponly 16 percent of criminal investigative jobs within the departments central investigative agencies and hold few executive leadership positions. An exhaustive investigation and a full report of the Good O' Boy Roundup was important for several reasons. In 2001 the National Center for Women If we were able to do away with the "club" morale and job satisfaction would greatly increase. As we have noted, we are forwarding information to the Director of the FBI for consideration of discipline against an FBI All the latest Law Enforcement Today news, updates and alerts delivered straight to your phone or inbox. Maintaining a healthy skepticism of your own thoughts and ideas leads to a growth mindset. Catmull, E. (2014). We are disturbed that an event characterized by rampant public drunkenness, widespread public lewdness, and in later years episodes of racist conduct drew participants from DOJ and other law enforcement organizations. RELATED: A councilwoman's 'road map' to equity in Louisville. Georgia sheriffs supporting Gov. For 1989, we received numerous allegations of racist conduct, most of which were made by Richard Hayward. Cronyism occurs within a network of insiders-the "good ol' boys," who confer favors on one another. When the investigation began, concern was raised that federal employees might have used government time and resources to promote racist activities, in violation of Office of Government Ethics standards. This fact contributed substantially to the degeneration of the Roundup over the years from an innocuous open-air camping and recreational gathering into a playground for large numbers of the drunk, tasteless, and immature. This impacts the department in multiple ways such as: We found no information as to who was responsible for this sign. The display of the Confederate flag is a controversial matter. Apparently, the same concern and solicitude did not extend to the relatively few female law enforcement personnel who went to a Roundup. Remarkably, we found no one in attendance who appeared to be offended by such activity or who sought to curb it. As the old saying goes, "It's not what you know but who you know," or, as blogger Danny Ferguson put it, "It's not what you don't know; it's who your college roommate knows." Sometime after the confrontation some unidentified persons painted the words "niggers go home" and "whites only" on toilets in the campground. 1. Probably the biggest dilemma presented by favoritism is that, under various other names, few people see it as a problem. agent and to the applicable Department of Treasury component for one of its employees who used to be employed by DOJ. They dont get in trouble with command, but theyre not the most people-friendly person youve met. Even if things that might not be right or ethical That it is line staff who are put in harms way everyday. Why Violence Is Increasing. We conclude that specific disciplinary action is not warranted for the vast majority of DOJ employees who attended the Roundup in one or more years. The American Civil Service Act was passed in 1883 in large part because so many patronage jobs, down to dogcatcher, were being filled by people whose only qualification for employment was their support for a particular party or candidate. Many DOJ employees believe that what they do off duty is their business and not a proper concern of their employer. In other words, many of the law enforcement-affiliated Roundup participants who were interviewed provided investigators with less than full, candid, and truthful information. We also conclude that by the time racist conduct began to appear at the Roundup and persons began to attribute racist tendencies to it, the Roundup organizers should have been aware that the name itself may have sent a less-than-welcoming message to all potential attendees. Emailassign@whas11.com, visit ourFacebook pageorTwitter feed. All rights reserved. Immediately after the skit, Rightmyer publicly criticized its participants but took no other action, such as ejecting them from the Roundup. The preponderance of the evidence suggested that local police officers from Florence and Boone County, Kentucky, were responsible for posting these signs. Contact Mike for services Life Coaching, Training, Team Building, Corporate Training, Project Management, and Public Speaking The term originally referred to social and business connections among former pupils of male-only elite . Although our investigation established that the Roundup was nothing like a "Klan rally," the fact that specific acts of racist misconduct occurred in three different years made more difficult our assessment of the general charge that the Roundup had a "whites-only" attendance policy. They are not operating in any undercover capacity to infiltrate this racist organization. From our careful review of the evidence as to the specific allegations of racist misconduct, we found substantial credible evidence of blatantly racist signs, skits, and actions in 1990, 1992, and 1995. These allegations also threatened to taint the public reputation of the agencies that employed these agents. While we conclude that the organizers did not specifically intend for the Roundup to be a "whites-only" racist gathering, we were able to identify only twenty individual members of minority groups, including four blacks, who ever attended a Roundup. Example video title will go here for this video. But the inquiry is, by necessity, highly fact-specific. Nevertheless, we found that, regardless of intent, some minority agents perceived a message that they would not be welcome or considered a "good o' boy," and that indeed they might face racial intolerance and hostility if they attended. In a fear-based culture, people consciously and unconsciously avoid risk and being risk adverse costs the organization limited opportunities for innovation as well as an overall environment where new ideas are rejected (Catmull, 2014). Brian Ellis is a 20-year veteran of the Sacramento Police Department. A future Roundup president and Richard Hayward can be readily identified in the photo. These leaders would vehemently agree that their peers and superiors who exhibit obvious favoritism are in the wrong and are, frankly, undeserving of their position. [P]ublic nudity was commonplace at various Roundups [with] women dancers, women baring their chests, [and] a retired officer exposing himself with his badge displayed on his penis. People that are bringing people up in rank based on personal relationship, Gritz told Hill. In their affidavits to the Senate, the two Ocoee women claimed to have heard that a woman was gang-raped by a large number of Roundup participants. If theres hardly any women in leadership, youre given the perception that there is discrimination practices going on., THE HILL 1625 K STREET, NW SUITE 900 WASHINGTON DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 TEL | 202-628-8503 FAX. The "good ol' boy" system is when a leader unabashedly chooses favorites among their subordinates. We also found that an atmosphere hostile to minorities -- and to women -- developed over time because inadequate action was taken by the Roundup's organizers to appropriately deal with instances of racial or other kinds of misconduct. We found substantial evidence that strippers performed at the campground year after year beginning around 1988. Substantiated Allegations We also found no evidence that any DOJ employees attended the Roundup without taking appropriate leave. Information Although OIG was able to interview the local residents and the current and former ATF agents who made allegations, the militia members did not cooperate. Simply put: If someone does something wrong, their ass is grass. When several months later OIG requested that he submit to an interview on a range of topics including his supposed discovery of a "nigger hunting license" at the 1995 Roundup or the militia plan "Operation Achilles Heel," whose stated goal was to discredit ATF, Randall refused and renewed these threats in more graphic terms. However, in an investigation that examined events occurring over a sixteen-year period and involving well in excess of 1,000 participants, we cannot be sure that we have uncovered every objectionable incident. Personal written invitations were sent only to those who had previously registered for a Roundup. The two primary accusers were Jeffrey Randall and a person identified only as a "former Alabama police official," whom we later determined to be Richard Hayward. We also found substantial credible evidence of racially insensitive conduct in 1985, 1987, 1989, and 1993. The OIG report contains a summary of our findings with respect to these and all other DOJ employees who attended. Nevertheless, we found that, regardless of intent, some minority agents perceived a message that they would not be welcome or considered a "good o' boy," and that indeed they might face racial intolerance and hostility if they attended. (2014). We also conclude that by the time racist conduct began to appear at the Roundup and persons began to attribute racist tendencies to it, the Roundup organizers should have been aware that the name itself may have sent a less-than-welcoming message to all potential attendees. B. That creates a unique bond regardless of your personal relationship with someone. If true and if committed by DOJ law enforcement officers, we would be confronted with very serious questions about the officers' fitness to serve, their ability to discharge their law enforcement duties, and their right to wear a federal badge. Every president and governor names close associates to key cabinet positions. I. 01-08-2001, 07:43 PM. All rights reserved. Randall was even less cooperative, refusing to answer more than a few basic questions in the presence of other militia members in late July and refusing our requests for a subsequent interview. Brian is a life-long student of leadership, and passionate about helping others. Even where we developed substantial evidence that acts of misconduct took place, we have not in every case been able to identify who was responsible, despite determined efforts to do so. Thus, DOJ participation in the Roundup was relatively insignificant both numerically and organizationally. The good ol boys of the work site have ruled on how things seem to get down. Those incidents helped create and perpetuate a climate that was not welcoming towards African Americans, other minorities, or women. We believe we have developed a fair and accurate picture of what occurred. We further believe that such regulation is wholly appropriate. I find it amazing that our job mandate is firm, fair, and consistent, yet when it comes to other staff we don't even come close to that standard. Extra effort was made to take the report beyond simply a conclusion that, "It wasn't one of ours." In addition, because our evaluation of DOJ employee conduct required the fullest and most accurate reconstruction possible of what had actually occurred at the Roundup, we sought to identify as many attendees of the various Roundups as we could. According to Fatal Encounters, George Floyd was one of 819 individuals killed during interactions with police so far in 2020.
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