Are deputies of the McHenry County Sheriff's Department required to observe similar restrictions on free speech to those imposed on Woodstock police officers by the Woodstock City Code?
The regulations imposed on deputies are not so easily found as are the City of Woodstock regulations. They may be on a County website somewhere. If someone knows where they are, how about posting a comment with the link?
Or, if you would like to scan-and-email or fax a copy to me, please do. The fax number is 815-338-2666.
The public is entitled to know whether an unfair muzzle is placed improperly on employees of any governmental agency. It's not like the sheriff's department is the CIA.
If a regulation, policy or procedure is unfair, should employees have the right to question it? And, if it doesn't get addressed or resolved, what recourse do they have, if their jobs are at risk for speaking out?
The whistleblower act is designed to prohibit retaliation and retribution. We all know how that works. If you live long enough after you get fired and have enough money to fight for years in federal court, you might get all your back pay and even get your job back. How long is "long enough"? Years!
A funny thing happens in the meantime. Your landlord still expects the rent on the first of the month. The bank still expects your house payment on time every month. Your car still needs gas. Your family still needs food. Your teeth still need cleaning.
And so morale goes down. Fear goes up. On-the-job mistakes increase. Employees follow sometimes-unlawful orders, because they need their jobs.
Deputies, if you don't like the "no-quota quota" system, speak out. Inform the public what kind of orders you are being given to write more of certain types of tickets. Tell the public about the arrest statistics and the "performance standards" that you are expected to meet.
Certainly, the McHenry County Law & Justice Committee needs to know what is going on.
The County Board needs to know.
Ready for a laugh? The Merit Commission needs to know. The Merit Commission of the Sheriff's Department needs to be independently appointed, in order to assure employees of fairness in its decisions. As it is now, members of the Merit Commission are appointed by the Sheriff.
How many times do you think they would get away with voting against the sheriff, say, in a decision to fire a deputy, before other names will appear on the Merit Commission list of members?
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2 comments:
The sheriff's dept. (Nygren and Lowery that is) don't allow free speech on or off duty. They have to rule by intimidation. As far as the county board, they're too afraid to stand up against Nygren. The merit commission is a joke,a Nygren appointed rubber stamp.
Apparently the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners of the City of Woodstock is NOT a rubber stamp for the Chief of Police of the City of Woodstock. They are honorable men who do what the evidence tells them they must do...not what the Chief wants them to do. So there is hope and honor in some sectors of government in McHenry County. The truth will set us free and eventually the villains will be known to the public.
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