Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Sexual Harassment - tolerated?

The following email, received from an employee of the McHenry County Sheriff's Department, describes why employers get sued and why employers lose lawsuits. The examples are grounds for lawsuits that will cost the Sheriff's Department huge money for legal defense (which will lose) and settlements (which plaintiffs will win) that will cost us (taxpayers) money that could have been used to "protect and serve".

A word of caution to some readers. You may find some of the language offensive. If you have tender eyes, this would be a good place to stop reading. I have no doubt whatsoever that this kind of language is heard within the confines of the McHenry County Government Center. Those using such language should be so harshly disciplined that they would never even think of using such language again.

"Since the sexual harassment revelations made such a big splash I will expand on it. One sergeant has been investigated for sexual harassment so many times it will make your head spin. Comments such as 'her tits aren't all that great", "she has cankles, you know calves that go right to her ankles", "don't bother she doesn't give head", get tossed around frequently in the patrol room. I've also heard at the range that when the female deputies and corrections officers are wearing civilian clothes that the range officers comment on how the sweat marks from the bullet proof vest outline their breasts. Be careful ladies there are some sick puppies working in this place. And at the PBPA meetings with alcohol present, forget it. Certain women have nicknames like "Bubbles". In Narcotics one female was tossed out because "women are too catty to work together." I guess the less "catty" one got to stay in Narcs. And ladies even if you haven't slept with the entire department, the guys say you have. Sgt. P, Sgt S. and Lt. M. are the biggest mack daddies in the world. If you believe a word they say. I guess the EEO has her big girl panties on, UP OVER HER EARS!! You would have to be deaf to not hear these things. I guess if you don't want to hear them or you scare people into forgetting they heard them, there is nothing to report."

24 comments:

sunny in ??? said...

Believe me when i say the women dish it out just as much as the men do. if you cant handle the heat get out of the fricken kitchen!!

QuitWhiningAlready said...

I concur with Giggles. I've heard much, much worse out the the mouths of women in my 13 years of law enforcement. I'm really quite torn with all of this. On one hand I can see how this can be offensive, particularly to someone outside of public safety. On the other hand, I know first hand how a quick rip back in the face of a comment about "tits" or something equally/more vulgar can shut everyone in the room right up. And frankly, that's usually the end of it.

As far as the female tossed out of narcs, I don't really think cattiness is a valid reason for tossing anyone out of anything. Unless the SO has a super-secret feline or PMS clause. PERHAPS YOU'RE JUST NOT PRIVY TO ALL OF THE INFORMATION. Did that thought ever cross your narrow mind? And that is what kills me about most of these email/letter/phone call submissions to Mr. Philpot. You know what you hear, other people you confide in, who most likely have the same/lower rank than you have heard the same thing and therefore it becomes fact. OH! I HEARD THE SAME THING! IT MUST BE TRUE. It is like some ridiculous campfire story that just never ends. Just keep stirring the pot with b.s. things like a pursuit on 173 that happened over a decade ago. Why don't you all just form an angry lynch mob and string your favorite three up behind the department?
How about this...step up to the damn plate and do what YOU can personally do to make a change with the culture/climate issue in the department. When people start their little walk down memory lane with what happened with so and so way back when and how unfair it is and OH THE INJUSTICE, don't participate in the convo and encourage your fellow officers to let it go as well. Be a leader, not an effing sheep when it comes to this old and tired trash.

Gene said...

Hey Quitwhiningalready, why should some deputies get a pass for major screw ups and others get fired for minor things.Maybe you're one of the ass kissers on your department and you don't have to watch every step you take. I think the lynch mob idea was ruled out because there wasn't enough rope for all of them.The only thing these deputies can do is speak up and get Nygren voted out. Oh wait, they can't speak up can they.

Gene said...

I hear the EEO doesn't wear panties. She wears boxers, men's boxers, 2XL. She should be there to help the deputies when they have a complaint, not run to the sheriff and turn it on the deputy. She's a waste of taxpayer money.

Insanezeipler said...

Well stated Quitwhiningalready...

"Gene"...that's a cute play on words.. You really sound like a SKUNK...

The EEO officer probably help fire this Gene guy, so he is all disgruntled.

You probably were a crap cop that got fired and wants to blame everyone else and never look at yourself.

You really stink like a skunk...and I hate skunks...

IZ

Zane said...

Gene is not me fellas, try again. Never know who is who do ya? You can always tell when it's me because I'm free to say whatever I want. It's very liberating. keep up the good work Gene. You are driving them "Insane". Ha-Ha-Ha!

Insanezeipler said...

I know it wasn't you Zane... This guy could at least spell and conjure logical thought.

QuitWhiningAlready said...

Gene, please. You don't like what I have to say so automatically, I'm an ass-kisser? Atypical to attack the person rather than the statement. Classic, even, and so indicative of the major problem here. I fail to believe that MCSO does not have any sort of progressive discipline in place. Maybe you should look it up and see what it says about how the process works. And again, most people are not privy to internal investigation matters. But really, my favorite part of your brilliant commentary is how you mention the EEO's drawers and how she's wearing men's 2xl boxers AND at the end of a post about sexual harassment! Are you implying she has a penis? Because I think that off-color comment qualifies as sexual harassment.
Go back to school, Gene and when you're old enough and educated enough to move away from the little kids' table, come join the conversation.

Gene said...

Hey Isane, what's with all the skunk stuff, maybe you like gerbels better. I'm not fired or disgruntled, I just hear a lot of "interesting" stories from the sheriff's dept. .You must be one of Nygren's "boys",keep bending over, you'll move right on up the ladder.

QuitWhiningAlready said...

Well, Insanezeipler, there goes your theory about Gene being able to spell or conjure logical thought...

Gene said...

Sorry, I spelled gerbils wrong. Insane had some mistakes also.What's wrong with a little humor,they can't fire me.Hey, Quit, I'm ready to talk with you big boys now. What should the deputies at the sheriffs dept. do,since you have all the answers. You heard what happened to Zane S. when he spoke up. Discipline has to be handed out equally within a dept.. And supervisors who screw up should be punished more because they're supposed to lead by example.Nygren doesn't want to solve the problems at the dept. , he wants to kill the messenger. What do you suggest Dr. Phil. Maybe the deputies should just be quiet and thank Nygren every day for allowing them to work at his dept. in his county.

QuitWhiningAlready said...

I don't have all the answers, but I do know that if you have your own personal gripe, then you take the necessary steps to make your claim. If another deputy's gripe doesn't include you in any way, shape or form, then don't get involved with jumping on the bandwagon to voice your negative opinion about what was or wasn't done. Zeipler is unhappy with the results of what transpired and therefore he is doing what he should do...take it to the next level. He'll have his day and I'm curious how you all will react when the verdict comes down. What if it isn't what you think it should be? What happens then? For you to make a blanket statement about SOME deputies getting a pass for major screw ups and others being fired for minor things, is nothing more than you running your mouth unless you were somehow done a disservice or it affected you personally. If you were not the complainant, then you'll likely not know what transpired, you will not know both sides of the story, and you will not know what was or was not investigated. And it would seem that an awful lot of people are just filling in blanks that they are not qualified to fill in.

And I'm not one of the big boys. In fact, I'm not a boy at all.

Gene said...

QuitWA, going back to your comments about getting kicked out of narcs. They can kick you out for any reason they want, it's their form of a spanking. I hear that it has happened to several in investigations recently.Don't you speak out when you think somebody else has been wronged. If they screw them, you may be next. Do you always go with the administration's side of things. Maybe getting rid of Seipler was an attempt to make him look bad before his lawsuit comes to trial.It's Seipler by the way, not Zeipler. Zeipler is someone from the SO that has a problem with Seipler. I understand though that it must be hard for you working a mans job, you should probably just keep quiet.Oh, by the way, I hear the EEO does have one.

QuitWhiningAlready said...

Gene, I had a whole long response typed out for you, however I really don't think you're worth the explaination. You don't "get it", and it's doubtful you ever will. You clearly cannot maintain any sort of productive level of input on here.

Dismissed.

Zane said...

I want everyone to read "Quit...'s" last comment. She is stating that you should only be concerned about these kind of matters if it effects you personally. Michelle or whoever you are, (it's hard to have any credibility when your hiding behind a screen name for fear of discipline)you are a police officer. You took an oath to protect. You haven't stated that these incidents aren't true only that it is none of your business unless it effects you personally. The actions of police officers effect everyone, personally. It's not fair to all deputies, personally, that certain deputies get treated better than others. It's not fair to all citizens, personally, that some people get treated better than others. MCSD is stuck in a time loop. It is not the 1960's. Women, minorities and individuals of differing opinions all have rights. They have rights in the workplace and out in society. When people live with the "it's not my problem, it doesn't effect me personnaly" attitude, they are sheep.

The German citizens weren't all that concerned about the plight of the Jews during WWII. It didn't concern them personally.

(Now get ready, the comments will come. They won't disagree, they'll analyze my words with a dictionary and attack me for grammatical errors.)

Have you thought about what department life will be like if I win. I will return. You will have to see me everyday. I'm not going anywhere. Hostile or not. MCSD will change because I've taken it personally.

It's time for everyone to start taking it personally. Unless you like being sheep.

Insanezeipler said...

Gene,

You are not bright. The fact that you cut and paste your posts to avoid grammatical errors is genius!

You ARE funny though. If someone thinks you are clown, you automatically associated them with the SO.

You can deny it all you want, but you and Zeipler are the only two disasters of life sending anonymous comments to Gus.

In addition, you are a skunk or an ex k-9 guy. It's pretty obvious.

On to those anonymous letters going to Gus... They are horrible. Sophomoric at best. The humor in them is for the less than intelligent. Which brings me back to my previous paragraph.

In addition to your previous comment about my grammatical and spelling errors. You are wrong..There are none. 'Quit' is right, you are on the same level of intelligence as Zeipler.

Why are you on Zeiplers side? I don't know what really happened. I am pretty sure you don't know what really happened. I can tell you this, if he wins his lawsuit, I will admit I am wrong. Which is much more than I can say for you when/if the tables are turned. I am sure if he loses that lawsuit, everyone will be blaming the SO for forging things and knowing the judges.

Gene, I AM NOT FROM THE SO!!! How many times do I have to tell you dolts? I just hate liars and people who willfully attempt to discredit people with no basis and half truths.

BTW, that is sheer genius! The way you make fun of an EEO officer with your 3rd grade humor. She has a pee pee! Giggle Giggle... Way to go! Make fun of a veteran while you sit at home jobless and type stupid comments. She had probably done more for this country than you could ever imagine.


Gus, I apologize about the directed comments, but I will explain my actions in a way Gene will understand; "He started it!"

While typing this another gem from Zeipler came. That's it Zeipler, compare the current climate of a police organization to Nazi Germany. I am sure you offended no one with that statement.

You are not a sheep, or whatever. You are deranged wolf that bites everything in near proximity. You do this because you are sick. Get help.

QuitWhiningAlready said...

Z-I could have been clearer in my comment and I apologize for causing the misunderstanding. The point I was trying to make was that things get discussed informally in the dept, when officers 25, when they're off duty, etc...and THAT is what breeds the campfire syndrome and whips everyone far-removed into a frenzy. If it is something you've heard about second, third, or fourth hand, THAT is when I believe you should stand down.

As for the part about what people are prepared to do if you do not win, you're absolutely right. I personally do not have all of the information on what is going on with your case and therefore I will not have an opinion on it until it is all said and done. But again, I have to wonder what will happen if you do not win. Will there be no faith in any system? Will there be someone/something else to blame? I just think it warrants some thought.

Zane said...

"Quit...." you spelled, explanation, incorrectly. I just wanted to see how that felt. I feel pretty lame. I won't do that again.

Gene said...

First, Insane,what am I cutting and pasting from, I don't get your comment. I have never sent Gus an email, letter, or anything else.I'm not a K-9 , I don't even have a dog. I don't get the skunk comments (hows your gerbil by the way).As for errors, one example from an earlier post " probably help fire this...". Shouldn't it be "helped".Everybody makes mistakes.If you're not from the SO, how do you know any of these stories are not 100% true. I'm sure that the general story in these emails is true.
For QuitWA, I'm "dismissed", you must be a sergeant or something. I may not "get it", but obviously you don't "get it" very often.

Zane said...

Let's lay out the specifics so the public will understand how this has to play out. First, I have arbitration hearings in May. That's coming pretty quick. Deputies are going to be questioned. If I lose I wont get my job back. Yet. Second, I have filed a federal lawsuit and MCSD filed a motion to dismiss. If I lose that...wait, I won that already so my lawsuit is moving forward. Deputies are going to be questioned. Third, the EEOC is investigating. Deputies are going to be questioned. I could be granted a right to sue motion by the EEOC. Fourth, Illinois Department of Human Rights is investigating, they could grant me a right to sue motion. Fifth, wait and see on this, there's a lot of secret squirrel stuff happening out there. Deputies will be questioned. Sixth, I still have the David Maxson shooting hanging over my head. I will be questioned. Like I said before I'm not going anywhere for awhile. MCSD likes to exhaust people's money so they can't continue to fight. Well, I've positioned myself where I am not worried about that. I have found that there are many organizations that are more than willing to help.

To all the people invovled remember this. Questions are going to be asked at different times in different places by different people. Don't get caught up in some web of lies to protect people who wouldn't protect you. Most of all don't be afraid, the days of fearing retaliation will come to an end.

Unknown said...

I am so sick of listening to the bit#@ing that Zane does and has done since day one. Mr. Righteous you are not. You too took an oath to protect and serve not break the law, but you did and got caught too bad for you. The ironic thing is you got caught because you "PROFILED"...yes I said it "PROFILED" assuming the little white girl didn't speak spanish. Well needless to say that one bit you in the ass. Good thing there was no brain damage due to the fact your head's been buried up there for quite some time now.

As for Gus stop believeing the BS that's being fed to you. It's obvious why you were a volunteer cop and not a real one you're to one sided, you can never be impartial which is what police work is all about. You're like a twelve year old school girl that just wants to fit in.

Zane said...

Finally, a deputy jumps in and let's us know he's a deputy. That is an open case. Charges pending, Gus save the IP address I may need it for court. This is were I giggle. If an internal investigation is not conducted into who wrote that Keith Nygren is not doing his job. That comment right there just violated about ten General Orders and gave me a whole lot of ammo. Thank you.

Insanezeipler said...

Zeipler,

Seriously? You think that NO ONE in the world besides deputies know that your a criminal? I believe that is common knowledge (at least from my sources). What about the victims of your offense? They know about it, and I am sure they told a few people.

YES! An 'internal' should be launched! How would that work? Since, Gus doesn't have the ability to see the IP, there is no recording it. Even if you had the IP I highly doubt you would know what to do with it. Plus, aren't internals, just internals? They are not criminal investigations. Maybe the information about you is available? I honestly don't know, but the new information from Joe is pretty tasty! Thanks Joe!

Nonetheless, Zeipler...Good luck with that one. You failed again. Hope your lawyers don't take all of your family's and your kids college funds.

Plus, remember... Lawsuits work both ways. From what I remember of my first year of law school...defamation suits are possible after false accusations. Do you own your home? If so, probably not for much longer.

And for Gene... Come now... That's a tense issue. It can be worded either way. Your suggestion is probably more proper, but mine works as well. But, with the third grade sexual humor, please stop that. It makes you look bad.

sunny in ??? said...

insanezeipler, well said.


And IP address, not so much but nice try!