Remembering One of our Own

3 years ago on March 15th 2012,Detention Sgt. Brad Berntson died after complications from being bitten by an HIV positive inmate. Although never officially declared by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, this was a death in the line of duty.

On this Memorial Day remember the veterans who gave their lives in the line of duty, and this veteran who died in the line of duty as a Detention Deputy.

Photo by Jim Lindfors

Union Meeting issues

At tonight's Union meeting I had a chance to meet the new stewards from radio. They seem like a good bunch interested in their members needs. Sadly it sounds as if the issues brought up at the last contract negotiations are still unresolved for them. Hard to get vacation time, hard to get a break from your desk and forced in on off days. I wish them well in trying to improve things.

Issues we discussed were the possible shift in the tattoo policy from admin. It is being said that those with tattoo's may have to wear long sleeves. Great for new employees, but current staff with visible tats should be grandfathered in.

The rumor is also out there that once again the admin may be changing uniforms. Which made me ask where we were with the brown leather grievance. After all, three of us paid our portion and the employers part and have yet to be reimbursed. Sadly, after 5 months since the grievance, arbitrator names are still not being struck.... see my April 5th post. The contract says we are only liable for $65 a year. That means three of us wouldn't pay a dime if the employer changed the uniform again this year...if anyone actually followed or enforced the contract.

Also discussed was the grievance over unpaid night shift differentials. The stewards will be putting something out for the members to decide on. Our BA suggested a sunset clause, then it could be reopened during negotiations..of course that would require the employer to actually  negotiate....not just settle with AFSCME and jam it down our throats then try to do something different later.....

color me jaded

yawn

News Affecting Us

In the Star Tribune today there's an article entitled:

Minnesota officials take dramatic steps to restore order at Anoka-Metro mental hospital

The gist is,

"Influx of inmates and surge in violent assaults prompt state to limit county-jail admissions to Minnesota’s second-largest psychiatric hospital."

The article deals with increased assaults on staff by violent criminals and the hospital wanting to do something about how to deal with it. Of course this is in sharp contrast to the jails where we've felt we were the dumping ground for the mentally ill.

"The move to limit admissions, however, already has aroused concern from the Sheriffs’ Association. The group strongly supported the 48-hour rule because of long-standing concerns that jails had become de facto holding pens for people with mental illnesses. With their mental disorders untreated, jail inmates sometimes would lash out violently."

The next item is a recent court decision regarding the gathering of meta-data by law enforcement. From the ACLU:

Why Today’s Landmark Court Victory Against Mass Surveillance Matters

In a landmark victory for privacy, a federal appeals court ruled unanimously today that the mass phone-records program exposed two years ago by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is illegal because it goes far beyond what Congress ever intended to permit when it passed Section 215 of the Patriot Act.

It recognizes that Section 215 of the Patriot Act does not authorize the government to collect information on such a massive scale.

Click on the link for the full story. We all know of our Sheriff's Office KIngfish system. This could reign it in. It's one thing to get a warrant to track a criminal. It's another thing to wholesale gather citizen information.

Finally, remember Dale Blom, the AFSCME 1134 President who showed up at our homes after AFSCME unlawfully obtained our addresses to harass our members? Well, the City Pages has a nice article on him. 

Hennepin County Correctional Officer Dale Blom Is a Convicted Sex Offender

Click on the picture for the full story. My favorite quote is from Chester Cooper, director of Hennepin County Community Corrections and Rehabilitation. The county considered the nature of Blom's offense and decided he was rehabilitated enough to work as a corrections officer. "He has been an excellent employee for more than 15 years."

 What is "rehabilitated enough?" 

Shocking..a Four Star in Trouble!

This is from Breitbart:  

Four Star Corruption

PORT OF L.A. POLICE CHIEF TO BE ARRESTED ON CORRUPTION CHARGES

Some highlights include: 

"The Port of Los Angeles has been best known for union labor strife over the last year, but the scandal that is blowing up over the arrest of Chief of Port Police Ronald Jerome Boyd on federal bribery, kickback, and tax fraud charges may set a new high for port turmoil.

Chief Boyd, 57, is a 30-year law enforcement veteran who was just promoted in January to lead the port’s homeland security and information technology operations. Since becoming chief in 2004, he has overseen the 204 sworn officers who police 43 miles of waterfront.

But on May 31, Boyd agreed to surrender to federal agents next week on 16 counts for charges ranging from kickbacks, wire fraud, tax evasion, and a dozen other federal corruption charges, according to Daniel J. O’Brien, an assistant U.S. attorney in the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section."

But all these guys have four stars on their collars...they can't possibly be corrupt!