good ole boy system in law enforcement good ole boy system in law enforcement

Finally, a full investigation of the Roundup was necessary because these allegations had a large potential impact on the administration of the federal criminal justice system and the character and reputation of federal law enforcement officers In response to this activity and an article Hayward published about the Roundup the following month in the NAAWP Newsletter, in which he claimed that numerous David Duke supporters attended the Roundup, the event's organizers instituted new policies for 1993 prohibiting political and racist activity. Some witnesses we found to be extremely credible; others to be wholly incredible. After conducting a comprehensive investigation of the Roundup from Logically speaking, the first troop should get a higher award than the second. In 1992, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, police officer competing in the Redneck of the Year contest performed a skit where he claimed to have found a watermelon which had fallen off the back of a passing truck, struck it until it broke open, and then pulled out a doll he had painted black. Many of the central figures involved in staging the Roundup over the years were also interviewed. READ MORE: YOU LOST YOUR BEST EMPLOYEE, NOW WHAT? On two occasions the Redneck of the Year contest contained blatantly racist material. Accordingly, we recommend that the Department of Justice do the following: 1) explicitly advise its employees that off-duty conduct is subject to regulation and review and that sanctions can be imposed for off-duty misconduct; 2) examine the existing standards of conduct that apply to the off-duty behavior of DOJ law enforcement components, and provide further guidance for what constitutes conduct that brings the Department or one of its agencies into disrepute; 3) educate and train its law enforcement officers concerning how participation in events that are characterized by racist misconduct in particular can interfere with their ability to effectively do their jobs, such as opening up lines of inquiry relating to racial prejudice when law enforcement officers serve as witnesses in criminal cases; and. The OIG report contains a summary of our findings with respect to these and all other DOJ employees who attended. There are many fair and impartial leaders within the military. In any event, no one was punished for posting them. ", Racists with Badges: The Good Ol' Boys Roundup. There are even those that will incite a situation in order to see how the new person responds. When there is a more formal approach to succession planning, departments usually build more buy-in and elicit better work outputs from people. Above all, be vigilant that the good old boys do not inhabit your workplace. In our view, the existing standards of conduct are broad enough to regulate off-duty conduct when it could impair the effectiveness of DOJ employees or bring discredit on their employing agency. These individuals no longer use the term "nigger" in racially mixed company, but they freely use this derogatory term while relaxing and socializing in intimate settings with all-white friends and family members. When the organizers of the Roundup learned about the signs, they ordered the signs taken down. Emailassign@whas11.com, visit ourFacebook pageorTwitter feed. D. Findings Regarding Other Misconduct 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. 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. Brian earned his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from California State, Sacramento and has a MS in Organizational Leadership from National University. Thus, DOJ participation in the Roundup was relatively insignificant both numerically and organizationally. 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. The person who observed the sign reported that it was gone within half an hour. Letting friends or inner-circles have a lack of accountability does not help mobilize the workforce in our heaviest lift yet- sustaining an above-average service during every contact we make. We also found substantial credible evidence of racially insensitive conduct in 1985, 1987, 1989, and 1993. We not only had to deal with weak recollections due to the passage of time but also faulty or incomplete memories because so many participants had consumed so much alcohol during the Roundup. Good Ol boys club. 2. When the conduct was brought to the attention of Roundup organizers it was criticized and terminated. For a period of time substantial effort was made to see who could be the most vile and disgusting. 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. In media interviews, Randall and Hayward stated that they went to the site of the 1995 Roundup with the intention of finding racist conduct to report. When he believed that OIG intended to seek court enforcement of the subpoena he publicly threatened bloodshed. In addition to Roundup participants, OIG made significant efforts to interview the persons who alleged misconduct against the Roundup and its participants. This investigation involved a murky and difficult area -- the responsibilities of federal employees generally, and federal law enforcement personnel in particular, to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with their law enforcement responsibilities even when they are off duty. Catmull, E. (2014). 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Beshear confirms 3 dead after severe weather makes its way through Kentuckiana, LG&E: 'Significant' power outages with no restoration time given, A councilwoman's 'road map' to equity in Louisville, 'We have another study that tells us what we already know' | Black Louisvillians react to LMPD review, 'Breonna's home state continues to fail her' | Louisville groups raise concerns over changes to bill that would limit no-knock warrants, 'To lose my son in the same community I grew up in, it's tough.' Our initial task was to identify DOJ employees who attended any of the Roundups. Thus, DOJ participation in the Roundup was relatively insignificant both numerically and organizationally. You would have everyone on equal footing, we would be treated fairly. Retrieved from,https://qz.com/196273/how-to-break-up-the-old-boys-club-in-your-office/, McMillin, J. 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. All troops arent always going to get along. In Hayward's case, for example, the important kernels of truth contained in his 1990 videotape and in his allegation regarding a particularly egregious racist skit in 1990 were combined with other allegations that were embellishments of actual events and in many cases distortions and outright fabrications. Sometime after the confrontation some unidentified persons painted the words "niggers go home" and "whites only" on toilets in the campground. We are rapidly heading into 2015. Because of the historical connections between similar sites and racist activities, these agents attributed racist intentions to the Roundup due simply to its location. 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. Unsubstantiated Allegations He eventually parked his car off to the side, removed the offensive clothing, and was permitted to enter. ", 5. Mired in tradition, the 'good ol' boys club' mentality keeps us moving backward and prevents us from being respected for the job we do Dec 30, 2014 We are rapidly heading into 2015. In 1985, an unidentified local deputy sheriff pulled a statue of a black figure, referred to as a "lawn jockey," out of his camper and tied his dog to it before being told to put it back in his camper. But by failing to eject or punish any of the people known to have engaged in the misconduct, the Roundup organizers failed to deliver a strong, unequivocal message that racist conduct would not be tolerated. We are not aware of any effort that was made to establish who posted the signs. e) Hayward's White Supremacist Literature They also bring this up in the report, the club the good old boys club. We will attempt to promote the best in leadership for police organizations and hopefully eradicate some poor leadership qualities along the way. Mayors put those they know and trust on citizens committees and commissions. We found no evidence, and indeed received no allegations, that any current or former DOJ employee directly engaged in racist or other misconduct -- other than one inappropriate comment by an FBI agent. Although Hayward alleged that the tape also contained a racist "comedy" routine and was for sale at the campground, we found no corroboration for these additional claims. Although the Roundup was plainly not the type of event that brings credit to its participants, we developed no evidence that any significant role was played in the Roundup by any DOJ personnel past or present. Apparently, the same concern and solicitude did not extend to the relatively few female law enforcement personnel who went to a Roundup. . The phrase used by the persons engaged in the activity was "checking cars for niggers." After conducting a comprehensive investigation of the Roundup from He contended that racist signs and an effigy of a black person were displayed at the registration desk for the entire Roundup. . The Report documented widespread federal, state, and local law enforcement abuse of black leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and other civil rights activists who protested in the 1950s, 60s and 70s for equal rights, fair justice, and voting rights in America. In Hayward's case, for example, the important kernels of truth contained in his 1990 videotape and in his allegation regarding a particularly egregious racist skit in 1990 were combined with other allegations that were embellishments of actual events and in many cases distortions and outright fabrications. We also coordinated with a number of other law enforcement agencies that were conducting investigations into participation by their own personnel in the Roundup, most notably the Department of Treasury Office of the Inspector General (Treasury OIG). Extra effort was made to take the report beyond simply a conclusion that, "It wasn't one of ours." WHAS11 asked Mayor Greg Fischer about the allegations on Tuesday. 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. Thus, whether intended or not, the Roundup was in fact predominantly a gathering of whites. The largest number of DOJ employees in attendance in any given year was eleven, a level reached twice, once out of approximately 400 attendees in 1986 and then again out of 520 attendees in 1994. Now you are bringing niggers to the Roundup." Racist signs were posted in at least two years: 1990 and 1992. Thus, we had a responsibility to gather as much evidence as possible on the experiences of the DOJ personnel who attended the Roundup so we could absolve the innocent as well as blame the guilty. 05-26-2005, 01:54 AM. The Report documented widespread federal, state, and local law enforcement abuse of black leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and other civil rights activists who protested in the 1950s, 60s and 70s for equal rights, fair justice, and voting rights in America. In 1995, one current and three retired Fort Lauderdale police officers confronted a white ATF agent who had come to the Roundup with two black law enforcement officers. In addition, two local women provided affidavits to the Senate Judiciary Committee alleging, among other things, that a woman had been gang-raped at a Roundup, a "drug enforcement officer" had offered one of them drugs during a Roundup, and a goat had been purchased for bestiality purposes. When they play second fiddle to keeping your superiors personally happy, somethings wrong. This failure, together with the availability of massive amounts of alcohol, no doubt contributed to the recurrence of such incidents. We found substantial evidence that strippers performed at the campground year after year beginning around 1988. Officers from Cobb County, Georgia, brought a similar shirt. The public drunkenness began far earlier and was a reason cited by many DOJ employees and others for not returning to the Roundup. Decisions that need to be made get kicked down the road and unpopular people no matter their competence have no voice. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, If you need further help setting your homepage, check your browsers Help menu, First Circuit: Surgery performed on inmate to locate alleged contraband a violation of the Fourth Amendment, Ala. police: Man gets ride home from jail, then kills 3 relatives and friend, Charges dropped against detainee after video showed beating by deputies inside Ga. jail, Inmate accused of slashing N.Y. corrections officer indicted, Open the tools menu in your browser. The OIG acknowledged in a March 1996 Report that "the persons who attended the Roundup may have had a motive to conceal or minimize the instances of racial or other kinds of misconduct in order to make their attendance at a Roundup appear more benign than it might have been." The law is clear and yet, somehow, different troops arent held to the same standard for the same crimes. We discovered, however, a huge gap between these policies, on the one hand, and actual attendance at and perceptions about the event, on the other. The racist attitudes and conduct that permeated the Roundups from 1980 to 1995 are fairly prevalent inside the FBI, DEA, ATF, and DOJ, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies today. Personal written invitations were sent only to those who had previously registered for a Roundup. Unsubstantiated Allegations OIG investigated these allegations and concluded that none of the claims that a woman was raped at a Roundup were supported by the evidence. The official activities of the Roundup were centered on athletic events, drinking, and what were intended to be humorous performances by participants vying for such titles as Redneck of the Year. Indeed, we recognized that the persons who attended the Roundup may have had a motive to conceal or minimize the instances of racial or other kinds of misconduct in order to make their attendance at a Roundup appear more benign than it might have been. T-shirts were sold at the Roundup that were found to be racially insensitive. New York, NY: Random House. This group of participants affiliated with DOJ constitutes approximately three percent of the estimated total number of attendees at the sixteen Roundups. That database shows that there have been 429 fatal officer . 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. The phrase used by the persons engaged in the activity was 'checking cars for niggers'. We determined, however, that because the Roundup campground was not isolated or well-secured, it was ill-suited for secretive racist gatherings. We thus concluded that in choosing the Roundup's location, its organizers did not have a racist intent, although the perceptions among minorities that they would not be welcome was an unintended consequence of the selected site. These allegations also threatened to taint the public reputation of the agencies that employed these agents. Before an officer has the chance to learn the job and learn to employ all their training and experiences we basically tell that officer we don't trust you and, until we do, you are on your own. In addition, we found that because the central activity during most Roundups was the consumption of large quantities of Roundup-supplied alcohol, the organizers knowingly sacrificed the ability to control the conduct of participants. Indeed, by 1990, law enforcement officers -- federal, state, and local -- were outnumbered by participants who had no such affiliation. Likewise, no federal, state, or local law enforcement agent was fired because of his participation in the Roundups. The first issue is competence. 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. The women dancers were strippers. A problem arises, however, when a leader decides to sweep an issue under the rug. Rightmyer also announced generally that everyone in law enforcement was welcome at the Roundup, and those who disagreed should leave. (Subsequently, the FBI concluded that Hayward's video taken at the 1990 Roundup was authentic and had not been altered.). 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. Based on our interviews of each of these witnesses, our conclusions regarding their credibility, and all the testimony of a number of credible witnesses, we concluded that none of these allegations were supported by substantial credible evidence. Although we heard conflicting views as to whether this conduct was intended to send a benign message of "Southern heritage" or a message of racism and intolerance, especially towards African Americans, we conclude that such displays had the effect, whether intended or not, of adding to a racially charged and hostile environment. 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. "It's always been a buddy buddy system to my knowledge and there's going to be a few that say it's not and that's because they are a part of the buddy buddy system," Leflore said. And although we were able to identify more who had been invited to attend, most chose not to -- some merely because the name and location suggested to them that they would not be welcome there. 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. During the course of this investigation OIG interviewed over 500 witnesses, including participants in the Roundup, people who were invited but did not attend, vendors to the Roundup, DOJ employees based in Southeastern offices, river raft guides, local Tennessee residents, and others. These invitations were distributed to law enforcement agencies in the Southeast, where they were posted on bulletin boards, announced generally, or handed out to those who were interested. First, the allegations of racist conduct contained in the initial media accounts and Congressional testimony were truly shocking. Many police organizations have faced this lopsided leadership option (McMillin, 1999). Georgia sheriffs supporting Gov. He works for the Missouri Department of Corrections and is currently a trainer. The banner was thrown in the trash. Although Rightmyer again criticized the officer who performed this skit, he took no other action. Op/Ed: Employment And Crime. PHOTO: An example of the racist paraphernalia sold at this event. A future Roundup president and Richard Hayward can be readily identified in the photo. Satterthwaite is asking for reinstatement to his position, a trial by jury and that the department covers his attorney fees. We determined, however, that because the Roundup campground was not isolated or well-secured, it was ill-suited for secretive racist gatherings. Overall, OIG interviewed large numbers of people who attended the Roundup, particularly in those years for which there were extremely serious allegations of racist and other misconduct. Being a federal law enforcement officer within the Department of Justice is a privilege not a right; it can appropriately be conditioned on maintaining a proper level of behavior at all times. Mired in tradition, the 'good ol' boys club' mentality keeps us moving backward and prevents us from being respected for the job we do. Hayward also brought a large David Duke for President banner to hang in the campground, but it was up only briefly before Roundup organizers ordered that it be taken down. We had a responsibility to set the record straight as to what actually occurred at the Roundup during a sixteen-year period. Others witnessed or heard enough that they showed poor judgment in not taking appropriate steps to satisfy themselves that the objectionable conduct would not recur. Thirty-six were DOJ employees when they attended; eight went prior to becoming DOJ employees. Over the sixteen years of the Roundup, only three percent of the total estimated number of attendees were DOJ employees. We were unable to establish how long this conduct lasted or how many people may have been involved in it. In 1992 the same persons who ordered the sign taken down pulled the responsible person away from the car and told him to stop what he was doing. Principal OIG Findings The caption read, "Boyz on the Hood." The person who observed the sign reported that it was gone within half an hour. d) Racist Confrontation DOJ regulations also prohibit employees from engaging in "disrespectful conduct." 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.