For all the Correctional Officers
10-10-2007, 12:16 PM
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For all the Correctional Officers
THE FORGOTTEN COP
What would the average citizen say if it were proposed that Police Officers be assigned to a neighborhood which was inhabited by no one but criminals and those Officers would be unarmed, patrol on foot and be heavily out numbered?
I wager that the overwhelming public response would be that the Officers would have to be crazy to accept such an assignment. However as you read this, such a scenario is being played out in all areas of the country.
~ ~ ~
We are Correctional Officers, not Guards (who are people that watch school crossings).
We work at minimum, medium, and maximum security Correctional Facilities.
We are empowered by the State to enforce its Penal Laws, Rules, and Regulations of the Department of Correctional Services.
In short we are Policemen.
Our beat is totally inhabited by convicted felons who, by definition, are people who tend to break laws, rules, and regulations.
We are out numbered by as many as 50 to 1 at various times of our workday and contrary to popular belief, we work without a side arm.
In short, our necks are on the line every minute of every day.
A Correctional Facility is a very misunderstood environment.
The average person has very little knowledge of its workings.
Society sends it's criminals to Correctional Facilities and as time passes, each criminal’s crime fades from our memory until the collective prison population becomes hordes of bad people being warehoused away from decent society in a place where they can cause no further harm.
There is also the notion that prison inmates cease to be a problem when the are incarcerated.
Correctional Facilities are full of violence perpetrated by the prison population against the prison population and facility staff.
Felonies are committed daily but are rarely reported.
They are called "unusual incidents" and rarely result in criminal prosecution.
Discipline is handled internally and, as a rule, the public is rarely informed of these crimes.
In the course of maintaining order in these facilities, many Officers have endured the humiliation of having urine and feces thrown at them.
Uncounted Correctional Officers have been kicked, bitten, stabbed and slashed with home made weapons, taken hostage, murdered and even raped in the line of duty, all while being legally
mandated to maintain their Professional Composure and refraining from any retaliation which could be the basis for dismissal from service.
In addition to these obvious dangers, Correctional Officers face hidden dangers in the form of AIDS, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and C.
Courts are now imposing longer sentences and the prison population is increasing far beyond the systems designated capacity.
As the public demands more police on the street, governments everywhere are cutting police in prison where violence reins supreme, jeopardizing all those working behind prison walls.
Although you will never see us on "911" or "Top Cops" we are Law Enforcement Professionals.
We are the "FORGOTTEN COP," hidden from public view, doing a dangerous beat, hoping someday to receive the respect and approval from the public who "WE SILENTLY SERVE."
Author Unknown.
~ ~ ~
What would the average citizen say if it were proposed that Police Officers be assigned to a neighborhood which was inhabited by no one but criminals and those Officers would be unarmed, patrol on foot and be heavily out numbered?
I wager that the overwhelming public response would be that the Officers would have to be crazy to accept such an assignment. However as you read this, such a scenario is being played out in all areas of the country.
~ ~ ~
We are Correctional Officers, not Guards (who are people that watch school crossings).
We work at minimum, medium, and maximum security Correctional Facilities.
We are empowered by the State to enforce its Penal Laws, Rules, and Regulations of the Department of Correctional Services.
In short we are Policemen.
Our beat is totally inhabited by convicted felons who, by definition, are people who tend to break laws, rules, and regulations.
We are out numbered by as many as 50 to 1 at various times of our workday and contrary to popular belief, we work without a side arm.
In short, our necks are on the line every minute of every day.
A Correctional Facility is a very misunderstood environment.
The average person has very little knowledge of its workings.
Society sends it's criminals to Correctional Facilities and as time passes, each criminal’s crime fades from our memory until the collective prison population becomes hordes of bad people being warehoused away from decent society in a place where they can cause no further harm.
There is also the notion that prison inmates cease to be a problem when the are incarcerated.
Correctional Facilities are full of violence perpetrated by the prison population against the prison population and facility staff.
Felonies are committed daily but are rarely reported.
They are called "unusual incidents" and rarely result in criminal prosecution.
Discipline is handled internally and, as a rule, the public is rarely informed of these crimes.
In the course of maintaining order in these facilities, many Officers have endured the humiliation of having urine and feces thrown at them.
Uncounted Correctional Officers have been kicked, bitten, stabbed and slashed with home made weapons, taken hostage, murdered and even raped in the line of duty, all while being legally
mandated to maintain their Professional Composure and refraining from any retaliation which could be the basis for dismissal from service.
In addition to these obvious dangers, Correctional Officers face hidden dangers in the form of AIDS, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and C.
Courts are now imposing longer sentences and the prison population is increasing far beyond the systems designated capacity.
As the public demands more police on the street, governments everywhere are cutting police in prison where violence reins supreme, jeopardizing all those working behind prison walls.
Although you will never see us on "911" or "Top Cops" we are Law Enforcement Professionals.
We are the "FORGOTTEN COP," hidden from public view, doing a dangerous beat, hoping someday to receive the respect and approval from the public who "WE SILENTLY SERVE."
Author Unknown.
~ ~ ~
10-10-2007, 12:40 PM
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I agree correctional officers have an almost impossible job. I enjoyed watching Ted Koppel's Prison Overcrowding show on Discovery Channel recently (minus the spanish only commercial in the middle of it).
Thank you for your service!!
Thank you for your service!!
10-10-2007, 12:53 PM
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Thank you, I have been at it for a long time and its only getting harder, society has no respect for law enforcement and by the time the offenders reach us a lot of em are out of control, the prison population is getting younger and younger with no end in site, I can however say on some days its an awesome job, but on others it can wear you out, well gotta go and prepare my uniform for 2nd shift
.
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10-10-2007, 02:04 PM
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Thank You.
I could't agree more.
I've been at it quite a while now as well and get to deal with some pretty nasty people.
Thank you, I have been at it for a long time and its only getting harder, society has no respect for law enforcement and by the time the offenders reach us a lot of em are out of control, the prison population is getting younger and younger with no end in site, I can however say on some days its an awesome job, but on others it can wear you out, well gotta go and prepare my uniform for 2nd shift.
.I've been at it quite a while now as well and get to deal with some pretty nasty people.
10-10-2007, 02:33 PM
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Thank you from my wife, she is a COII at Kansas State Pen for 3 yrs. She works weekends and holidays, for 3 yrs she has spent Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter with inmates. It is a very tough and low paying job for the sacrafices you make for your family and the danger you put yourself in every day. I am very relieved that she has been promoted and is going to be a Probation Officer away from the prison in two weeks, I will have a much less nerveracking day when she doesnt call immediately after her shift I wont get those thoughts in my head of what could have happened.
10-10-2007, 02:51 PM
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I put in 29 years working in CA prisons and agree with and experienced nearly everything 1qckdodge posted. I worked my way up through the ranks to retire as a supervising counselor. Ads are currently being run on television attesting to the fact CA C/O positions are the best entry level jobs in the state, yet they can't get enough applicants to fill all the vacancies. Yes, it can be a PIA job at times but a seasoned C/O can earn more than the governor (with overtime) and retire as early as age 50 and with up to 90% of his base pay plus excellent medical insurance and many other benifits.
I hated my job at times but I sure love my retirement although I didn't stick around long enough to max out my retirement pay.
Dan
I hated my job at times but I sure love my retirement although I didn't stick around long enough to max out my retirement pay.
Dan
10-10-2007, 03:21 PM
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I work for the Federal Bureau of prisons at United States Penitentiary Hazelton Wv. ( USP Hazelton ) I was a C.O. for 6 years but luckily I moved up to a Powerhouse position. I no longer have to deal inmates. Thank God because this place is off the hook. We have had two C.O.'s stabbed in the past 6 months and we just had an inmate murdered this past monday, which makes two murders in the past 8 months. I'm glad I work the powerhouse and don't have to deal with that crap anymore.
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10-10-2007, 11:42 PM
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Its nice to hear from other COs, I have been the Property Officer for the last 3 years and deal with every inmate that comes into the facility, this has been the most challenging thing I have ever done, but I have also been trying to work my way up the ladder and out of the prison, Friday I start a new job detail and will be working for the Central Transportation Unit, I will be on the road driving these knuckle heads around the state, the best thing is the bus has a 12v in it and it blows a lil smoke
, I was recently hired by a state police dept but had to turn it down after months of going thru the process because of the huge paycut, I had already givin my notice and had an academy date, but the state would not honor my pay scale from one agency to the next like they said the would in the beginning , so when I get to my 10 year mark and can retire I will then go for the PD in the town I live in, if any of you guys would like to trade patches please let me know, and thanks for responding.
, I was recently hired by a state police dept but had to turn it down after months of going thru the process because of the huge paycut, I had already givin my notice and had an academy date, but the state would not honor my pay scale from one agency to the next like they said the would in the beginning , so when I get to my 10 year mark and can retire I will then go for the PD in the town I live in, if any of you guys would like to trade patches please let me know, and thanks for responding.
10-10-2007, 11:56 PM
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I agree as I will have been a CO here in Illinois 10 years in Febuary. As much as I like going to work I like being away from it more. It was tough moving 200 plus miles away from home when I was 19 and spending every Holiday at work away from my family. Times change now and I can get them off I so please most of the time. What a difference seniority makes.
10-11-2007, 02:32 AM
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I feel you and agree 100%. I in some ways feel bad for the CO's that I know when I make an arrest on the street knowing that he/she is only going to be a royal pain in the back side for you all, considering I'm ready to loose my mind with only dealing with them for 1-2 hours!! Hopefully since it seems that fall has finally arrived here in CT, things will quiet down a little in my town (AKA "Hard-Hit'n") so I won't be sending you as many customers.
Anyways, I think I would loose my mind being a CO. Though at the same time, many of the CO's I meet tell me that they'd loose their minds doing what I do as a patrol officer.
And by the way... 10yrs to get vested is def. a good way to go if you're young enough to do another 10+ in a local agency. Gotta smile with the state benifits.
Mike
Anyways, I think I would loose my mind being a CO. Though at the same time, many of the CO's I meet tell me that they'd loose their minds doing what I do as a patrol officer.
And by the way... 10yrs to get vested is def. a good way to go if you're young enough to do another 10+ in a local agency. Gotta smile with the state benifits.
Mike
10-11-2007, 06:46 AM
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You also get paid alot of money to do that and if you work as a fed CO you get paid even more,retirement is taken care of as well as medical for the rest of your life.
Dont know were you are but in CA they make $70,000 per year added into the overtime alot pull up to $120,000 per year.
We have a state prison right next to our town and I have yet to see one of them living in the "poor house",yet it can be a crappy job sometimes but you get well paid for it at the same time.
Plus if you get spit on or what ever you can call your buddys to come up beat on they guy,I guess you call it an cell extratcion or something like that.
Pav
Dont know were you are but in CA they make $70,000 per year added into the overtime alot pull up to $120,000 per year.
We have a state prison right next to our town and I have yet to see one of them living in the "poor house",yet it can be a crappy job sometimes but you get well paid for it at the same time.
Plus if you get spit on or what ever you can call your buddys to come up beat on they guy,I guess you call it an cell extratcion or something like that.
Pav
10-11-2007, 07:19 AM
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One of the Major advantages to being a federal CO is that we have prisons all acrossed the country and we use that as a tool. If an inmate is from say D.C. and he is housed in Petersburg Va. he usually will get visits from his family and friends once a week or so. But if he acts like an idiot we will ship his behind to Victorville Ca. and he will never see his family.
That is a HUGE tool and it is effective. Uncle Sam will not hesitate to ship them either...
That is a HUGE tool and it is effective. Uncle Sam will not hesitate to ship them either...
10-11-2007, 08:01 AM
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Thanks guys for the awesome replys, I have 9 years in and will hit my tenth on 9/13/09
, I would love to be a federal CO, you guys have a ton of prisons to choose from, I feel for the CA guys because Cali prison system is NO JOKE, Bluedeviltorque, I should call ya for a ride along one day, had no clue you were from the hard hittn NB, thanks again.
, I would love to be a federal CO, you guys have a ton of prisons to choose from, I feel for the CA guys because Cali prison system is NO JOKE, Bluedeviltorque, I should call ya for a ride along one day, had no clue you were from the hard hittn NB, thanks again.
10-11-2007, 08:48 AM
#15
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My SIL has nearly two years in with one of the counties down here. He too says there are good days and bad days. Most of the time he doesn't get totally bored, as he is a state certified, gun totin' duputy that gets to transfer prisioners, make hospital runs, etc. He likes the job, but looks forward to the day when he gets on the street.