In the latest PAX 501, J-Fed wants to thank everyone for a job well done. He further states that this is the best police department in the country. We won't disagree, just because it would seem impolite and we haven't worked for every department in the country, so we lack the necessary insight.
This paragraph is interesting though:
This paragraph is interesting though:
- Recently, several departmental changes have made news headlines prior to an internal formal notification process. Please be assured that it is my goal and desire to ensure that, whenever possible, members are notified about changes that may have an impact on their day-to-day operations and responsibilities.
Reading into the "whenever possible" portion (which we take to mean "never") and the "impact on their...operations and responsibilities" phrase (which we'll interpret as "if it isn't your bureau, butt out"), we sense a chill wind blowing. Information might be about to become a rare commodity. While the feds believe in "decentralization," they also believe in compartmentalizing sensitive items, and decentralizing facilitates secret keeping. We've all heard the stories about the left hand not knowing what the right was doing because someone wouldn't share info.
We seem to recall someone, Starks maybe, attempting to make exempts responsible for information leaked out of their offices (memos, drafts, orders, etc.) This ran contrary to decades of police operations where information was the currency of the realm. Whoever controlled the info had the power (or the appearance of power). Certain people always knew when a choice spot was opening up somewhere. Others could beat the paperwork deadlines and have all the necessary attachments on hand via some mysterious power. And how about the headquarters crew always sweeping the top exam spots despite an inordinate amount of time spent far from actually honing job skills in a practical manner?
Leaks have always been the order of the day. Why else would the Department have had a Rumor Central PAX line set up for years? Why else would we get 10,000 visits on Friday?
We seem to recall someone, Starks maybe, attempting to make exempts responsible for information leaked out of their offices (memos, drafts, orders, etc.) This ran contrary to decades of police operations where information was the currency of the realm. Whoever controlled the info had the power (or the appearance of power). Certain people always knew when a choice spot was opening up somewhere. Others could beat the paperwork deadlines and have all the necessary attachments on hand via some mysterious power. And how about the headquarters crew always sweeping the top exam spots despite an inordinate amount of time spent far from actually honing job skills in a practical manner?
Leaks have always been the order of the day. Why else would the Department have had a Rumor Central PAX line set up for years? Why else would we get 10,000 visits on Friday?
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