CYA: Get Your Story Out There First

In the continuing desire to help you not get fired for your innocent actions...

Cover your butt!

In the course of our work, we sometimes find ourselves in ambiguous positions regarding the perception of a client or customer and what we actually did or intended to do.

On patrol, I saw a wierd driving incident. I called the dispatch center to report a suspicious vehicle and gave the plate number and make/model of the car.
10 minutes later I was called into the VPs office to explain why I was seen "waving my gun around" while sitting in my patrol car. I was mystified by the charge. I never touched my gun while on duty unless it was incidental to a serious arrest. It is technically a violation of 417 of the California Criminal Law: Brandishing a Firearm. This would get me fired then and there.

So I thought back in detail as to what might have led this to this report to my bosses. I remembered while parked in the patrol car, surveying the perimeter,that suspicious vehicle; a woman drove by slowly, almost stopped and then sped off while I was on my portable radio with the dispatch center. It dawned on me that she must have thought the radio was a gun! [Portable radios at this time were the size of a brick with a thin 9" antenna.]
I mention this to the VP who, as is usual with security guards, didn't believe me. I asked him to hold the radio up as the woman came into his office. He did so, reluctantly, and when she entered she freaked out, saying "that's' the gun!." When pointed out it was a radio, she said, "Well, I can't be expected to know what a real gun looks like." My boss had mentioned that I was on the radio at the time, as also documented in the Communications Log. All OK; close call.


Another time I was following a 5150 (mentally ill) woman who had vandalized a parked car. She ran into the library building. I found her by following the turned heads of library patrons. Knowing this was an X-call, I knew I had better be VERY careful. I radioed I was chasing a vandal-X. I interviewed her and determined that it was her own car(!) (vandalizing your own car is not a crime, BTW.)

After I left, I immediately went to see my boss. I explained all that occurred because I knew a complaint was imminent. Sure enough, she and 2 other woman who were not present called to complain that I was harassing this poor innocent woman! My boss determined their side of the story was at best incomplete or a lie, I had 10 people in sight when I interviewed the woman. I later showed my boss the damage to her car. This complaint was dismissed out of hand and I continued on patrol.

Another situation involved the same library. I was closing the building and a woman tried to enter to get a book she needed. I told her "No, sorry, we are closed." she became irate, a paper was due and she needed that book!. I called into dispatch on this as a disgruntled patron and that she was very angry.
Yes, she called 15 minutes later to say that I was very rude and had closed the library early! My call to dispatch at the time saved me...as it was logged as being 4 minutes after closing time and I was known for being quite exact when I closed any of the campus buildings. Saved again.

Crazy people will make complaints too, frequently!. One woman accused me of being abusive. I had called her friend Sir, (as in "Good Morning, Sir") which she said was a derogatory term!

My point is that in any ambiguous situation you must immediately contact your boss and supervisors as to the incident...before the complainer decides to make an official complaint. Even if they are nuts. You must understand they will not be objective, will spin it to their advantage and you will not be believed, if it is your word against theirs; unless you reported it first AND have a reputation for accurate reporting. You must report it accurately and honestly in a matter of fact way. Be very careful; what can go wrong will go wrong.