The good ol' sheriff - Washington Post 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. The next day Rightmyer told the offenders that blacks were welcome at the Roundup and if they did not like it, they should leave. Because of the lack of controls placed on the distribution of fliers once they reached particular offices, the extent to which they were brought to the attention of the agents in these offices varied. There arent any ifs, ands, or buts about it. In insular environments, when ambiguous issues arise in meetings, there is a lack of questions that limit learning and understanding. Our investigation established that DOJ employees had quite diverse experiences at the Roundup. Randall also alleged that a T-shirt with a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with a target superimposed over his face, was offered for sale. Several women in law enforcement who attended the Roundup reported feeling uncomfortable due to the vulgarity and demeanor of the male attendees. You want to make sure that you have a diverse leadership, the former FBI agent said. Organizational expectation is who you know rather than what you do. A related idea is patronage, giving public service jobs to those who may have helped elect the person who has the power of appointment. Finally, public nudity was commonplace at various Roundups. Logan of the University of Kentucky, the lead researcher, noted that the rural women were from the Appalachian area, which has received media attention because of drug use. We found no evidence that any federal law enforcement personnel appears in the photograph. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. In any event, no one was punished for posting them. Brian is a life-long student of leadership, and passionate about helping others. We have referred to the Director of the FBI a report with respect to this one current FBI employee for whom we recommend that punishment be considered for his behavior at the Roundup. Although high ranking officers and senior enlisted have always tried to pluck toxicity out of the system because it goes against every military value, it still rears its head, typically in the form of the good ol boy system. On the other hand, simply attending a private, unofficial event at which a few participants engage in racist conduct and at which such behavior is not the purpose of the event should not, in most circumstances, merit punishment for the employee who attends. When the persons in the registration area observed the sign, it was removed. c) Racist Skits In addition, allegations of criminal conduct, including narcotics distribution and rape, were raised at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing held within ten days of the original news stories. And in many cases, DOJ employees acted as one would hope they would -- they saw an event marked by excessive alcohol consumption and puerile behavior and never returned. Ultimately, the purported eyewitness recanted his claim. If they do pretend it doesnt exist, troops will catch on and word will spread quickly through the ranks. Those incidents helped create and perpetuate a climate that was not welcoming towards African Americans, other minorities, or women. They are a master at what they do and have not just helped others with problems, theyve taught others how to fix those problems for next time. Also, the appearance of favoritism weakens morale in government service, not to mention public faith in the integrity of government. The Good Ole Boy System in the Military - Part-Time-Commander.com 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 one other witness believed he saw a T-shirt similar to the one described by Randall worn by one person at the 1995 Roundup, OIG found insufficient credible evidence that such shirts were for sale at the Roundup. . Thus, whether intended or not, the Roundup was in fact predominantly a gathering of whites. Instead, most troops will eventually break down and take the easy route of prioritizing the buttering up of their superiors. Also the more difficult it is to prove yourself. In the early years a contest called the Beer Enduro took place, requiring participants to drink a specified quantity of beer at regular intervals. The good ole boy system. e) Hayward's White Supremacist Literature. We believe we have developed a fair and accurate picture of what occurred. How can this not be a 'Good Ole Boy' system issue along with Judges being appointed by these same legislators. Even where we developed substantial evidence that acts of misconduct took place, we have not in every case been able to identify who was responsible, despite determined efforts to do so. And everyone can point to instances where cronyism or nepotism is an accepted fact of life in political sphere, as well. We determined that what began in 1980 as an unofficial gathering of 58 law enforcement officers and their friends evolved over the years into an event that by the early 1990s attracted close to 500 people, only ten percent of whom had any federal law enforcement affiliation. Other attendees intervened and broke up the confrontation. Mayors put those they know and trust on citizens committees and commissions. So, unconsciously we end up testing them, and closely evaluating their every move. These allegations also threatened to taint the public reputation of the agencies that employed these agents. We found no evidence that any federal law enforcement personnel appears in the photograph. 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. Old boy network - Wikipedia We hope that our effort to deal fully and carefully with disturbing allegations against officers responsible for enforcing our federal criminal laws will promote the fair administration of justice and the public's confidence in the ability of the Department of Justice to police itself. On two occasions the Redneck of the Year contest contained blatantly racist material. Decisions that need to be made get kicked down the road and unpopular people no matter their competence have no voice. Our investigative and interviewing strategy was designed to get beyond potentially self-serving accounts. OIG interviewed every DOJ employee, current and past, who attended at least one Roundup, and many of their colleagues and supervisors, with a particular emphasis on minority employees, to determine what they knew about the Roundup. "You know, you're the person that plays golf with the commander of the unit, so when you go apply you're going to get that spot.". Most people define the Good Ole Boy System as "people who use or gain special treatment with job assignments and promotions because of the relationship they have with others.". When the persons in the registration area observed the sign, it was removed. In conducting this investigation, the OIG's principal purposes were (1) to determine whether DOJ employees had committed acts that might warrant sanction by their components and (2) to determine whether existing standards of conduct provide adequate guidance as they relate to off-duty conduct or whether any changes in administrative policy or Randall also alleged that a T-shirt with a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with a target superimposed over his face, was offered for sale. When a small group is privy to whats really going on, the majority of the organization is in the dark and cannot be expected to have the ability to do its best work. We determined that what began in 1980 as an unofficial gathering of 58 law enforcement officers and their friends evolved over the years into an event that by the early 1990s attracted close to 500 people, only ten percent of whom had any federal law enforcement affiliation. -- a particular responsibility of the Department of Justice. Mississippi Is the Most Corrupt State, Says a New Study racism and the criminal justice system, safety and preparing minority youth for interactions with police, fostering positive relationships between police and communities of color, assisting . Former FBI agent Robyn Gritz said on Wednesday that there was a good old boys club within the premier U.S. law enforcementagencies after the Department of Justice released a report detailing gender bias in the field. Our initial task was to identify DOJ employees who attended any of the Roundups. 1980-95, we conclude that the Roundup was not, as it was portrayed in the media stories, a "Klan rally," an intentionally "whites-only" racist gathering, or a haven for criminal conduct. We discuss the problem of one of our State Legislators practicing Law privately and representing a subject in a high profile, double murder trial and how it raises questions for citizens, Law Enforcement and Circuit Solicitors Offices. Racist signs were posted in at least two years: 1990 and 1992. These standards apply to employees' off-duty conduct in addition to their conduct on the job. How to break up the old boys club in your office. Although one other witness believed he saw a T-shirt similar to the one described by Randall worn by one person at the 1995 Roundup, OIG found insufficient credible evidence that such shirts were for sale at the Roundup. WHAS11 talked to two retired LMPD officers who are African Americans. 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. Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership: Casting light or shadow. Despite reports that prostitutes were present during various Roundups, we found no evidence that anyone was solicited for prostitution or that sex was exchanged for money. Hayward, who made the videotape with the "checkpoint" sign and who in an affidavit submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee claimed to have witnessed a broad array of racist acts at a number of the Roundups, refused for several months to cooperate with the OIG investigation, submit to an interview, or surrender the original videotape. In part this lack of understanding is the result of very general provisions that govern off-duty conduct. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. They will try ordering you around, like they're in a position to do so. 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. In addition to Roundup participants, OIG made significant efforts to interview the persons who alleged misconduct against the Roundup and its participants. From our careful review of the evidence as to the specific allegations of racist misconduct, we found substantial credible evidence of blatantly racist signs, skits, and actions in 1990, 1992, and 1995. The public drunkenness began far earlier and was a reason cited by many DOJ employees and others for not returning to the Roundup. According to the lawsuit, LMPD eliminated Satterthwaite's position as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer without explanation. A problem arises, however, when a leader decides to sweep an issue under the rug. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/bellis.NTCOFSP/Downloads/0679.pdf, Rand, S. (n.d.). Substantiated Allegations We found evidence of the unofficial sale of T-shirts during several Roundups that some persons found to be racially insensitive. We believe that such off-duty responsibilities are not well-understood by many DOJ employees. Randall was served with an OIG administrative subpoena for photographs of the Roundup and the original videotape, which Hayward had turned over to him. This impacts the department in multiple ways such as: NEVER MISS A STORY WITH THE LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY APP DOWNLOAD HERE. You would have everyone on equal footing, we would be treated fairly. Abrams" Georgia sheriffs "good ol' boys." want "to take blacks off street" It is the 21st century. Enter https://www.corrections1.com/ and click OK. (Subsequently, the FBI concluded that Hayward's video taken at the 1990 Roundup was authentic and had not been altered.). Lexipol. Because of the historical connections between similar sites and racist activities, these agents attributed racist intentions to the Roundup due simply to its location. Hayward also brought some bumper stickers and hats to sell, without much success. What do favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism have to do with ethics? His component, however, must assess this conduct in light of the employee's history. In the public sphere, favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism also undermine the common good. This fact contributed substantially to the degeneration of the Roundup over the years from an innocuous open-air camping and recreational gathering into a playground for large numbers of the drunk, tasteless, and immature. The caption read, "Boyz on the Hood." The other unimpressively slides through work but goes fishing with the commander on weekends. A future Roundup president and Richard Hayward can be readily identified in the photo. They are here you know. All told, our investigation took into account the statements of nearly 900 witnesses, including 560 who attended a Roundup. 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 not raised initially as allegations, OIG found substantial credible evidence of rampant alcohol abuse and extreme cases of juvenile and shocking behavior. OIG subpoenaed computer and bank records relating to the Roundup from Gene Rightmyer, the former ATF agent who had organized and led the Roundup from 1980 through 1995. When he believed that OIG intended to seek court enforcement of the subpoena he publicly threatened bloodshed. Twenty-three of the forty-four DOJ employees attended only one Roundup; eight more went only twice. When the organizers of the Roundup learned about the signs, they ordered the signs taken down. 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. OIG interviewed every DOJ employee, current and past, who attended at least one Roundup, and many of their colleagues and supervisors, with a particular emphasis on minority employees, to determine what they knew about the Roundup. However, the respective components may wish to consider counseling for some of their employee participants based on our findings. He has written articles for several publications, including Law Enforcement Today, Peace Officers Research Association of California, Police One, The Oxford University Press, The Journal of California Law Enforcement; and has contributed to chapters in IGI Global Publishing textbooks. This interviewing strategy was designed to ferret out as much information from as many different sources as possible to minimize the chances that racial or other kinds of misconduct might be concealed from us. This article is part four of a seven-part series, illuminating light on the seven errors of leadership behaviors. Accordingly, we recommend that the Department of Justice do the following: Every law enforcement agency must decide how they are going to promote their employees. In their affidavits to the Senate, the two Ocoee women claimed to have heard that a woman was gang-raped by a large number of Roundup participants. 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). Moreover, we found Randall's claim to have found the "license" in a Roundup bathroom not to be credible. Internal transparency builds trust and more importantly- ownership. They were welcomed at the Roundup in multiple years. We encountered numerous witnesses who were unable to supply very much information, particularly those who attended a Roundup in its earliest years. These standards apply to employees' off-duty conduct in addition to their conduct on the job. Through these efforts, OIG identified nearly 1400 persons who attended the Roundup between 1980 and 1995. It is the 21st century. Intent and a "Whites-only" Policy. Cultural change that sticks.Harvard Business Review. In conducting this investigation, the OIG's principal purposes were (1) to determine whether DOJ employees had committed acts that might warrant sanction by their components and (2) to determine whether existing standards of conduct provide adequate guidance as they relate to off-duty conduct or whether any changes in administrative policy or practice should be made. When the organizers learned about it, they covered over the graffiti. 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. Copyright 2023 Corrections1. When they play second fiddle to keeping your superiors personally happy, somethings wrong. Coming from the Italian word for nephew, it covers favoritism to members of the family. 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. In 1992, he left a pile of these materials at the registration desk, which the people at the desk promptly discarded. ", 4. We should have flying cars, human-like AI's, teleporters and more. But the inquiry is, by necessity, highly fact-specific. Although we found that in certain years egregious acts of racism occurred, in most cases we concluded that the DOJ employees in attendance those years were either unaware of such conduct or had learned that the organizers had taken action to terminate it. In July 1995, national attention focused suddenly on an annual private gathering in southeastern Tennessee known as the "Good O' Boy Roundup" (Roundup). We also found no evidence that any DOJ employees attended the Roundup without taking appropriate leave. Basically favoritism is just what it sounds like; it's favoring a person not because he or she is doing the best job but rather because of some extraneous feature-membership in a favored group, personal likes and dislikes, etc. Performances in the skit competitions included participants who bit off the head of a dead snake; ate a whole raw fish soaked in beer; defecated on stage; soiled their trousers on stage; and pulled chewing tobacco out of their trousers pretending it to be excrement and put it in their mouths. Tweet. E. OIG Recommendations . Corrections1 is revolutionizing the way in which the corrections community finds relevant news, As long as theres still a working relationship, rivalries between units are fine. Satterthwaite is asking for reinstatement to his position, a trial by jury and that the department covers his attorney fees. Even where we developed substantial evidence that acts of misconduct took place, we have not in every case been able to identify who was responsible, despite determined efforts to do so. He was going for another term, his fifth, and as the . OIG investigated every allegation of specific racist misconduct made by Hayward, Randall, several current and former black ATF agents, and witnesses who were interviewed during the course of this investigation. In 1989 and other unspecified years we found evidence that cassette tapes of music by a performer named David Allen Coe were played at various campsites, including a song named "My Wife Ran Off With a Nigger." If a toxic leader surrounds him or herself with only people that nod, agree, and kiss their ass, theyll see no need for improvement. Friends and family can usually be counted on for loyalty, and officeholders are in a good position to know their strengths. In the lawsuit, he says he applied for multiple positions within the department, but believes he was scored unfairly and was denied access to his interview files so he could review the decision. It also makes us highly skeptical of anyone new coming in. Taunting the ATF agent about the presence of the two blacks, one of the Fort Lauderdale officers stated, "ATF fucks up everything they touch. The next day Rightmyer told the offenders that blacks were welcome at the Roundup and if they did not like it, they should leave. Greater punishment could be warranted, therefore, if the behavior evidenced in this investigation is part of a pattern of documented racial insensitivity. We found no evidence that any racial restrictions, either explicit or implicit, were placed on the distribution of these invitations. News stories reported that the Roundup was a "whites-only" gathering of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and other federal law enforcement officers that resembled a "Klan rally" and at which these agents discriminated against blacks by posting racist signs, wearing racist T-shirts, performing racist skits, and playing racist music. This woman denied that she was raped. We found substantial evidence that the campground was a hostile environment for women especially in the later years of the Roundup. We found substantial evidence that strippers performed at the campground year after year beginning around 1988. Half of the DOJ participants did not go to any Roundups after 1988 -- a significant fact because no egregious racist misconduct was alleged to have occurred prior to 1989. OIG made special efforts to interview persons from many federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, and to interview a large number of participants who had no law enforcement affiliation. Contrary to the media accounts of this incident, the black agents were not turned away from the Roundup. The last person to be able to consume the required amount without a break was the winner. Verifying the allegations, therefore, required assessing the accuracy and reliability of testimony given by witnesses. Our review of Roundup policies and practices established by Rightmyer and the Roundup organizers revealed no evidence of an intent to create or maintain a "whites-only" event. A lot of the Texas law enforcement is still the good ol' boys, and the good ol' boys never, never want to be managed by anyone other than good ol' boys. To complicate issues even more, when groupthink is rampant, police organizations begin relying on successful implementations from the past that may no longer be relevant or produce the greatest yield for the department; but because it worked before, it stands to reason that it should be an acceptable means for today. Even male attendees told us that would not have wanted any female family member or friend to attend the Roundup because of how women were treated. "There is definitely a system of the good ole boy system that takes place," James said. Solely on our findings, an appropriate sanction would be a reprimand, either written or oral. Regardless of their source, if true, these allegations threatened to seriously undermine the ability of these agents to perform their critical missions, particularly enforcing federal criminal law, upholding civil rights laws, and providing equal protection under the law. 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. We also found substantial credible evidence of racially insensitive conduct in 1985, 1987, 1989, and 1993. Maybe they'll freeze, or run away. The OIG report contains a summary of our findings with respect to these and all other DOJ employees who attended. In addition to the persons who brought allegations of racism to light, OIG sought to interview persons who were identified as having committed racially offensive acts. "We are proud of the support we have from Democrat and Republican sheriffs. Likewise, no federal, state, or local law enforcement agent was fired because of his participation in the Roundups. Apparently, the same concern and solicitude did not extend to the relatively few female law enforcement personnel who went to a Roundup. Police need to stop using excessive force, violating people’s civil rights, refusing to investigate complaints. 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. The 9News Investigators found records of two paychecks made out to Jimmy Jones after his resignation date of April 28, 2015.