Lexipol. READ MORE: UNDERSTANDING THE DARK SIDE OF LEADERSHIP PART III. III. Although our investigation established that the Roundup was nothing like a "Klan rally," the fact that specific acts of racist misconduct occurred in three different years made more difficult our assessment of the general charge that the Roundup had a "whites-only" attendance policy. When groupthink is present, big ideas get pushed down, shunned, or worst never shared with the group in the first place. Indeed, by 1990, law enforcement officers -- federal, state, and local -- were outnumbered by participants who had no such affiliation. What do favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism have to do with ethics? Although numerous liaisons between Roundup participants and local women were reported, we found no evidence that these liaisons were anything but consensual and non-remunerative. I'm always going to. It seems, in my experience, the higher the custody level of the institution, the stronger the system. A second sign, this one reading, "nigger checkpoint," was reported to have been posted across from the registration area early on the morning the Roundup began. -- a particular responsibility of the Department of Justice. These signs read, "Nigger check point," "Any niggers in that car?," and "17 lb." 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. The term originally referred to social and business connections among former pupils of male-only elite . But, when two groups of good ol boys butt heads, everyone else now needs to play along with their stupid game no matter how petty. Ideas are not singular and are often a collaborative process of passing through many people coupled with thousands of thoughts and decisions before becoming final (Catmull, 2014). As we have noted, we are forwarding information to the Director of the FBI for consideration of discipline against an FBI We will attempt to promote the best in leadership for police organizations and hopefully eradicate some poor leadership qualities along the way. 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. a) 1989 Allegations Such conduct included playing music with racist lyrics at campsites; wearing, trading, and selling T-shirts with racially insensitive messages; telling racially offensive jokes during official competitions; and, in the context of particular facts found, displaying Confederate flags. 'Good ole boy system': LMPD officer files lawsuit accusing department of bias, discrimination. 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 First, the allegations of racist conduct contained in the initial media accounts and Congressional testimony were truly shocking. Although in earlier years we found efforts by Rightmyer to ensure that women were treated appropriately and these women reported no problems, we found little evidence of concern in the later years when the objectionable conduct became pervasive. "There is definitely a system of the good ole boy system that takes place," James said. This is particularly true in Southern states. All told, our investigation took into account the statements of nearly 900 witnesses, including 560 who attended a Roundup. Every president and governor names close associates to key cabinet positions. . In any event, no one was punished for posting them. "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. One particular display in 1992, captured in a photograph we obtained during the investigation, included a group surrounding the flag whose members are shown making obscene gestures and raising their fists. Solely on our findings, an appropriate sanction would be a reprimand, either written or oral. Sometime after the confrontation some unidentified persons painted the words "niggers go home" and "whites only" on toilets in the campground. DOJ regulations also prohibit employees from engaging in "disrespectful conduct." It continues until the supervising officers are all friends, relatives, etc. Moreover, OIG interviewed residents in the area near where the Roundup was held to learn what relevant evidence they might possess. In addition to charges of racism, allegations of criminal or other misconduct were also raised. Blaming these people for the sins of others would have been unfair. The signs were removed and destroyed. Nor, as the initial news accounts suggested, was the Roundup dominated by federal law enforcement personnel. The phrase used by the persons engaged in the activity was "checking cars for niggers." B. Unlimited access to beer twenty-four hours a day led to extreme drunkenness. 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. Nevertheless, because the investigation established some episodes of egregious racist conduct in certain years, we tried to determine which DOJ employees attended the Roundup in those years, and whether they participated in or encouraged such conduct. In the words of basketball coaching legend John Wooden, when everybody thinks alike, nobody thinks. There are countless leaders in history such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt who used the value of challenging their own modes of thinking; whether through a team who had diverse views, or reaching out to others for advice, or seeing how the value of people who think differently than you builds success. Although numerous liaisons between Roundup participants and local women were reported, we found no evidence that these liaisons were anything but consensual and non-remunerative. 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. On this, you do have to appreciate the amount of time someone has put into establishing it. In response to a request of the Deputy Attorney General, the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted a wide-ranging investigation to determine whether any Department of Justice (DOJ) employees had attended the Roundup and, if so, whether they engaged in or approved of racial, criminal, or other kinds of misconduct at any of the sixteen Roundups from 1980 through 1995. Importantly as well, there were not many options given the initial objective of finding a site for an overnight camping and whitewater rafting trip near Rightmyer's duty office in Knoxville. None of the allegations of criminal conduct were substantiated, although activity inappropriate for a gathering with a substantial number of law enforcement officers took place. Simply put: If someone does something wrong, their ass is grass. ", Racists with Badges: The Good Ol' Boys Roundup. . 4) provide further training on the role of federal law enforcement officers in our society and the reasons why it is critical for law enforcement personnel to be held to extremely exacting standards of conduct to earn and maintain the full confidence of all citizens. In 1992, T-shirts with a pocket drawn on the upper left of the shirt, a drawing of the head of the character Buckwheat from the old television show "Little Rascals," and the words "Good Ole Boys '92" written on the pocket were offered for sale by some unidentified person or persons. 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. Continue reading. 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. Hayward had previously attended several Roundups as a registered attendee, until he was banned for his own racially offensive conduct. Remarkably, we found no one in attendance who appeared to be offended by such activity or who sought to curb it. I. [P]ublic nudity was commonplace at various Roundups [with] women dancers, women baring their chests, [and] a retired officer exposing himself with his badge displayed on his penis. Near these signs, and also visible in the video, was a drawing of a likeness of an African American with a circle around it and a red slash across the circle. Near these signs, and also visible in the video, was a drawing of a likeness of an African American with a circle around it and a red slash across the circle. Extra effort was made to take the report beyond simply a conclusion that, "It wasn't one of ours." After the confrontation, "unidentified persons painted the words 'niggers go home' and 'whites only' on toilets in the campground.". We conclude that the name "Good O' Boy" was not selected or used with the intent to send a message that the event was racially exclusive. So, unconsciously we end up testing them, and closely evaluating their every move. This tale describes the danger of situations where people are afraid to criticize an initiative because of the people involved, or how popular the idea is, as well as the inability to ask questions because of the fear of feeling inferior. Copyright 2023 Corrections1. Some spent little time at the campground where the misconduct took place; others hardly stayed at the Roundup for any period of time. Sometime after the confrontation some unidentified persons painted the words "niggers go home" and "whites only" on toilets in the campground. 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. 6. Hayward and his attorney terminated the interview shortly after the questioning turned to Hayward's own white supremacist views and activities. Nor, as the initial news accounts suggested, was the Roundup dominated by federal law enforcement personnel. Although OIG was able to interview the local residents and the current and former ATF agents who made allegations, the militia members did not cooperate. Contrary to the media accounts of this incident, the black agents were not turned away from the Roundup. LOUISVILLE, Ky. A Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) officer has filed a lawsuit claiming that LMPD is trying to hide bias, discrimination and nepotism in how it promotes officers to specialty assignments. The 9News Investigators found records of two paychecks made out to Jimmy Jones after his resignation date of April 28, 2015. The next day Rightmyer told the offenders that blacks were welcome at the Roundup and if they did not like it, they should leave. Satterthwaite claims that an unmarked vehicle conducted surveillance on his home for several days, causing him to become "disturbed, frightened, confused and anxious." Most people of interracial goodwill have never heard of Gene Rightmyer, the former Knoxville, Tennessee-based ATF agent who organized and led the Good Ol' Boys Roundup (Roundup) from 1980 through 1995. Tweet. 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. We chase off and scare off new officers before they can grasp even the basics of our profession. An important part of the climate was established by the availability of unlimited amounts of alcohol. Two troops are up for awards: One has worked their ass off, day in and day out. Additionally, organizations that have insular leaders also suffer due to a lack of problem solving within the management rank. OIG also found insufficient evidence to conclude that a racist sign was displayed in any part of the campground during the 1989 Roundup. When the organizers learned about it, they covered over the graffiti. Both of these individuals are affectionately coddled and protected by at least one magistrate and two sitting U.S. District Court judges on the federal bench for the Northern District of Alabama. First, the allegations of racist conduct contained in the initial media accounts and Congressional testimony were truly shocking. Finally, public nudity was commonplace at various Roundups. 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.' Some minority agents also expressed a reluctance to attend because the Roundup was held in the woods of an all-white county in Eastern Tennessee. Those who are not within the in-group will sooner or later find themselves burnt out, as issues they raise get discarded. In reality, the clothes do not exist, and although swindled, the emperor himself does not admit he cannot see them, because he doesnt want to be seen as unwise. Further, many conscientious lawmakers have discovered that they must change their patterns of socializing when their work involves many decisions affecting friends and associates. Unfortunately, not asking clarifying questions is a significant issue facing many police organizations complicating opportunities for the management team to do its best work. e) Hayward's White Supremacist Literature We determined, however, that because the Roundup campground was not isolated or well-secured, it was ill-suited for secretive racist gatherings. "Obviously LMPD fights any type of discrimination but I don't know about the case and if I did I couldn't comment about it," Fischer said. You want to make sure that you have a diverse leadership, the former FBI agent said. Nonetheless, OIG expended considerable time, energy, and resources to determine as best we could what happened at the Roundup. 4thEdition. Gritz said that the DOJ and the FBI has more work to do in promoting gender equality and diversity within their ranks. OIG also reviewed the testimony of hundreds of witnesses provided during interviews conducted by other agencies. They are not operating in any undercover capacity to infiltrate this racist organization. When he filed a complaint, the lawsuit alleges LMPD command "directed and authorized efforts to intimidate, harrass and surveil" him. Beyond that, we build the best commitments from people being in the know and empowering them with information to help them do their jobs better. The day before the Roundup opened a small sign that read, "no niggers," was observed posted on a stake alongside the road into the campground. Despite evidence that the Roundup organizers officially discouraged such performances, their efforts to exercise control were half-hearted at best. 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. What do favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism have to do with ethics? Our investigation established that DOJ employees had quite diverse experiences at the Roundup. 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. 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. The "good ole boy" system plagues T.D.C.J, and is part of the reason they have a hard time keeping employees. Other attendees intervened and broke up the confrontation. Most agencies that employ such tactics ultimately end up with a sub-par employee energy level, providing little more to the public they serve than the status quo. 1 . Only one DOJ employee, now retired, served in an official organizational capacity as an "MOB," which stood for the "members of the board" or "mean old bastards," the group with responsibility for cooking, registration, and official recreational activities. Organizational expectation is who you know rather than what you do. Decisions that need to be made get kicked down the road and unpopular people no matter their competence have no voice. Findings Regarding Specific Racist Misconduct 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. When the organizers learned about it, they covered over the graffiti. Unsubstantiated Allegations Emailassign@whas11.com, visit ourFacebook pageorTwitter feed. 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; By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Colonel Paris Davis received the Medal of Honor nearly 60 years after he earned it in Vietnam, The Military Has A Toxic Leadership Problem, Odierno: Army Not a 'Good Ol' Boy Network' | Military.com, Competition VS Good Old Boy Club | RallyPoint. 2023 Copyright Law Enforcement Today - All Rights Reserved. We found substantial evidence that strippers performed at the campground year after year beginning around 1988. The other women who were baring their breasts were consensual sex partners for single and married agents. Corrections1 is revolutionizing the way in which the corrections community finds relevant news, A future Roundup president and Hayward can be readily identified. Immediately after the skit, Rightmyer publicly criticized its participants but took no other action, such as ejecting them from the Roundup. When LMPD Chief Erica Shields started in January 2021, Chief Chavous was reassigned and replaced by Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel. These standards apply to employees' off-duty conduct in addition to their conduct on the job. In 2020, 21 rapes and/or sexual assaults were reported to Bryan County law .
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