I have written several times to you about the miserable state of our agency. I have voiced concern about officer safety, corruption, and the dismantling of our agency. Each time I attempt to describe our situation I am always hopeful that people will see how serious the matter is and make a stand. Often, I am left with the feeling it is just our problem and those outside the agency will not care until the adversity, we, as officers, live in everyday, impacts their life. I hope that isn’t true. The impact of poor leadership that I predict is coming will cause great heartbreak for any that become victim to it. This is not getting a car door opened that was not locked. We are not talking about having some change stolen from the console of your car. I am attempting to emphasize that you will have none of the protection you have enjoyed from your only law enforcement agency. There is only one ECSO. If you call 911 and the ECSO isn’t there that call goes unanswered. You will be on your own.

How many people are truly prepared to handle the burglar that is breaking into your home while you sleep? I try to give examples to support my position each time I send you a thought. Today is an example of what poor leadership looks like at its best. This email was sent today by our Chief Deputy. This email is not a joke. This is not fabricated or edited in any way. This is an actual peek into the daily life that officers live each day.

 

This is an actual email that was produced by the Chief Deputy of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The day after another officer falls in the line of duty by the hands of evil who hate cops. After incidents that prove cops are being hunted like animals the Chief Deputy has laser focus on how best to play Pokémon Go at work. How can this be real? I would bet that if you were to examine your local McDonalds email you would not find where a manager has instructed teenage workers how best to preserve work areas while playing a game designed for a child. Now, consider that you are in a leader in a career where your employees are being hunted for killing. How do you even have thoughts about a child’s game that would preempt searching for information or training to ensure that you didn’t lose a life of an employee? Then imagine you not just a leader of the group being hunted and murdered but you are being paid over $110,00.00 a year to be that leader. It is a sad day when this behavior is allowed and these people are allowed to decide the fate of so many lives.

Instead of Pokémon Go, I wish our Chief Deputy would have the same dedication to law enforcement and the monsters on the street. The monsters you “capture” in that game won’t ever kill you, Eric. What will kill you (and by you, I mean the hard working cops in the street) are the real monsters that are being allowed to roam our streets while Princess 1 and Princess 2 get to play pretend cops and robbers while you organize your best plan of attack to catch a cartoon monster on your phone. There is nothing about this that is humorous or cute. Play pretend all you want, because the truth is you can’t be touched……yet.

I hope that we can see you gone before you and the fiction you live as reality causes us to see one of our own fall because of ignorance and inability. I stay hopeful but maybe you could keep enough battery life on your phone so you don’t miss the call if it happens. I know how important catching those menacing Poke monsters can be but I am sure King David will want a press release to put the spin on how he cares about everyone. Hell, you could even blame the Poke monsters. It couldn’t be worse than blaming witches for a murder because we had a moon one night. Just so you know, not a single soul I am aware of believes you are anything less than a complete moron. You just do not have the right to call yourself a leader of any law enforcement agency.