THE CORRECTIONAL OFFICER'S OATH
The following two letters represent many letters I get from prison employees. They are written by two different people, both calling themselves 'concerned officer'. And I believe they are.
From TWO CONCERNED OFFICERS
From: A Concerned Officer
To: kaylee1@charter.net
Sent: Friday, November 07, 2003 12:58 AM
Subject: A concerned officer
All I ever read about on your site is how officers mistreat inmates. Next time before you put us down and speak of us as if we were animals check out the website www.Okaloosaofficers.com and see the men and women who are killed by criminals and inmates trying to protect you and the rest of the world from something you know nothing about.
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Hi, I appreciate your comments, but I'm being judged based on partial information. I have expressed my praise for Officers many many times, both onsite and off.
I'm here to help save the reputation of Officers by exposing guards, and you know as well as I do that, just like 'cops' versus 'police officer', 'officers' and 'guards' are two entirely different animals - and the difference is professionalism. I explain that difference onsite in several places. That's why my employee index is named "C/Os and Guards".
I work with many officers of the department who feel the same as I do about guards; punks who would be gangs on the street if they weren't wearing the uniform. Actually I worked with one of the Okaloosa officers to get permission to use the pictures on the MTWT Okaloosa page. They were very kind.
You may be misjudging me because you have read some of my stories about guards and missed my comments about Officers. I wrote an honest account of how I feel about both at http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/fci/rethinking.html
Once again, I have a high respect for anyone who does his/her job in a professional manner.
Hello, I guess you can tell that I work for the FLDoC. I would like to say that I have recently found your website and wanted a chance to remark on what I have read.
I would first like to invite you to come to work with me for a night, maybe then your feelings would change on a great deal of things. Yes I admit that there are a few inmates who are differant from most inmates and actually show officers respect, and I mean real respect, not what is demanded of them towards us. And yes there are a few inmates that actually and truely change and can fit back into society without comitting anouther autrocity on society, but that is a rare breed.
I will also admit that there are many officers who should not be wearing a brown uniform but instead one of blue. And yes the FLDoC is probably a corrupt business, but at the time it IS the best thing we have.
I have worked with the severe inmates and let me tell you, for what I make an hour it is a very hard earned living. I have had shit thrown at me, I have had my family threatened, I have heard every profanity I have ever known and some that I haven't said towards me, and may I add, all whithin the first week that I worked in a prison.
More recently I have had fellow officers killed at sister facilities, and even witnessed one of my sergeants get stabbed through the neck. I'm guessing that he only survived some how through the graces of God.
I am very well respected by most of the "inmates" and "convicts" ( if you don't know the differance between an inmate and a convict i hope you an find out from someone or email me back and i will try to explain it for you) that are currently housed at my facility, only becuase I try to treat them as a man as much as I possibly can. I will admit though that even I catch myself sometimes falling into the trap of getting burned out, peer presure, and just simply returning what I get from the inmates.
Being a correctional officer is not just a job, it becomes a life style. At first it makes you feel honorable and respectful, then you start to see how the comman man thinks of you. They come up to you and ask if you're a security guard somewhere, you tell them you are a correctional officer and they say" ah, a prison guard." Part of you wants to grab the around the throat and sya now you stupid ass a correctional officer, but instead you just say yes and nod your head and walk off. We are under paid, under respected, under staffed, and under thought about.
I ask you, if you are going to show all the bad that we supposedly do, how about showing what we do with what we dont have. I also ask you to maybe look further into acusations by inmates before you beleive them. There MIGHT and I emphasize might be 1% of 1% of the inmate population who are actually wrongly inside a prison right now. All the others actually deserve to be where they are, even if its just for a minor probation violation, remember there was an origanal charge.
There is alot you dont know about the prison system, and thats on both sides of the coin, about prisoners and officers.
I did find your site interesting and plan to visit it and write more.
Thank you.
I ask of you please do not openly post my email address or name. Thank you in advance.
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To "Concerned Officer"
There is much I want to write in response to your thoughtful email, and questions I want to ask. I believe we agree on more than you think. I have had several people describe the difference between inmate and convict and would like to hear what you think.
No, I don't know everything about the department and your job, but I really want to.
Please understand that I do see the difference between an officer (who wears brown) and a guard (who wears brown but like you said, should be wearing blue). I have great respect for all professionals. My site is designed to bring attention to criminals posing as officers. I believe eliminating many of them will restore public respect for your difficult job.
Sincerely,
Kay Lee
kaylee1@charter.net
THE CORRECTIONAL OFFICER'S OATH
As a Correctional Officer, I regard myself as a member of an important and honorable profession.
I will keep myself in the best possible physical condition at all times. I will perform my duty with efficiency at all times.
I will be exemplary in my conduct, edifying in my conversation, honest in my dealings and obedient to the laws of the city, state and county.
I will regard my oath as I regard my sacred honor.
I will not, in the performance of my duty, work for personal advantage or profit.
I will, at all times, recognize that I am a public servant.
I will give the most efficient and impartial service of which I am capable at all times.
I will be courteous in my contacts at all times.
I will regard my fellow officers with the same standards as I hold myself.
I will guard my fellow officers' honor and life as I guard my own.
I will be loyal to my fellow officers, my superiors and my institution.
I will accept responsibility for my actions.
I will do only those things that will reflect honor on my fellow officers, my institution and myself.
Related Site
http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/fci/professionals.html