PPOA Second Vice President
Custody Assistant, LASD
tcoleman@ppoa.com
The question of working a “deputy spot” has generally lingered over Custody Assistants for numerous years. Department policy states, “Any position or duties normally performed by Deputy Sheriff personnel shall not be staffed by Custody Assistant personnel.” Hopefully, you have enough deputies. If not, unfortunately, you’ll have to draft one … again.
These lines have become increasingly more intertwined as C/As at Towers looked for unit orders/duty statements for specific positions and could not find them. In one case, an unfunded position was created and put into service, and the unit order was written after the fact. Recently, a C/A was assigned to a spot that was clearly marked on the In-Service as “Security Check Deputy.”
The attrition rate of deputies appears to have bled into the duties of C/As or vice versa. It seems that unit orders have not been updated and, in some cases, simply ignored.
Everything we do is governed by policy. Due to staffing, there have been recent incidents of circumventing policy. In some cases, inadvertently — in others, blatant. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Sometimes, supervisors do not know or need to be reminded. If not, contact PPOA and let an experienced labor representative ask the questions on your behalf. Someone should answer for and be able to justify the decisions being made.
Going forward, make sure your contact information is up to date. There are times when I send out information or updates through personal emails. This will include pending contract negotiation information.
Recently, a member could not log into the PPOA website. The site stated they were not a member. Upon further investigation, the individual did not have an email on file, which is used for members to log into the website. This is important if you want to view the MOU, current and future contracts, and member-specific information.
C/A Class #113 graduated on October 3. Congratulations to them as they set out to begin their careers. For our new trainees, it’s baptism by fire. However, be patient with them as they learn and help them along through their initial 415, man down and just navigating the workings of the nation’s largest jail systems. They’re not just a reduction in overtime, but a potential lifeline, backup, good relief and potentially good partners as you are good partners to them.
Take care. Be safe.