DOJ regulations also prohibit employees from engaging in "disrespectful conduct." For a period of time substantial effort was made to see who could be the most vile and disgusting. 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. In 1992, he left a pile of these materials at the registration desk, which the people at the desk promptly discarded. Cronyism is a more specific form of favoritism, referring to partiality towards friends and associates. Favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism all interfere with fairness because they give undue advantage to someone who does not necessarily merit this treatment. Tweet. An old boy network (also known as old boys' network, ol' boys' club, old boys' club, old boys' society, good ol' boys club, or good ol' boys system) is an informal system in which wealthy men with similar social or educational background help each other in business or personal matters. Mired in tradition, the 'good ol' boys club' mentality keeps us moving backward and prevents us from being respected for the job we do Dec 30, 2014 We are rapidly heading into 2015. James retired as an LMPD officer in 2003. Copyright 2023 Corrections1. Nonetheless, OIG expended considerable time, energy, and resources to determine as best we could what happened at the Roundup. They were welcomed at the Roundup in multiple years. In addition OIG concluded that the claims of bestiality, sex on Grumpy's stage during the 1995 Roundup, and naked men jumping out of trees onto women passing below were all unsubstantiated. e) Hayward's White Supremacist Literature. 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. Solely on our findings, an appropriate sanction would be a reprimand, either written or oral. 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. We will attempt to promote the best in leadership for police organizations and hopefully eradicate some poor leadership qualities along the way. More information about these Birmingham-area law enforcement Skinheads will be detailed in my upcoming book, "Inmate 36223-001: The Story of a Political Prisoner. 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. 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. 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. 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.". These new people havent been through what we have. When there are divisions within a single unit because someone doesnt like that guy for something personal, the unit has a serious problem. For more information about government ethics programs and resources contact John Pelissero. That creates a unique bond regardless of your personal relationship with someone. I. We conclude that specific disciplinary action is not warranted for the vast majority of DOJ employees who attended the Roundup in one or more years. 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. We found no evidence that such "licenses" were widely available at the Roundup; indeed, we found no one other than Randall who claimed to have seen one in the campground. We are not aware of any effort that was made to establish who posted the signs. Furthermore, the failure of the Roundup organizers to take any action regarding conduct that was less blatant, but still offensive to many, created a racially hostile environment such that blacks who attended would not have felt welcome. In the public sphere, favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism also undermine the common good. Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. The Orange County Sheriffs Office has problems like everywhere else, but at least Sheriff Kevin Beary supports his troops. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. It continues until the supervising officers are all friends, relatives, etc. The assessment center for promotion of police officers: can it be improved? 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. ", Racists with Badges: The Good Ol' Boys Roundup. The interview comes after the DOJ released a report on Tuesday, revealing that women make uponly 16 percent of criminal investigative jobs within the departments central investigative agencies and hold few executive leadership positions. The official activities of the Roundup were centered on athletic events, drinking, and what were intended to be humorous performances by participants vying for such titles as Redneck of the Year. Even though our assessment is that an inadequate evidentiary basis exists to recommend discipline for any of the other DOJ employees whose conduct we considered, we are extremely troubled by many of the excesses committed by non-DOJ attendees at the Roundup that developed during the mid-1980s and grew far worse during the years 1990-95. I, personally, served under them and would gladly fall on a sword if they asked even all these years later. There are many fair and impartial leaders within the military. Other substantiated allegations, such as the playing of games for monetary stakes and the consumption in isolated instances of moonshine, are addressed fully in the report. researches product purchases and suppliers. They are not operating in any undercover capacity to infiltrate this racist organization. Exploring the nature of the old boys network in the United States: Using electronic networks of practice to understand gendered issues in HRD. Compounding the frustration is that these small groups of in-players are loyal to each other to the core, even when one of their members is incompetent. Satterthwaite says he and Chief Chavous uncovered several issues of discrimination and bias within the department that, he says, mirror the results of the Hillard Heintz internal investigation. When the rules are not universal in a police organization, it becomes very difficult to keep everyone playing by them. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations prohibit federal employees from engaging in "criminal, infamous, dishonest, immoral, or notoriously disgraceful conduct prejudicial to the government." Extremely demeaning language and inappropriate sexual touching occurred. 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. In the lawsuit, Officer Philip Satterthwaite claims that LMPD officials promoted friends and family members over better-qualified candidates. He refused to comply with any aspect of this subpoena. It begins when friend promotes friend. Although we heard conflicting views as to whether this conduct was intended to send a benign message of "Southern heritage" or a message of racism and intolerance, especially towards African Americans, we conclude that such displays had the effect, whether intended or not, of adding to a racially charged and hostile environment. Unsubstantiated Allegations Finally, a full investigation of the Roundup was necessary because these allegations had a large potential impact on the administration of the federal criminal justice system and the character and reputation of federal law enforcement officers 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. We relate this to the idea of making a copy of a copy. Although we heard conflicting views as to whether this conduct was intended to send a benign message of "Southern heritage" or a message of racism and intolerance, especially towards African Americans, we conclude that such displays had the effect, whether intended or not, of adding to a racially charged and hostile environment. With 2014 coming to a close, we've gone through our archives for the past 12 months to bring you some of the biggest corrections stories of the year. He also alleged that ATF agents surrounded cars entering the campground and shouted, "Got any niggers in that car?" 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. At least 10 percent of the attendees had federal law enforcement affiliations. Although we found credible evidence that Rightmyer gave speeches exhorting participants to stop such behavior, his efforts were sporadic at best and essentially went unheeded. 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. Only through a full understanding of the context of the event and the employee's participation in it can a fair assessment be made of whether punishment is appropriate. This agency, is the worst "law enforcement" agency I've worked for. Dallas Police Association president calls for end of 'good ole boy' system of promoting officers to top ranks By Scott Goldstein 11:34 AM on May 14, 2012 CDT Dallas police leaders have been. The next day Rightmyer told the offenders that blacks were welcome at the Roundup and if they did not like it, they should leave. They believed that connections, partisanship, and other factors played a role. This impacts the department in multiple ways such as: There are several standard U.S. Air Force uniforms, just like other DoD branches. He says wonderful comforting things to the public, words that make the street deputies get goose bumps and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. What do favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism have to do with ethics? The OIG acknowledged in a March 1996 Report 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." Several women in law enforcement who attended the Roundup reported feeling uncomfortable due to the vulgarity and demeanor of the male attendees. Principal OIG Findings 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. In 1995, a white ATF agent who came to the Roundup with two black officers was taunted about the presence of the black agents. Many of the central figures involved in staging the Roundup over the years were also interviewed. Only through a full understanding of the context of the event and the employee's participation in it can a fair assessment be made of whether punishment is appropriate. 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. These people are so bitter that they spend most trying to screw over each other in order to make themselves feel better. The "good ol' boys club" mentality pretty much turns our place of work into high school. Rightmyer was interviewed by OIG twice, including an all day on-the-record interview in the latter stages of the investigation. Download the WHAS11 News app now. Hayward also brought some bumper stickers and hats to sell, without much success. Self-censorship: People avoid deviating from the norms of the group and would rather fit in over having a better answer. Our investigative and interviewing strategy was designed to get beyond potentially self-serving accounts. OIG found no evidence that any DOJ employee -- or federal employees from other agencies -- participated in such conduct. I find it amazing that our job mandate is firm, fair, and consistent, yet when it comes to other staff we don't even come close to that standard. Stallard, M. (2007). With respect to a second individual, formerly employed by INS but now an employee of Treasury, we are transmitting information to the applicable Department of Treasury component by which he is now employed for consideration of possible discipline. For most of the allegations, no physical or documentary evidence was available. This investigation involved a murky and difficult area -- the responsibilities of federal employees generally, and federal law enforcement personnel in particular, to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with their law enforcement responsibilities even when they are off duty. Other attendees intervened and broke up the confrontation. Golfing partners, people who come over for Sunday dinner, members of the same congregation all are likely to exert a greater influence over an official than a stranger might. The largest number of DOJ employees in attendance in any given year was eleven, a level reached twice, once out of approximately 400 attendees in 1986 and then again out of 520 attendees in 1994. Over the sixteen years of the Roundup, only three percent of the total estimated number of attendees were DOJ employees. Op/Ed: Employment And Crime. The person who observed the sign reported that it was gone within half an hour. Randall was served with an OIG administrative subpoena for photographs of the Roundup and the original videotape, which Hayward had turned over to him. On July 11, 1995, the Washington Times blew the whistle on this annual racist Roundup of law enforcement agents and their invited guests. As favoritism is the broadest of these related terms, we'll start with its definition. We have reported these not for their shock value but instead to give an accurate picture of what the Roundup was like. Other isolated but nevertheless significant evidence of racially offensive or insensitive conduct occurred in a number of years. 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." Another Ocoee area resident claimed he had requested and been handed some cocaine powder while in the campground during a Roundup in the late 1980s. When the investigation began, concern was raised that federal employees might have used government time and resources to promote racist activities, in violation of Office of Government Ethics standards. We also found that an atmosphere hostile to minorities -- and to women -- developed over time because inadequate action was taken by the Roundup's organizers to appropriately deal with instances of racial or other kinds of misconduct. Furthermore, because of their duty to fairly investigate and prosecute violations of the law, DOJ law enforcement officers are held to even stricter application of these standards of conduct. These good ole boys clubs have a range of consequences in the business world . Good Ol boys club. 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. A third local resident made a vague and contradictory claim that marijuana was used in the campground during one unspecified Roundup. Other attendees intervened and broke up the confrontation. Nevertheless, we found that, regardless of intent, some minority agents perceived a message that they would not be welcome or considered a "good o' boy," and that indeed they might face racial intolerance and hostility if they attended. 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. Relationships matter, but they are not the only things that matter. 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. Once Hayward and Randall's allegations were made public, one former and several current black ATF agents made allegations that the Roundup was a "whites-only" event and that no black agents had ever been invited to attend. 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. 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. OIG believes further that employees bring disrepute to the Department and adversely affect their ability to perform their law enforcement mission if they knowingly attend an event whose purpose is to encourage or promote racist activity. These allegations also threatened to taint the public reputation of the agencies that employed these agents. Although we conclude that much of the early Roundup news coverage was overblown and distorted, our investigation revealed ample evidence of shocking racist, licentious, and puerile behavior by attendees occurring in various years. 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. Based on our review of the statements of over 150 attendees at the 1989 Roundup and our credibility determinations regarding the various witnesses, we concluded that no racist sign or effigy was displayed at the registration desk for any portion of the 1989 Roundup and that the claim that ATF agents were "checking cars for niggers," although similar to conduct reported in other years, is unsubstantiated. Thirty-six were DOJ employees when they attended; eight went prior to becoming DOJ employees. "There is definitely a system of the good ole boy system that takes place," James said. 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. One author has experienced time after time a working climate where people would rather be seen as smart, instead of asking the necessary clarification questions on a myriad of issues. 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. Moreover, OIG interviewed residents in the area near where the Roundup was held to learn what relevant evidence they might possess. It seems, in my experience, the higher the custody level of the institution, the stronger the system. Other than one inappropriate comment by one FBI agent, we found no evidence that any DOJ employee engaged in racist or other misconduct while at the Roundup. For 1995, Randall contended that "nigger hunting licenses" were openly available on the Roundup campground. Each of these persons identified the same woman as the alleged rape victim. Maintain a fair and consistent workplace; employees who feel that they are treated fairly and respectfully are less likely to complain or sue. One of the most common threads among troops wanting to leave a unit (or the military in general) is toxic leadership. Furthermore, the failure of the Roundup organizers to take any action regarding conduct that was less blatant, but still offensive to many, created a racially hostile environment such that blacks who attended would not have felt welcome. Instead, it is working for those in power, which crushes ongoing momentum efforts. 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. This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. It is the 21st century. One of the Senate affiants alleged that during the 1990 Roundup a "drug enforcement officer" offered her some unspecified drugs in Grumpy's, a bar adjacent to the campground that was frequented by many Roundup attendees. The accounts of nudity reported to us included men on their way to and from the showers, women dancers, women baring their chests, a retired officer exposing himself with his badge displayed on his penis, people pulling trousers off other attendees, and other similar behavior. The largest number of DOJ employees in attendance in any given year was eleven, a level reached twice, once out of approximately 400 attendees in 1986 and then again out of 520 attendees in 1994. Our report describes many of the crude and disgusting incidents that were related to us during our interviews. (Government Executive Magazine, "Playing Favorites," by Brian Friel, October 2004). Lexipol. Every president and governor names close associates to key cabinet positions. C. Findings Regarding General Allegations of Racist Hayward had previously attended several Roundups as a registered attendee, until he was banned for his own racially offensive conduct. We found no evidence that any racial restrictions, either explicit or implicit, were placed on the distribution of these invitations. There is a popular old tale by Hans Christian Andersen (n.d.) of the emperors new clothes, where an emperor pays a significant amount of money for some magic clothes, which can only be seen by those who are wise. The good ol boy system is when a leader unabashedly chooses favorites among their subordinates. The initial allegations of racist conduct were made in an article in the Washington Times on July 11. 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. The 9News Investigators found records of two paychecks made out to Jimmy Jones after his resignation date of April 28, 2015. Also, the appearance of favoritism weakens morale in government service, not to mention public faith in the integrity of government. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. a) Racist signs Although we found credible evidence that Rightmyer gave speeches exhorting participants to stop such behavior, his efforts were sporadic at best and essentially went unheeded. The good ole boy system. In a number of years, but certainly in 1990 and 1992, Confederate flags were displayed at various locations in and around the Roundup campground. Randall was even less cooperative, refusing to answer more than a few basic questions in the presence of other militia members in late July and refusing our requests for a subsequent interview. Katzenbach, J., Steffen, I., & Kronley, C. (2012). This woman denied that she was raped. How to break up the old boys club in your office. This group of participants affiliated with DOJ constitutes approximately three percent of the estimated total number of attendees at the sixteen Roundups. We want an investigation to stop the good ole boy law system in McKean County as well as the tyranny. 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. Mayors put those they know and trust on citizens committees and commissions. 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). OIG investigated each of these claims as well, most of which were initially contained in affidavits of two women submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee in July. A widely-publicized excerpt from a home video allegedly filmed at a Roundup showed a sign that read, "Nigger check point." Another aspect of this system affects promotions and post assignments. 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. We found no evidence that the invitations to the Roundup, either written or oral, made explicit references or even allusions to racial restrictions on attendance or that racist activities were available or welcome at the event. Randall was served with an OIG administrative subpoena for photographs of the Roundup and the original videotape, which Hayward had turned over to him. Satterthwaite, who has been with the department since 2012, says LMPD has a "clique like nature" that negatively affects morale in the department. OIG received no allegations and found no evidence that any DOJ property was used to support the Roundup. Copyright 2023 Our investigative and interviewing strategy was designed to get beyond potentially self-serving accounts. The lawsuit details the process that LMPD is required to go through when promoting internally, which includes interviews and a ranking system. Finally, a full investigation of the Roundup was necessary because these allegations had a large potential impact on the administration of the federal criminal justice system and the character and reputation of federal law enforcement officers Information sharing is chaotic and in-group knows more about organizational agendas than everyone else. 2023 Copyright Law Enforcement Today - All Rights Reserved. 1. In 2019, Bryan County law enforcement officials responded to 661 domestic violence calls. 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 also found that an atmosphere hostile to minorities -- and to women -- developed over time because inadequate action was taken by the Roundup's organizers to appropriately deal with instances of racial or other kinds of misconduct. In a fear-based culture, people consciously and unconsciously avoid risk and being risk adverse costs the organization limited opportunities for innovation as well as an overall environment where new ideas are rejected (Catmull, 2014). August 2, 2020. OIG investigated these allegations and concluded that none of the claims that a woman was raped at a Roundup were supported by the evidence. 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. In 1985, an unidentified local deputy sheriff pulled a statue of a black figure, referred to as a "lawn jockey," out of his camper and tied his dog to it before being told to put it back in his camper. Intent and a "Whites-only" Policy.