Chief Stops Police Swearing-in Ceremony

WXYZ-TV ^ | May 19, 2006 | Ray Sayah

[Westlander]

It started as a swearing in ceremony to put badly needed cops back on Detroit streets, but it turned into a swearing out ceremony when Chief Ella Bully-Cummings decided to stop the event at the very last moment.

The 25 police academy students were ordered back to class after one of the students failed a pop quiz by Chief Bully-Cummings.

According to Richard Weaver, Detroit Police Officers Association, the chief asked one of the students for her assistant chief’s job description. When the student didn’t know, Weaver said the chief was "highly upset," had their badges stripped and sent all 25 back to school.

[TalBlack]

"The question being the job description of an asst. chief?

You got to be joking."

Actually this sort of compensating behavior is the sort of thing which may be expected from someone who understands consciously or un consciously that she herself never actually qualified for the job.

[Enterprise]

LOL

Chief: "Recruit, what are the duties of the Assistant Chief?"

Recruit: "The job of the Assistant Chief is to make sure you don't look stupid and ask such ignorant questions in public. I mean, if YOU don't know then maybe YOU should go back to the academy."

[Labyrinthos]

Does the "Chief" even know her assistant's job description? How does knowing that relate to investigating crime, or providing the appearance of protection for the citizens of Detroit?

I think you and others are missing the point. Why should a plebe at the United States Military Academy have to know the number of lighbulbs in the chandeliers in the dinning hall or the number of floor tiles in a particular building? While the knowledge may have little to do with military leadership, plebes are required to know all sorts of trivia and are subject to pop quizzes all the time. I would think that a basic understanding of the chain of command and who is responsible for what is something that every police academy grad ought to know if only to know it.

[Richard Kimball]

I didn't know anything about her, either, and want to make it clear I wasn't flaming you, I was venting at her. Cadets should know the structure of the department, and the question was valid, but there's a time and a place for everything.

[Lancey Howard]

Mothers, fathers, wives, husbands and children waiting for a swearing in ceremony get treated to this garbage. It's not right.

(From the story):

"The 25 students are former officers who were laid off and then recalled. They went through a two week training session and will continue to train until Chief Bully-Cummings is satisfied.

[traviskicks]

Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.

[battlegearboat]

I've never had a MRE.

The guy who cleans out the beer taps down at the pub says he's a Vietnam Vet and describes sitting around Bang Sang eating MREs.

The first half of my year tour in RVN was on a river boat and C-Rats was it.

I'm playing this guy like a Flounder, just waiting for the right time to set the hook.

[SauronOfMordor]

I think you and others are missing the point. Why should a plebe at the United States Military Academy have to know the number of lighbulbs in the chandeliers in the dinning hall or the number of floor tiles in a particular building? While the knowledge may have little to do with military leadership, plebes are required to know all sorts of trivia and are subject to pop quizzes all the time.

The point of a military officer demonstrating an ability to absorb and retain lots of seemingly trivial bits of information is that you will never know when (what first appears to be) a trivial bit of info will make the difference between victory and getting your command exterminated

Similarly, for a street cop, being able to absorb and retain little bits of info may make the difference between living or dying ("Hey, that armored truck's security guard is not supposed to be wearing sneakers ... and didn't I remember seeing his face on the 10-most-wanted? ...")

[Polybius]

One question pop quiz? The question being the job description of an asst. chief?

Well, DUH!!!

Assist. Chief Job Description: Kiss butt of Chief.

[Thumper1960]

Point taken.

I would submit that any, and all, police officers know the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, their particular state and local ordinances backwards and forwards. Further, they should be well versed in Federal laws, rules and regulations. They should be multi-lingual, knowledgeable in sign language, familiar with various cultural customs of those they may come in contact with in the performance of their duties, expert marksmen, competent EMT's, drug counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists, brilliant mediators of all disciplines, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

[imfleck]

I remember having to remember ridicilous, worthless stuff in Navy Bootcamp in 1981. We were always told that if I didn't remember that crap, we would be held back until we did.

Bootcamp was eight weeks, this police academy was only two.

[imfleck]

Please remember to point out that this didn't happen to me (yeah, sure). I meant to say "we" not "I."

We were always told that if I didn't remember that crap

[Mustng959]

Let him hang himself ... better yet bring in a couple more real Nam vets to tell his stories to. I was in 1978-1982 and we were still eating c-rats. Oh, to have tuna and soda crackers with a chocolate bar just one more time....Naw.

[Crawdad]

That's Teal'c.