January 6, 2009

The Only Constant Is Change

Happy New Year. Thank you all for your prayers and words of support. We are all well and looking forward for what our Lord has in store next. We are in the process of trimming the budget and cutting costs wherever possible. Just today we turned in the license plate from our X-Terra and parked it for the foreseeable future.

I am still a certified peace officer in the State of Georgia with full arrest powers but I am no longer at the agency where I worked for the past 10 years. The new sheriff decided he wanted to clean house so he fired 28 of us. Well, technically he declined to renew our commissions at the start of his administration. His actions are perfectly legal in Georgia where the office of Sheriff is at-will meaning you work at the will of the sheriff and if he says you’re fired then you are fired with no avenue of appeal. The process worked as designed and the new sheriff is not burdened with the old sheriff’s staff.

I wish the new sheriff well. His brother and I were very good friends for five or six years. I suspect he’ll be in for a few rude awakenings along the way as the political backstabbing begins a new season.

I’ll now have time for a lot more writing instead of trying to hack something out at the end of a long day. The book will be my main concern but I’ll consolidate the recent stuff and see if any of it is worthy of seeking publication.

The photo above was taken in our backyard a few nights ago. My daughter had a friend over for a sleepover and we made smores and tried to pretend it wasn't 70 degrees. Like my lovely wife says……If you have a fire pit in your backyard…….You might be a redneck.

5 comments:

Dixie said...

NiMS, when you say you are still a peace officer does that entail some kind of salary or is it a position of authority without a job (and salary) attached to it.

I am so sorry...is there any chance you might be rehired by the new sheriff? Perhaps you could talk to your friend, his brother?

Now what is this about a redneck and a fire pit in the back yard? I can't wait to tell my priest who can be found near his fire pit most evenings this he is officially a redneck. (Well, one look at him in camo's after deer hunting kinda proves that point anyway!)

So try to get a job in Athens and you could attend our parish! See if there is anything at UGA.

I will continue to keep your situation in my prayers.

The Bosom Serpent said...

Dixie,

Under Georgia law we are all defined as peace officers certified through Georgia's Peace Officers Standards and Training Council. With this certification I could work at a city police department and be a police officer or work for a sheriff and be a deputy sheriff. Most of the duties are the same.

If you work as a police officer your chief/boss was hired by a municipality and works for the mayor and city council.

If you work as a deputy sheriff you boss was elected by the people of the county and ultimately answerable to the voters.

From my point of view being a deputy is a lot more fun, you cover more territority and you are given more freedom in making decisions. With this freedom of course come responsibility.

This may be the end of my law enforcement career if the writing takes off.

Anonymous said...

A blessing and joy to hear from you again. My continued prayers, and all the best with your wonderful, entertaining and insightful writing. God bless.

Kassianni said...

yes, change is inevitable, usually unasked for, unexpected, and initially it sucks.
we went through this a few years ago, and have mostly found our feet again.
it has turned out well for us.. new doors and all that.
I pray that it will be so for you as well.

Steve Robinson said...

Around our parts peace officers make more money doing "security gigs" at private events etc. Maybe that's a part time fill in that will support your writing habit. Literary fiction doesn't pay much and its a tough market... but you have good stuff. May it be blessed.