Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Remarkably, we found no one in attendance who appeared to be offended by such activity or who sought to curb it. Our review of Roundup policies and practices established by Rightmyer and the Roundup organizers revealed no evidence of an intent to create or maintain a "whites-only" event. If they do pretend it doesnt exist, troops will catch on and word will spread quickly through the ranks. OIG interviewed every DOJ employee, current and past, who attended at least one Roundup, and many of their colleagues and supervisors, with a particular emphasis on minority employees, to determine what they knew about the Roundup. Our investigation found that DOJ employees played a minor role in the official activities and organization of the Roundup. For cabinet level positions, an executive will probably be drawn to experienced, qualified candidates, but historically, the lower down the ladder, the more likely for someone's brother-in-law to be slipped into a job for which he is not qualified. 4) provide further training on the role of federal law enforcement officers in our society and the reasons why it is critical for law enforcement personnel to be held to extremely exacting standards of conduct to earn and maintain the full confidence of all citizens. The law is clear and yet, somehow, different troops arent held to the same standard for the same crimes. Hayward had previously attended several Roundups as a registered attendee, until he was banned for his own racially offensive conduct. 1980-95, we conclude that the Roundup was not, as it was portrayed in the media stories, a "Klan rally," an intentionally "whites-only" racist gathering, or a haven for criminal conduct. This is an opportunity for troops to vent legitimate problems. [P]ublic nudity was commonplace at various Roundups [with] women dancers, women baring their chests, [and] a retired officer exposing himself with his badge displayed on his penis. After the confrontation, "unidentified persons painted the words 'niggers go home' and 'whites only' on toilets in the campground.". 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. -- a particular responsibility of the Department of Justice. In conducting this investigation, the OIG's principal purposes were (1) to determine whether DOJ employees had committed acts that might warrant sanction by their components and (2) to determine whether existing standards of conduct provide adequate guidance as they relate to off-duty conduct or whether any changes in administrative policy or practice should be made. Some minority agents also expressed a reluctance to attend because the Roundup was held in the woods of an all-white county in Eastern Tennessee. Verifying the allegations, therefore, required assessing the accuracy and reliability of testimony given by witnesses. 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. Solely on our findings, an appropriate sanction would be a reprimand, either written or oral. c) Racist Skits These new people havent been through what we have. Another local resident professed to have actually seen the rape during the 1988 or 1989 Roundup. Moreover, we found Randall's claim to have found the "license" in a Roundup bathroom not to be credible. Through these efforts, OIG identified nearly 1400 persons who attended the Roundup between 1980 and 1995. Finally, leaders build momentum by connecting with as many people as possible; thus building opportunities for everyone and more importantly connection. In the words of basketball coaching legend John Wooden, when everybody thinks alike, nobody thinks. There are countless leaders in history such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt who used the value of challenging their own modes of thinking; whether through a team who had diverse views, or reaching out to others for advice, or seeing how the value of people who think differently than you builds success. There are even those that will incite a situation in order to see how the new person responds. When the persons in the registration area observed the sign, it was removed. When the organizers learned about it, they covered over the graffiti. As long as theres still a working relationship, rivalries between units are fine. 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. Others may restrict the hiring of relatives or friends in more general conflict-of-interest rules. Thus, DOJ participation in the Roundup was relatively insignificant both numerically and organizationally. The initial allegations of racist conduct were made in an article in the Washington Times on July 11. Nevertheless, because the investigation established some episodes of egregious racist conduct in certain years, we tried to determine which DOJ employees attended the Roundup in those years, and whether they participated in or encouraged such conduct. Year-to-date through October 23, 2020, the numbers were already at 632 calls. D. Findings Regarding Other Misconduct Findings Regarding Specific Racist Misconduct. At least 10 percent of the attendees had federal law enforcement affiliations. He described the doll as a seed and told the audience that one must "kill the seed when it is young," and proceeded to beat the doll. He was going for another term, his fifth, and as the . Those who are insular limit the abilities of work engagement and limiting an organizations true potential. The next day Rightmyer told the offenders that blacks were welcome at the Roundup and if they did not like it, they should leave. The preponderance of the evidence suggested that local police officers from Florence and Boone County, Kentucky, were responsible for posting these signs. We found no information to identify who was responsible for this sign. And no DOJ employee was ever elected to be president or vice-president of the Roundup. [O]ur investigation revealed ample evidence of shocking racist, licentious, and puerile behavior by attendees occurring in various years. We discovered, however, a huge gap between these policies, on the one hand, and actual attendance at and perceptions about the event, on the other. 9. How can this not be a 'Good Ole Boy' system issue along with Judges being appointed by these same legislators. "Clearly, LMPDs current solution to diversity issues is increasing the number of Black Officers, rather than giving them and all Officers an equal opportunity of advancement," a summary of the lawsuit says. 5 ways the 'good ol' boy' system screws good troops Extra effort was made to take the report beyond simply a conclusion that, "It wasn't one of ours." racism and the criminal justice system, safety and preparing minority youth for interactions with police, fostering positive relationships between police and communities of color, assisting . This agency, is the worst "law enforcement" agency I've worked for. WHAS11 asked Mayor Greg Fischer about the allegations on Tuesday. Internal transparency builds trust and more importantly- ownership. Lake County sheriff: DOJ grant will help department further move away The initial allegations brought in their wake a blanket condemnation of all federal law enforcement personnel who attended the event. Findings Regarding Specific Racist Misconduct 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 first issue is competence. We believe we have developed a fair and accurate picture of what occurred. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. agent and to the applicable Department of Treasury component for one of its employees who used to be employed by DOJ. 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. Misappropriation of funds in local government, discrimination against businesses, or favoritism allowing certain people to do . He is currently the SWAT commander and oversees the Metro Divisions Special Operations section. We found no evidence, and indeed received no allegations, that any current or former DOJ employee directly engaged in racist or other misconduct -- other than one inappropriate comment by an FBI agent. Satterthwaite, who has been with the department since 2012, says LMPD has a "clique like nature" that negatively affects morale in the department. 2. Second, although our primary task was to assess the allegations of racism as they reflected on DOJ employees, we learned that the Roundup in fact had been marred by a number of serious and disturbing incidents of racial and other kinds of misconduct. Lexipol. In addition, because our evaluation of DOJ employee conduct required the fullest and most accurate reconstruction possible of what had actually occurred at the Roundup, we sought to identify as many attendees of the various Roundups as we could. In addition, because our evaluation of DOJ employee conduct required the fullest and most accurate reconstruction possible of what had actually occurred at the Roundup, we sought to identify as many attendees of the various Roundups as we could. 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. 4) provide further training on the role of federal law enforcement officers in our society and the reasons why it is critical for law enforcement personnel to be held to extremely exacting standards of conduct to earn and maintain the full confidence of all citizens. C. Findings Regarding General Allegations of Racist In 1995, one current and three retired Fort Lauderdale police officers confronted a white ATF agent who had come to the Roundup with two black law enforcement officers. This article is part four of a seven-part series, illuminating light on the seven errors of leadership behaviors. He eventually parked his car off to the side, removed the offensive clothing, and was permitted to enter. The Gallup Organization has extensively studied work engagement, with one of the best measures of work engagement being connected to the Gallup Q12 survey, which asks whether people in your organization care for you, develop you, and respect your opinion. Rightmyer was interviewed by OIG twice, including an all day on-the-record interview in the latter stages of the investigation. Collaborative environments are incubators for good ideas to occur. It must take into account the known facts of the egregious behavior, what the employee saw and did, and how the misconduct was handled by the event's organizers. And no DOJ employee was ever elected to be president or vice-president of the Roundup. In addition, allegations of criminal conduct, including narcotics distribution and rape, were raised at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing held within ten days of the original news stories. The good ole boy system doesn't payoff for law enforcement and now will be blamed, for some shitty decisions made in the first 24. Who let's your friends clean up?? If we were able to do away with the "club" morale and job satisfaction would greatly increase. Connections and concessions are made at power lunches, at the sports bar, at the country club, or on the golf course. Verifying the allegations, therefore, required assessing the accuracy and reliability of testimony given by witnesses. Select the option or tab named Internet Options (Internet Explorer), Options (Firefox), Preferences (Safari) or Settings (Chrome). We should have flying cars, human-like AI's, teleporters and more. The OIG Investigation b) Checking Cars Some witnesses we found to be extremely credible; others to be wholly incredible. OIG received no allegations and found no evidence that any DOJ property was used to support the Roundup. Unlimited access to beer twenty-four hours a day led to extreme drunkenness. When the rules are not universal in a police organization, it becomes very difficult to keep everyone playing by them. RELATED: 'We have another study that tells us what we already know' | Black Louisvillians react to LMPD review. Further, many conscientious lawmakers have discovered that they must change their patterns of socializing when their work involves many decisions affecting friends and associates. The signs were removed and destroyed. In addition to Hayward, two other witnesses had vague and indeterminate recollections of some type of racist sign being posted in the campground for a short time in 1989.