As a member of the Jail Transport Team we could be required to go in a thousand different directions on any given day and there was no saying "no". The jobs had to be done and it was up to us to find a way to make it happen. Since the Judges had never had to deal with what we had to deal with they were not concerned with our scheduling, only that what they wanted happened on their terms and their schedule.
We had had a particularly hectic month but somehow we made it happen. The Judges were happy (and clueless as to the hoops we jumped through to satisfy them). So...the sargent decided to take us all out to eat lunch at the Chinese buffett! A good time was had by all...for a while, anyway. About an hour after we returned to the jail I got a radio call that the Jail Administrator wanted to see me in his office. No problem. So I thought.
When I entered the office I was greeted by him, the Sargent, and another officer. Odd, but not unheard of for several people to be there at times. "Have a seat," the Administrator said. I sat down a bit less at ease than I had been before. It seemed that an inmate had filed a grievence on me on some bogus charge that I had "threatened to kill him." They should have known it was a lie because if I threatened to kill him I would not have simply said "I'm going to kill you." Had I threatened his life it would have sounded more like, "I'm about to beat your sorry behind until you bleed profusly from the mouth and nose and your skull is mush!" That was not what he told them. The offender in question had sent the grievence directly to the brand new Chief Deputy, fresh off of retirement from an unrelated job and new to dealing with inmates. Apparently he didn't realize that they were not known for their honesty.
It went beore the Internal Affairs officer to be checked out. Apparently not wanting to have a problem to deal with the Chief Deputy sided with the inmate and suspended me from Transport for six months minimum. It would be "revisited at that time." Normally I would have just appealed it to the Sherrif but he was out on medical leave for a few months. I was caught in a bogus situation with no way out for the forseeable future.
I decided to take an unorthodox step. I wrote a letter of appeal to the Sherrif and mailed it to his home address. Time passed with no response. It was about a month and a half later that I was passing the office of the Sherrif and saw him sitting at his desk. I immediately knocked on his door and was invited in. We sat and talked for a few minutes and I finally brought the subject up of my being railroaded. The Sherrif was a huge proponent of loyalty to him and the department. I told him it was time I was shown some loyalty for ten years of dedicated service.
The Sherrif pointed to the corner of his desk where I saw my personel file.
"I've already been looking into it for you and I think it was simply an overreaction." Overreaction? That was an understatement! "Give me until I can speak with the Chief Deputy Monday and I'll see what we can do." This was a Thursday and I was going nuts already! I told him I would be waiting for his answer.
Tuesday of the following week I was working the control room when I saw the Admin and the Sargent at the exterior door. I allowed them in and waited. Soon the Sargent came to the control room door with a piece of paper in his hand. I popped the door and let him in. "I got you back in Transport!", he said. "Sign this paper and be back in the office tomorrow!" I was very very happy, to say the least. But from that day on it was a running joke that if someone (especially me!) was in any way out of line someone would say "Y'all don't wanna go eat Chinese food!" I've been retired nearly five years and the joke lives on.