# Indiana Officer Denied Shift Change To Spend Time With Ailing Wife



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*NANCY J. SULOK*
_South Bend Tribune_










Cpl. Anthony Scott's wife suffers from an advanced stage of breast cancer that has spread to her bones.

Scott, a South Bend police officer, values the time he can spend with her and their 2 1/2-year-old son. He wants to be there for her, to help her through her difficult periods of sickness and chemotherapy.

That is why he applied for a transfer from the second shift (2-10 p.m.) to the first shift (6 a.m.-2 p.m.). He figured that would give him more hours with his family. As it is now, his son usually is in bed when Scott gets home from work, and it is close to his ailing wife's bedtime, too.

Scott thought everything was in line for him to change his work shift from nights to days. His supervisor, he said, had arranged for him to move into a day-shift position in the detective bureau. An officer's report was written for him to transfer to days, he said, and a paper trail of approval existed.

He was so sure of getting the transfer that he even went out and bought clothes for his new position.

Then Police Chief Thomas Fautz put the kibosh on it, he said.

Now Scott feels angry, frustrated and betrayed. He has made his situation known to his fellow officers, and many share his feelings.

Fautz said he is not at liberty to talk about personnel matters, but he did manage to say a few things relevant to Scott's case.

The first shift is considered the most desirable shift precisely because of the reason Scott cited -- it provides an officer with more family time. Not only are the hours more normal, but officers on the first shift also have more opportunities to find part-time work to supplement their police pay.

Fautz understands that. He said a lot of officers would like to work the day shift. When openings occur, such as the one now available on the day shift, it's not unusual for several officers to apply, Fautz said.

Seniority is a key factor in decisions to move to the day shift, Fautz said. When a job opening is posted, unless the officer had something negative against him, the person with the most seniority gets the job, he said.

Scott has been on the police force for almost six years. It's a safe assumption that many officers have more seniority than he does.

He said he was told that money was a factor in Fautz's decision. Officers in the detective bureau are paid a little more for the jobs they do.

Scott said he receives hazard shift pay for working the second shift, so the difference between that and a first-shift detective's pay would have been a wash.

In fact, he said, he probably would have earned less as a detective because of all the overtime hours he puts in as a patrol officer.

His income already is suffering, he said, because he has given up a part-time job at a local drugstore in order to be home more with his wife and son. They are more important to him right now than the extra pay, he said.

Fautz said Scott is not the first officer to go through a difficult time in his life, and the police department tries to work with them. For example, he said, concessions are made for pregnant officers by placing them on inside jobs in the records department or front desk.

But he can't make exceptions for every officer who has a family issue or other problem, he said.

"You just want to be fair to people, and you want to do the right things," Fautz said, "but sometimes things just don't work out."

He described a scenario in which two or more officers have special issues that cause them to seek a change in job or hours. How should he decide among them when only one job slot might be open?

"We try to help anybody we can," the chief said. "We're a very family-friendly organization."

But, he wondered, "Where do you draw the line?"

Scott doesn't know how much time his wife has. Her doctor, he said, told them some patients in her situation live from one to eight years.

All he knows is that it is important for him now to make every hour count.

He would like the chief to reconsider and let him change his hours for the sake of his wife and son.

Nancy J. Sulok's columns appear on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. You can reach her at [email protected], or by writing c/o South Bend Tribune, 225 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend, IN 46626, telephone (574) 235-6234.

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## bbelichick (Aug 25, 2002)

kwflatbed said:


> ...But he can't make exceptions for every officer who has a family issue or other problem, he said.
> 
> But, he wondered, "Where do you draw the line?"


Oh, I don't know Chief. Maybe somewhere north of TERMINAL CANCER??

F*cking jerk.


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## chief801 (Dec 8, 2004)

Family first...I don't believe ANYONE in the organization would raise a stink about this junior officer getting the temporary transfer. If they complained...so much for the "brotherhoodd". I am usually trying to plead the case on this board that "managers" or "the brass" doesn't always suck. This case makes it extremely hard to take that position...doing the right thing in this instance would have gone a long way in the eyes of the rank and file. Chief blew a golden opportunity to take a humanitary stance and take the rare opportunity to show his people that they count!

What's wrong with, "I'll give you a year, because we don't know how long she will survive. Out of fairness to everyone else in the department, we'll re-evaluate the situation at that time. This consideration will be contingent on your union signing a memo of understanding that they will not grieve your transfer and that it does not establish past practice. Good luck, and give your wife my best."


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2006)

What is it with police chiefs.....it seems like 90% of them lose touch with reality when they get the job. I hope this jerk at least allows the officer's co-workers to donate sick time and/or work shifts for him.


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## K9Vinny (Sep 25, 2005)

Why doesn't one of his coworkers on day shift pony up and swap shifts with him? I can see the arguement that giving the officer a detective position because of his wife's illness, because that could be considered a promotion, but I don't see why he can't find someone on days to swap with him. Typical management A-hole.


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