What’s inside your folder?

The confidentiality of a personnel folder gets to be a sticky issue, especially for anyone in the public spotlight. There are many blogs that have dedicated space to keep up with John Kerry’s avoidance to release his SF-180 for public scrutiny. The longer the files remain either closed or only partially revealed the longer a shadow is cast. Then it becomes a matter of conjecture as to why someone would prefer there to be a shadow cast rather than the illumination of facts.

Mover Mike wrote his article, The Clock Stays Up, as a reminder that just because the presidential election ended months ago, the information has yet to be released; a constant reminder of the questionable character of a man who continues to hold high office and refuses to provide required information.

Cyberconservative has the same basic issue in mind as he writes in his article, “Kerry pulled the paper over our eyes” : ( linked in title bar )

“At no point has Kerry requested a full, nonredacted release of his military record from the National Personnel Record Center, which has custody of Kerry's complete record. . . Kerry's plan all along, because he submitted his SF-180 to the wrong entity.”

Okay folks, I retired from the Houston Police Department after serving my 20 years. I often kid about the fact that I had to do my full 20 while convicted felons get credit for “good time”, often permitting them to serve out less than a third of sentenced time. I think it would have been a gesture of good faith for the same system that puts jerks behind bars and then lets them serve a third, while getting full credit, to have extended that same basic set of rules to police officers. I had some good times too…

I’m not planning to run for elected office; all the same, it would make for some rather interesting news copy were my personnel folder to be opened for all the prying eyes. There’s nothing in the file that would make my grandfather regret that I have his name, nothing like that. I did get some departmental reprimands and suspensions for having aggravated some supervisors.

When I transferred from Central to Northwest Patrol I’m told that my personnel folder made the rounds with all my future supervisors and that some “eyes were opened” after having a good laugh. I know for a fact that this breach of protocol happened because one officer out at the substation came over and asked me, “Did you really tell that guy he could F--- himself when he tried to drive past you?” , something that would have been known to very few and then only if they were looking at the information in my folder.

I once had been assigned to divert traffic where the fire department was rescuing a window washer from the side of a downtown building after his scaffolding broke from under him.
Some jerk in his BMW was insistent that he was a VIP and had prepaid his parking and should not have to go around the block, all the while the extension ladder of the fire truck was in the process of saving a man’s life. Yes, I said it and I’d say it again under the same circumstances.

The fact is I made for a challenging “employee” and wouldn’t wish the likes of me on anyone, at least not as an employee/employer relationship. I was constantly questioning the reasons, the whys and the wherefores; usually with good reason.

I was sent out to the scene of an overturned gasoline tanker trunk where the fuel was spilling off the freeway overpass while the fire department was sopping it up and using special foaming agents to keep a lid on it. I actually had one of my genius supervisors direct me to lay down a flare pattern to alert traffic of the detour. Sorry, but that wasn’t insubordination so much as it was survival instincts when I questioned his sanity. Things like that are laced throughout my personnel folder. I only wish I had a chance to make copies of all those pieces of paper before I retired. That would make for an interesting read, maybe even a book.

So, John Kerry, what have you got to hide, what’s so important that you have gone to such lengths to keep from the public’s knowledge? Inquiring minds would like to know.