|
Officer
|
I am a female police officer who has served with the same police department for over 10 years. I have had several children and while I was pregnant with all of them, I had to work full duty on the road. I was told by the Chief and the City that I either worked on the road or I needed to take a leave of absense (with out pay). With one of my children I worked by myself on the road on midnight shift untill I was almost 32 weeks pregnant.
I was able to get the department to establish a light duty policy that included all off duty injuries, but that is only for 8 weeks. This police department may act like they have accepted me and other female officers, but they haven't. If they had they would have established some sort of maternity leave or allowed me to work one of the many open position at the department so I wouldn't have to work on the road.
|
|
Lou
|
Workers in all types of jobs should be offered a light duty position if their injury happened on the job (job related). The Police dept did did not get Officer Henriques pregnant. If anyone can't do the job, because of something they did< not related to their job, then they should take a leave of absent (without pay) or take sick time.
|
|
Terri Clark
|
I'm a police officer in a pretty good sized police department on the west coast and have experienced pregnancy twice with two very different scenarios. In the first, I was told that I could only be on light duty for 6 months; despite the fact pregnancy is a ten month deal. This was based on a department guideline for light duty. While I was still working the street, I was bitten by a suspect that was positive with Hepatitis C and then had to wait on pins and needles to see how my tests came out for the next 6 months. The second time, I had an administrator that recognized the fact that anything can happen anytime when you work the streets and did not want my unborn child to face those kind of risks. Every situation is different and women who are police officers deal with these types of issues in a variety of ways, but I think the important thing here is that she had a doctor's recommendation to go to light duty and it should be followed, not just for the safety, both physical and emotional, of the mother to be and her child, but for the liability and morale of the department.
|
|
Lorri
|
I feel the police dept was right. If a woman worked in the shipping dept lifting heavy boxes, she would be expected to do her job, or go on disability. There is no such thing as light duties. There are lighter job titles, for less pay, and if they do a different title that's what there pay should be. Woman choose to have a baby and when. They should think ahead, when choosing a career. I gave birth 4 times, not once did I as for special treatment.
1 of my deliveries was an emergency c-section and came 6 weeks early. But that wasn't my jobs fault.
|
|
Been_There_Done_ That
|
Yeah..welcome to my world. No light duty because pregnancy isn't considered a "disability." Rather than give temporary concessions, they expect you to go out on early disability. It's not right, but it is what it is. My child was born prematurely and the job had -everything- to do with it.
|
|
Rae
|
Ah, misogyny is still alive and well in law enforcement. I don't miss that part of it at all.
|
|
anonymous
|
Lou wrote: Workers in all types of jobs should be offered a light duty position if their injury happened on the job (job related). The Police dept did did not get Officer Henriques pregnant. If anyone can't do the job, because of something they did< not related to their job, then they should take a leave of absent (without pay) or take sick time. Wow you are a jerk. I hope someone treats your mother/wife/sister with the same courtesy when they were/are pregnant too!
|
|
MTS
|
"Ah, misogyny is still alive and well in law enforcement. I don't miss that part of it at all." - Rae
Oh, you mean the part where men and women are being treated equally, except when the woman wants special treatment? Her pregnancy is self-inflicted. Period. This is NOT equivalent to a male or female officer being stricken with a service related disability.
What if we have a male officer who competes in mixed martial arts contests on the weekends and as a result ends up with a broken ankle? Does *he* get special duty too? And yes, her elective behavior is equivalent to his elective behavior. You either meet the requirements for the job or you don't.
And then of course after taking leave for months they expect to come back and keep their spot on the seniority and promotion lists.
|
|
|
|
Officer
|
Most police departments detetives are down anywhere from 20-100 cases each. I bet if you put anyone who was on light duty in that bureau, whether they were pregnant or had a stupid martial arts injuries it would benefit the department.
Most male police officers don't care about this subject until their wife, mother or sister are treated this way.
I also believe most women wish that men could have the kids, because then there would be a maternity leave and probably child care inside the police departments.
|
|
Terri Clark
|
MTS wrote: "Ah, misogyny is still alive and well in law enforcement. I don't miss that part of it at all." - Rae
Oh, you mean the part where men and women are being treated equally, except when the woman wants special treatment? Her pregnancy is self-inflicted. Period. This is NOT equivalent to a male or female officer being stricken with a service related disability.
What if we have a male officer who competes in mixed martial arts contests on the weekends and as a result ends up with a broken ankle? Does *he* get special duty too? And yes, her elective behavior is equivalent to his elective behavior. You either meet the requirements for the job or you don't.
And then of course after taking leave for months they expect to come back and keep their spot on the seniority and promotion lists. Actually yes, officers on my department, male and female alike, get light duty for injuries or activities on and off duty. So should we just not have families?? Give me a break...oh, and there's this little thing called "FMLA" now...federal law prohibiting employeers from getting rid of positions for ANYONE that has to deal with a sick or brand new loved one...both MEN and women qualify for 12 weeks leave under this act, for both natural born children and adoptions...join the 21st century!
|
|
Rose Ann
|
I am I to understand that a "Police Officer"
Whants to be paid for her entire NINE MONTHS of preagnancy for NOT doing the job she was hired to do then get paid for her MATERNITY LEAVE as well?
Where do I sign up?
The hard working tax payers should not have to foot this bill!
She knew what she was getting into when she took this job.
If you don't whant to work while you are preagnant, take leave without pay so that the town can hire someone that isn willing to take a temporary position,
|
|
Terri Clark
|
Rose Ann wrote: I am I to understand that a "Police Officer"
Whants to be paid for her entire NINE MONTHS of preagnancy for NOT doing the job she was hired to do then get paid for her MATERNITY LEAVE as well?
Where do I sign up?
The hard working tax payers should not have to foot this bill!
She knew what she was getting into when she took this job.
If you don't whant to work while you are preagnant, take leave without pay so that the town can hire someone that isn willing to take a temporary position, Rose, please read the comment from "officer" from Garden City...it's not that she asking not to do her job...talk to your police department...every department I know of, including mine, is down detectives and the public gets upset because their solvable crimes can't get investigated....while on light duty there are lots of things any officer can do that doesn't require them to be on the street, but allows them to assist in investigations, do follow up work, and complete tasks that otherwise would not be completed...while I was pregnant, I worked in my department's detective's division and worked my fanny off doing things that would not have been done otherwise...
|
|
Jonathan
|
MTS wrote: "Oh, you mean the part where men and women are being treated equally, except when the woman wants special treatment? Her pregnancy is self-inflicted. Period.... Oh my gosh, since when is a pregnancy "self-inflicted"? Last time I checked it required both a man and a woman to get pregnant. Why shouldn't a pregnant woman get (reasonable) special treatment? She's not asking for 9 months of paid time off, she's asking for a safer and lighter environment to work in--which is absolutely reasonable. Police Departments across the country should have standard policies about this-don't they want to protect their own employees, staff, their families and babies?? Any less treatment should be unacceptable! If that was your wife or sister you'd be screaming a whole different story buddy..
|
Judge it!
82°F
Most Popular
