Who Writes This Stuff?
I just received a copy of the statement of the Marion County Sheriff’s Department regarding the termination of Rick Skirvin, a special deputy wagon driver who was fired for posting criticism of the Department on IndyUndercover, a local blog strongly critical of the department.
I expected the statement to read “Special Deputy Rick Skirvin was relieved of duty for conduct unbecoming an officer. The Department does not discuss internal personnel matters.” And I thought that was going to be it.
Instead, the one-page statement not only included the standard failure to adhere to department rules and regulations; it also includes some language that made me raise an eyebrow and grab . For example the release says “Skirvin’s false and malicious criticism was offered stealthily as an ‘anonymous’ Internet posting. Such cowardly and detrimental conduct cannot be tolerated by a paramilitary organization.” The release also calls Skirvin’s posting “dastardly.”
If the department spent as much time chasing after criminals as it apparently does on thesauruses, maybe our crime problem wouldn’t be out of control.
The release also goes on to say “The boorish misconduct of Skirvin” fell outside the bounds of constructive criticism and he should have operated within department rules rather than “under cover of darkness, Skirvin elected to anonymously spread his noxious screed over the internet. The Marion County Sheriff’s Department has zero tolerance for such pernicious tactics.”
That’s a lot of verbiage. But it does explain where all the savings from the merger went. It went to pay for the $2 words used in the press release.
