Gold Stars...
We have someone in our department who sends out a Gold Star email once a week in order to give a shout out to people who SHE believes did an exceptional job in some area. It really is so much ridiculousness. In this line of work there is an extraordinary amount of behind the scenes stuff that goes on. A senior officer who guides the rookie in how to properly handle a situation, a dispatcher who is multitasking like a fool in order to get officers the information they need, a supervisor who is setting a perimeter to make sure a bad guy doesnt slip through... All of these efforts are being supported by the cooperative efforts of others...We absolutely do not work in a vacuum. I once received a Gold Star for giving a piece of information to the woman who sends these emails. I have rarely been so upset... No mention of the officers who did amazing things on the street that night, no mention of my teammates who did an exceptional job handling a very crazy shift, and no mention of t