ATF Agents have never really asked supervisors for anything more than permission and support to go out and confront violence. That's all we have ever wanted or needed. Permission from some guy (or gal) who sits behind their desk and never did the street job well or at all, to give us permission to do what we do. Unfortunately it is becomeing more and more difficult to find a boss who will support proactive work. Some act like they do but they micomanage down to such an extent that in essence they are saying no even when they say yes. I would love to the the agent resumes of Carter, Hoover, Chait, Webb, Bouchard, Ford, Logan, Newell, Zapor, Torres, Richardson, Gleysteen, Potter, Crenshaw, O'Brien and the whole bunch of them compared on a level playing field to agent accomplishments of ATF's fifteen most hated agents. This would be fun. The audit could go with each person selecting thier best case, or maybe their most productive one year period, or their best five year period or over their entire body of work as agents. These bosses are posers who use smoke and mirrors to play like they were ever good agents. And while we're at it, lets drag out their IA files and see if the hated agents are really all that bad and if these people leading the agency were really all that good. !!!!!Lead the agency you hypocrites and let the agents return to doing what they do which is to make you look good by doing their jobs!!!!!
Re-Focus
Started by
Guest_Lips_*
, Mar 13 2010 12:36 PM
2 replies to this topic
#2
BeenThereDoneThat
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Posted 16 March 2010 - 01:23 PM
I totally agree with you Lips. Cleanupatf is an outstanding forum, and I wish it was around when I did battle with ATF in the EEOC, MSPB and Federal Court arena.
I thought that after Waco, and the top two SES's stepped down, that ATF would flourish. There were numerous public Congressional hearings, and reports from the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Justice that analyzed and exposed areas needing change. I worked with several up-and-coming special agents in the field, and I was confident that these individuals would step up and lead ATF.
Much to my dismay, I am seeing those very agents mentioned in these forums. Of course, they are upper management now. I ask myself what happened to these individuals that showed so much promise to do the right thing. What was present in the upper management realm, that was not present in the field?
I discovered firsthand, that ATF Legal Counsel shielded and protected upper ATF management whenever they committed violations and illegal activity. ATF Legal Counsel and Upper Management viciously attacked me, because I had excellent documented evidence, followed the reporting procedures, contacted ALL of the government watchdogs -- such as ATF Internal Affairs, ATF Ombudsman, Office of Inspector General, GAO, Office of Special Counsel, the EEOC in Washington DC, U.S. House Subcommittee, and U.S. Senators.
Even though I "prevailed" in my legal cases, it ended my career. After I won my first case, I thought we could all get back to work. I WAS WRONG. Retaliation and reprisal came a couple of years later, and kept coming and coming! When they could not deter me, they made up things about me. Yes, they fabricated outrageous allegations about me and tried to terminate me. I had to cash in my IRA's and borrow money from my family to defend myself and my reputation. In my last legal action with ATF, I had to cash in my TSP (after over ten years of contributions). What people do not tell you is that even if you win -- you do not recover all of your attorney fees!!!! Even if the MSPB Judge verbally admonishes ATF for improperly bringing action against an employee, because NO ONE conducted an investigation or interviewed any witnesses. When I went to Wikipedia and looked up the defention of FRAUD, I saw the following: "By inventing and inserting documents that appear to be factual, an author tries to create a sense of authenticity beyond the normal and expected suspension of disbelief for a work of art. The goal of a false document is to fool an audience into thinking that what is being presented is actually a fact. By intentionally blurring boundaries between fiction and fact, false documents present complex and perhaps insoluble ethical questions."
During these difficult times, no one in my office knew what was really going on. Managers allowed rumors about me to grow. I was ostracized and humiliated. When the ASAC heard a riduculous rumor about an unknown person, he would ask an agent to bring me to his office, and ask me if I was the one people were talking about. That ASAC is now mentioned repeatedly in the forums -- he was promoted to the top, and many of you relate his dreadful practices.
It is truly amazing the amount of damage that a small group of people can do to an Agency. If a few of these people were REMOVED, ATF could heal. I do not believe that the key players should be allowed to remain employeed with ATF, as their virus would re-infect the replacements. At the taxpayers expense, I was astounded how blantant the corruption of ATF upper management had accelerated with the support of Chief Counsels.
I thought that after Waco, and the top two SES's stepped down, that ATF would flourish. There were numerous public Congressional hearings, and reports from the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Justice that analyzed and exposed areas needing change. I worked with several up-and-coming special agents in the field, and I was confident that these individuals would step up and lead ATF.
Much to my dismay, I am seeing those very agents mentioned in these forums. Of course, they are upper management now. I ask myself what happened to these individuals that showed so much promise to do the right thing. What was present in the upper management realm, that was not present in the field?
I discovered firsthand, that ATF Legal Counsel shielded and protected upper ATF management whenever they committed violations and illegal activity. ATF Legal Counsel and Upper Management viciously attacked me, because I had excellent documented evidence, followed the reporting procedures, contacted ALL of the government watchdogs -- such as ATF Internal Affairs, ATF Ombudsman, Office of Inspector General, GAO, Office of Special Counsel, the EEOC in Washington DC, U.S. House Subcommittee, and U.S. Senators.
Even though I "prevailed" in my legal cases, it ended my career. After I won my first case, I thought we could all get back to work. I WAS WRONG. Retaliation and reprisal came a couple of years later, and kept coming and coming! When they could not deter me, they made up things about me. Yes, they fabricated outrageous allegations about me and tried to terminate me. I had to cash in my IRA's and borrow money from my family to defend myself and my reputation. In my last legal action with ATF, I had to cash in my TSP (after over ten years of contributions). What people do not tell you is that even if you win -- you do not recover all of your attorney fees!!!! Even if the MSPB Judge verbally admonishes ATF for improperly bringing action against an employee, because NO ONE conducted an investigation or interviewed any witnesses. When I went to Wikipedia and looked up the defention of FRAUD, I saw the following: "By inventing and inserting documents that appear to be factual, an author tries to create a sense of authenticity beyond the normal and expected suspension of disbelief for a work of art. The goal of a false document is to fool an audience into thinking that what is being presented is actually a fact. By intentionally blurring boundaries between fiction and fact, false documents present complex and perhaps insoluble ethical questions."
During these difficult times, no one in my office knew what was really going on. Managers allowed rumors about me to grow. I was ostracized and humiliated. When the ASAC heard a riduculous rumor about an unknown person, he would ask an agent to bring me to his office, and ask me if I was the one people were talking about. That ASAC is now mentioned repeatedly in the forums -- he was promoted to the top, and many of you relate his dreadful practices.
It is truly amazing the amount of damage that a small group of people can do to an Agency. If a few of these people were REMOVED, ATF could heal. I do not believe that the key players should be allowed to remain employeed with ATF, as their virus would re-infect the replacements. At the taxpayers expense, I was astounded how blantant the corruption of ATF upper management had accelerated with the support of Chief Counsels.
#3
Guest_Lips_*
Guest_Lips_*
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Posted 13 March 2010 - 12:36 PM
An open letter to all ATF field employees. Now is a most critical time for us. Read through the postings on this site. We have affectively exposed years of corrupt management. 99% of the postings have been accurate and truthful. The few that have overstepped have been quickly corrected or removed.
The inept nature of our management team has been exposed. The unethical tactics of our internal affairs has been uncovered. The corrupt nature of our Chief Counsels office has been revealed. The ineffectiveness of our EEOC and Ombudsman has been displayed.
The media, congress, government oversight agencies and the public have been given a look behind the scenes at ATF and the picture is bad.
Here is how we “take the hill”. Refocus on who we are, what we do and what we are trying to accomplish.
First and foremost, keep working. Keep making great cases in spite of the cowardly management that consistently stands in the way of aggressive agents. They can say whatever they want about us collectively or individually but the one surefire way to fight back with the tools we have is to continually place original and proactive blue covers to your leadership.
Next, let’s refocus on what CleanUpATF was designed to be: A first-time public exposure of ATF managements abuses upon their employees. Trust me on this. The hammer is coming. Judgment day is near for the way ATF management has treated us and how they have run this agency. This is not about dismantling ATF. It IS about dismantling the corrupt, self-serving good-ol-boy nature of the management club.
Your input should include personal examples of unethical treatment of you or others by ATF management. The exposure of double-standards for investigation and discipline between management and field employees is important. The exposure of bad acts by managers who have past and present, held employees to standards and policies they will not honor for themselves.
I will ask the webmaster to clarify my point if I am off target.
CleanUpATF was launched out of frustration from ATF field employees for the lack of attention and concern management has historically displayed for the mistreatment of their workers and to publicly “call out” the managers who routinely show corruption but have been hidden and protected by ATF attorneys and executives who “circle the wagons” to cover up wrongdoing.
I believe I speak for all agents when I say to management that if we do something wrong then investigate us and place the discipline upon us which is fair and appropriate. Mistakes will be made; both honest mistakes and stupid ones. Hold us accountable and we will serve our time and go back to work.
What we will no longer accept is for you to investigate us using unethical methods. We will not allow you to conduct investigations into allegations against us that only focus on your intended result to paint us dirty. When you fail to address all of the circumstances regarding an allegation against us, conveniently avoiding the elements that do not serve your preconceived conclusions, we will no long stand by and take it. We will no longer allow you to “frame” us to make a point or use it to “send a message”. We will no long allow you to “whitewash” investigations and pass them off as fair and impartial – that means you Dick Chase, Carlos Sanchez, Kelvin Crenshaw and the others.
When you propose discipline it must be warranted and it must be consistent for all employees. The disciplinary matrix that ATF has published does not have separate “management” and “field employee” categories with vastly different punishments. One punishment for all is all we can tolerate. From the Director to the field, no exemptions based on position, gender, race, or ethnicity. Wrong is wrong for everyone.
We will not accept Chief Counsel’s office representing for us differently than they do management. That office is the legal arm of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is not set up or designed to only represent and protect management. Don’t let Loos forget, field employees are “ATF” too, not just bosses. When we prove that a manager is corrupt or unethical we demand that Chief Counsels office be a part of the solution and not a Continuation of the problem by defending and covering up bad acts they know to be wrong.
We will not watch you provide free legal counsel to guilty managers while you force damaged field employees to fund their own attorneys as you file delay motions and extend the legal process with the sole intent of breaking the damaged employee further.
In summary, we will not allow managements “bullying” of us, and when we call attention to mismanagement we are down with allowing our complaints to be internally dismissed as the whining of disgruntled employees.
On behalf of all field employees I as stating to you as clearly as I can – THOSE DAYS ARE OVER. Get on the bandwagon to fix this place or get run over. This is much more than a “bandwagon”. This cause has become a locomotive. As an earlier posting stated, get on the train and help us fix this or pretend like it is not happening and get run over while you proclaim, “all is well.” That statement is not a threat. It is a challenge to management to help us get back on track.
The inept nature of our management team has been exposed. The unethical tactics of our internal affairs has been uncovered. The corrupt nature of our Chief Counsels office has been revealed. The ineffectiveness of our EEOC and Ombudsman has been displayed.
The media, congress, government oversight agencies and the public have been given a look behind the scenes at ATF and the picture is bad.
Here is how we “take the hill”. Refocus on who we are, what we do and what we are trying to accomplish.
First and foremost, keep working. Keep making great cases in spite of the cowardly management that consistently stands in the way of aggressive agents. They can say whatever they want about us collectively or individually but the one surefire way to fight back with the tools we have is to continually place original and proactive blue covers to your leadership.
Next, let’s refocus on what CleanUpATF was designed to be: A first-time public exposure of ATF managements abuses upon their employees. Trust me on this. The hammer is coming. Judgment day is near for the way ATF management has treated us and how they have run this agency. This is not about dismantling ATF. It IS about dismantling the corrupt, self-serving good-ol-boy nature of the management club.
Your input should include personal examples of unethical treatment of you or others by ATF management. The exposure of double-standards for investigation and discipline between management and field employees is important. The exposure of bad acts by managers who have past and present, held employees to standards and policies they will not honor for themselves.
I will ask the webmaster to clarify my point if I am off target.
CleanUpATF was launched out of frustration from ATF field employees for the lack of attention and concern management has historically displayed for the mistreatment of their workers and to publicly “call out” the managers who routinely show corruption but have been hidden and protected by ATF attorneys and executives who “circle the wagons” to cover up wrongdoing.
I believe I speak for all agents when I say to management that if we do something wrong then investigate us and place the discipline upon us which is fair and appropriate. Mistakes will be made; both honest mistakes and stupid ones. Hold us accountable and we will serve our time and go back to work.
What we will no longer accept is for you to investigate us using unethical methods. We will not allow you to conduct investigations into allegations against us that only focus on your intended result to paint us dirty. When you fail to address all of the circumstances regarding an allegation against us, conveniently avoiding the elements that do not serve your preconceived conclusions, we will no long stand by and take it. We will no longer allow you to “frame” us to make a point or use it to “send a message”. We will no long allow you to “whitewash” investigations and pass them off as fair and impartial – that means you Dick Chase, Carlos Sanchez, Kelvin Crenshaw and the others.
When you propose discipline it must be warranted and it must be consistent for all employees. The disciplinary matrix that ATF has published does not have separate “management” and “field employee” categories with vastly different punishments. One punishment for all is all we can tolerate. From the Director to the field, no exemptions based on position, gender, race, or ethnicity. Wrong is wrong for everyone.
We will not accept Chief Counsel’s office representing for us differently than they do management. That office is the legal arm of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is not set up or designed to only represent and protect management. Don’t let Loos forget, field employees are “ATF” too, not just bosses. When we prove that a manager is corrupt or unethical we demand that Chief Counsels office be a part of the solution and not a Continuation of the problem by defending and covering up bad acts they know to be wrong.
We will not watch you provide free legal counsel to guilty managers while you force damaged field employees to fund their own attorneys as you file delay motions and extend the legal process with the sole intent of breaking the damaged employee further.
In summary, we will not allow managements “bullying” of us, and when we call attention to mismanagement we are down with allowing our complaints to be internally dismissed as the whining of disgruntled employees.
On behalf of all field employees I as stating to you as clearly as I can – THOSE DAYS ARE OVER. Get on the bandwagon to fix this place or get run over. This is much more than a “bandwagon”. This cause has become a locomotive. As an earlier posting stated, get on the train and help us fix this or pretend like it is not happening and get run over while you proclaim, “all is well.” That statement is not a threat. It is a challenge to management to help us get back on track.
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