Mine:
Training an S/O (B?) for 22-06 Mobile Patrol. We'll call him "Mike". First thing Mike says when meeting me is that he has another 40 hour a week job that starts at 7:00am and he can't be late. He makes allot of money at that job (he says) and this job is just to pay for his "toys". He likes his toys (his truck, his PDA, his motorcycle etc etc). I inform him that security often requires having to unexpectedly stand a post after the regularly scheduled shift and that if he leaves a post before he is relieved by another S/O he will be immediately terminated for abandoning post.
At this time I wonder to myself how this guy even got past his orientation, much less his first three days of training (I was training him on his final 2 days).
Anyways, Mike seemed very enthusiastic and self-confident about the job. Aside from the "can't be late" thing, he keeps trying to finish my sentences for me with what he thinks I am going to say. As in, "I know this monkey-brained stuff so well I don't even need to be trained". He doesn't SAY that, but he acts it. I tell him he would be better served by keeping his ears open and his mouth shut unless he has a question. He seems nervous, hell bent on making a strong impression.
These issues aside, he is observant, efficient in his thinking and movements, and takes the initiative to check into things beyond what is obvious (ie. PULLING on that door to ensure it is locked instead of just looking at it from twenty feet away). I am of the mind that the rough edges can be smoothed off of him and with some guidance he can be a pretty solid S/O.
Then mid shift hits and the stuff hits the fan. Half way through the run as I am driving and verbally giving instructions with him in the passenger seat, I notice he is no longer responding to anything I say. I look over and see the top of his head about six inches from my face. He is limp in the seat, sound asleep pretty, his body following the motion of the truck.
"You sleeping?!" I say as loud and perturbed as I can without actually screaming. He immediately stiffens in the seat, bolt straight..."No, no, just resting a little, I heard everything you said." I said, "Listen, I am sure you are a competent person and are doing your best, but this particular job is not for everyone, and I am sure it is not for you."
Mike went on with a million excuses, saying how he had NEVER fallen asleep on a job before, he had just worked a full shift at his other job prior to this etc. I just repeated that this job is not for him and he would be better off somewhere else. Seriously somewhere else, "Your gonna get killed out here".
That is no joke. We have had S/Os die on that same shift due to lack of awareness on their part. I told him that.
He stayed awake the rest of the night, but then decided to get a little argumentative with me on a few procedures I was training him in. I was getting pretty frustrated with this guy. "I am telling you your job, you can either absorb, understand and execute these procedures or find another job".
Morning comes and the captain arrives at 0600 as usual. After Mike leaves for his other job, I brief the boss on Mikes performance that night. My thinking is the guy is terminated. I was wrong. Apparently we need Mike because we don't have anyone else to fill the shift.
Double edged sword about complaining to recruiting about the quality of people they send us: They take longer sending you someone else because now they are vetting them out more. Which means you have to put up with the low quality guy until recruiting sends someone else.
In our case, this took two weeks. I trained Mikes replacement, and was very pleased with him. "Jon" is a graduate of the police academy and wants to work this job full time and his municipal pd job part time until he gets a full time pd job. He thinks it will take about a year. Jon is cross trained at every position we have, a process that takes about a month. We put up with Mike in this time span.
The final day of training Jon informs us that he just got hired full time at a local police department and no longer needs the job. %$*&$
Meanwhile Mike gets worse and worse. He is observant and efficient, pretty effective in the "deter, observe" departments. But he scribbles reports. Literally it is scribble. Illegible. Also, he has to dominate any conversation that is going on around him. He'll hang out around the door to the briefing room and jump in to answer questions that were not directed at him while one supervisor is trying to brief another supervisor during shift change. He knows everything and there is no debating him despite the fact he is almost always wrong and almost always speaking out of turn every time he opens his mouth. I turn around and tell him what we are saying is of no concern to him and as he continues to lean in the doorway I shut the door in his face. The other supervisors laugh when I do that but I don't think it is funny.
I've dealt with allot of incompetent people, rude people, rough characters etc. but no one irritates me like this guy.
Next up is a marine MP fresh from gitmo with an honorable discharge. This will be the second night training him. He is talking about re-enlisting. I am trying to keep him away from Mike.
Patience......
Training an S/O (B?) for 22-06 Mobile Patrol. We'll call him "Mike". First thing Mike says when meeting me is that he has another 40 hour a week job that starts at 7:00am and he can't be late. He makes allot of money at that job (he says) and this job is just to pay for his "toys". He likes his toys (his truck, his PDA, his motorcycle etc etc). I inform him that security often requires having to unexpectedly stand a post after the regularly scheduled shift and that if he leaves a post before he is relieved by another S/O he will be immediately terminated for abandoning post.
At this time I wonder to myself how this guy even got past his orientation, much less his first three days of training (I was training him on his final 2 days).
Anyways, Mike seemed very enthusiastic and self-confident about the job. Aside from the "can't be late" thing, he keeps trying to finish my sentences for me with what he thinks I am going to say. As in, "I know this monkey-brained stuff so well I don't even need to be trained". He doesn't SAY that, but he acts it. I tell him he would be better served by keeping his ears open and his mouth shut unless he has a question. He seems nervous, hell bent on making a strong impression.
These issues aside, he is observant, efficient in his thinking and movements, and takes the initiative to check into things beyond what is obvious (ie. PULLING on that door to ensure it is locked instead of just looking at it from twenty feet away). I am of the mind that the rough edges can be smoothed off of him and with some guidance he can be a pretty solid S/O.
Then mid shift hits and the stuff hits the fan. Half way through the run as I am driving and verbally giving instructions with him in the passenger seat, I notice he is no longer responding to anything I say. I look over and see the top of his head about six inches from my face. He is limp in the seat, sound asleep pretty, his body following the motion of the truck.
"You sleeping?!" I say as loud and perturbed as I can without actually screaming. He immediately stiffens in the seat, bolt straight..."No, no, just resting a little, I heard everything you said." I said, "Listen, I am sure you are a competent person and are doing your best, but this particular job is not for everyone, and I am sure it is not for you."
Mike went on with a million excuses, saying how he had NEVER fallen asleep on a job before, he had just worked a full shift at his other job prior to this etc. I just repeated that this job is not for him and he would be better off somewhere else. Seriously somewhere else, "Your gonna get killed out here".
That is no joke. We have had S/Os die on that same shift due to lack of awareness on their part. I told him that.
He stayed awake the rest of the night, but then decided to get a little argumentative with me on a few procedures I was training him in. I was getting pretty frustrated with this guy. "I am telling you your job, you can either absorb, understand and execute these procedures or find another job".
Morning comes and the captain arrives at 0600 as usual. After Mike leaves for his other job, I brief the boss on Mikes performance that night. My thinking is the guy is terminated. I was wrong. Apparently we need Mike because we don't have anyone else to fill the shift.
Double edged sword about complaining to recruiting about the quality of people they send us: They take longer sending you someone else because now they are vetting them out more. Which means you have to put up with the low quality guy until recruiting sends someone else.
In our case, this took two weeks. I trained Mikes replacement, and was very pleased with him. "Jon" is a graduate of the police academy and wants to work this job full time and his municipal pd job part time until he gets a full time pd job. He thinks it will take about a year. Jon is cross trained at every position we have, a process that takes about a month. We put up with Mike in this time span.
The final day of training Jon informs us that he just got hired full time at a local police department and no longer needs the job. %$*&$
Meanwhile Mike gets worse and worse. He is observant and efficient, pretty effective in the "deter, observe" departments. But he scribbles reports. Literally it is scribble. Illegible. Also, he has to dominate any conversation that is going on around him. He'll hang out around the door to the briefing room and jump in to answer questions that were not directed at him while one supervisor is trying to brief another supervisor during shift change. He knows everything and there is no debating him despite the fact he is almost always wrong and almost always speaking out of turn every time he opens his mouth. I turn around and tell him what we are saying is of no concern to him and as he continues to lean in the doorway I shut the door in his face. The other supervisors laugh when I do that but I don't think it is funny.
I've dealt with allot of incompetent people, rude people, rough characters etc. but no one irritates me like this guy.
Next up is a marine MP fresh from gitmo with an honorable discharge. This will be the second night training him. He is talking about re-enlisting. I am trying to keep him away from Mike.
Patience......
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