From the President...

by Mike Jimenez, California Correctional Peace Officers Association

From the President...

Recently, I met a correctional peace officer who in his eight years with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation knows quite a bit about what it's like to work the toughest beat in the state.

Now assigned to the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, C.O. Ian Pickett spent much of his career at the maximum-security Calipatria State Prison. In this issue of Peacekeeper you can read his chilling and inspiring firsthand account of what it's like to work where many people in California wouldn't or, more appropriately, couldn't-in a Level IV prison.

On a late February afternoon, members of the CCPOA Executive Council and representatives from all divisions of CCPOA sat down in my office in West Sacramento to listen to Officer Pickett as he offered many observations on the profession.

He told us of the stress experienced by his family because of the inmate attacks he has survived. In fact, after seeing his dad assaulted numerous times, Pickett's 5-year-old son unplugged his alarm clock because "I didn't want you to go to work and get hurt anymore."

When asked what he thought about the ongoing battle with the state for a contract for CCPOA members, Officer Pickett offered, "You know, common sense is not a common virtue. For me, survival outweighed many of the issues, and, quite frankly, if it didn't have anything to do with staying alive I can't say that every day I was up on all of the issues facing the union. One thing I do know, though, is that the protections that are in the contract are my life and the lives of my family."

As we stood together with Pickett for a photo in front of our Correctional Peace Officers Memorial, he told us, "If things in corrections continue the way they are, you are going to need a lot more room on that memorial."

Officer Pickett's story is one that is familiar to anyone working in corrections. We have all seen our share of riots and assaults-some of us more than others, some of us over and over again. Within the story of Officer Pickett and his fellow officers you'll find something those outside our profession probably won't understand.

The dedicated men and women of corrections put their lives and careers on the line every day in the name of public safety for all Californians. Therefore, we believe it is the responsibility of the Schwarzenegger administration to, in return, provide those brave individuals with a fair contract. After all, the state negotiates fairly with other bargaining units. In light of everything Officer Ian Pickett and other correctional staff throughout the state have endured-and will endure-is that so much to ask?

Correctional peace officers are not asking for more than their share-as a matter of fact there are many of us who would settle for just a little respect. It takes an enormous amount of courage and heart to stand up every day in the face of possible death and continue to do your job. To be treated fairly in return for the selfless and heroic actions of our members seems an incredibly simple request.

As we wrapped up our meeting, Officer Pickett said "I don't quit-nobody in my family has ever quit anything. I'll keep fighting my fight and you keep fighting yours."

Officer Pickett, we intend to do just that.

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