DannyBoyinExile

Working for TDCJ (as a CO, I mean) can be a steppingstone, where people gain experience – and income – while they educate themselves and prepare for something better. But the steppingstone can be quite slippery, as evidenced by the number of staff who quit or get fired on a regular basis.
For the remainder, who decide to make a career of it, there is plenty of room for advancement. There are numerous examples of staff who have risen from CO‘s (which is where they begin) to CO5s, then get promoted to Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, Majors, and even Wardens.
After spending 30+ years in TDCJ, I’ve witnessed hundreds of examples of promotions – and quite a few DEMOTIONS as well. For example, the Major I work for now used to be a Captain here, and I worked for him back then, too. I’ve known the other Major since she was a Lieutenant! But don’t let that confuse you – she can’t stand me. I even knew the head Warden, when he was here as an Assistant Warden several years ago. I didn’t know him well, but I did see him around, since I worked in the hallway back then.
You can tell the higher-ups on any TDCJ unit, simply by how nervous everyone gets when they walk by! I’ve seen laid-back COs become tyrants with rank, and I’ve seen hardheaded COs grow more laid-back with each promotion.
Even my own boss, who regularly oversees the Major’s Utility Squad, recently put in to be promoted to Sergeant. He’s a pretty good guy, who is almost universally liked, so we all felt that he was just about certain to be promoted.
In fact, several other COs immediately tried to take HIS place, working with the Utility Squad. We even had INMATES promising to recommend their favorite guards to the Major, to be our next boss. As for me, I took it with the proverbial grain of salt. I’ve seen a hundred other COs put in for promotions and job changes. Some of them get it, and others are denied – but in the politest way possible, of course!
Alas, my own boss (Officer Britney) didn’t get it. (Names have been changed, to protect the guilty!) Come to think of it, they may have felt that our Squad was simply too incorrigible to turn over to anyone else!
When he broke the news to us, he had to cut the conversation short, because he’d forgotten his keys to the area we get our equipment from. We had to stand there and wait while he went to pick them up – which could take an hour, with so many people stopping him to talk, ask a question, or complain. So we HAD to give him a hard time.
“Come on, man! You forgot your KEYS?”
“A SERGEANT would’ve had his keys, for sure!”
So we promoted him, on the spot. His new title (and nickname) is Sergeant Keyless. Our crew will do our best to make sure he gets the promotions he deserves. He’s doing his part, too: a few days later, he forgot his keys AGAIN! (Now he’s Lieutenant Keyless.) If it happens one more time, and we all have to wait on him, we’ve decided that he’ll become Captain Clueless! =-)
He may not be a Sergeant – but he does keep up the morale of the Major’s Utility Squad. It’s not easy to deal with a few guys who think they know everything, a few others who don’t know ANYTHING, and a few more who don’t show up at all! But we get it done, and the High Security wing is cleaner because of us.
Officer Britney may not have gotten his promotion – but as far as we’re concerned, that’s THEIR loss, and our gain. So says DannyBoy.