Police officer Sonia Henriques has done what no police officer was expected to do.
She had sex and got pregnant. Her doctor recommended that she go on light duty. She requested light duty and the police chief denied her request saying their was no provisions made for a pregnant police officer. She is two months pregnant.
He said the only choices for her are "remaining on the road" or an "unpaid leave of absence." The police chief said that all the office positions like dispatch and archiving records take "specific training or certification."
The police chief is reluctant to just put her in a job that would not provide anything meaningful like shredding paper. Here is the link:
LinkDo you think that the police department should pay a pregnant women if she can only do tasks that they really don't need done?
Comments (118)
/smacks forehead.
ill take reasons why the world saddens me for $500, alex.
and i just wrote a blog on the world saddening me... this just makes it worse.
Well, come eight months and she needs to chase a perp....
Crazy idea, how about they find jobs that DO need to be done and help her become certified. I wouldn't think archiving papers would take extensive training. Maybe offer certfication programs to the women before they even become pregnant so in the event they do, this is a non-issue.
In her case, yes. It's not her fault it's unsafe to work on the road and it seems to me they did not disclose that there would be additional training required for the more sedentary positions.
@steph843 - Agreed.
"Of 62 officers on the force, just two are women."
Which explains why they are so woefully under prepared for this situation. This dept better get their act together.
She looks a bit like Steve Nash.
paying on task that don't need to be done?
then the organization must be so inefficient and unproductive! they could do a better job in job rotation!
the human resource department has a bunch of lazy bums finding excuses!
You become a police women to serve and protect people. Your right as a citizen is to expect that person to be able to perform that job. If she cannot do it she should not be paid. Or take half pay. It may not be her fault but the people she is paid to protect should not suffer her either. You can't have everything in this world.
And if a male officer was injured (not in the line of duty) and needed light duty would they say the same or find him a desk job? I strongly suspect sexism. She could probably handle the chief of police job just fine.
@huginn - lol...
Sounds fishy to me. They must have light duty tasks for the male officers who get hurt on the job. Why wouldn't they have the same for women?
I'm with Steph and Squeakysoul, really.
@saintvi - I think an important difference a pregnancy is work unrelated. Ought an officer recieve compensation if he broke his hip skateboarding or hurt his hand in the garage? There is also a measure of choice involved in getting and keeping the pregnancy.
That said, I'm not quite sure how pregnancies are usually handled in the workplace. So *shrugs.*
this just proves my theory : most men are assholes.
hmmm this sounds like one of those times when reading your contract would have been a really good idea. not that i think the police chief is "right" but jobs have you sign a contract and reading it is a really good idea...
also tax payer dollars are usually how officers get paid, so if you lived in her district what would you want your money doing? i also question that they should give her a light duty position reserved for those injured on the job, she didn't become pregnant on the job and family planning in a career such as police duty seems like it needs to be on the part of the woman starting the family. and asking for special provisions should be verified through that contract she signed before asking! if there are no provisions there a problem is just about guaranteed.
@huginn - Reading the link I see that desk jobs have been routinely found for male officers who suffered non work related injuries or illnesses. Pregnancy should be treated no differently. If a doctor recommends light duty, light duties should be found for her whether they're "meaningful" or not. I'm sure her paycheck is meaningful enough to her that she'd be willing to do whatever work they find for her.
She didn't do anything that was punishable by their administration; she simply got pregnant. She should not be punished for this. Why don't they train her in one of these areas and put her to work? What's the big fucking deal? It isn't safe for a woman who is 7, 8, or 9 months pregnant to be running around chasing people. Cops are always talking about how it makes them sick to see someone hurt a woman or a child. Well, take a look in the mirror. I doubt this woman wants special treatment; she just wants to be healthy and is following her doctor's orders...something her employer can't (or, more likely, won't) respect. If police work were a female-dominated field, this would never even be an issue. Men JUST DON'T GET IT.
@saintvi - Ah, k. Fair point.
this is tough...
there should be some kind of desk job, that's for sure ... but then again, being an officer is a pretty physical job.
the whole without pay thing is kindda harsh.
Somehow I wonder why we are so obsessed with women taking it easy during pregnancies. I know this is an unpopular position but it used to be that women would work in the fields until they gave birth and then return to the fields the next day.
In answer to the question I think that at this point she should stay on the force in full duty for a few more months and then be given paid leave.
I love your sarcasm in the first sentence!
but I just came here to say:
Thank you for voting in the Xanga BEAUTY CONTEST!
The winner will be announced next Mon or Tue
this is one of the reasons why men get promoted while women don't!
after giving birth, some women decide to become stay at home moms!
so why would companies invest in training/ certifications and the such if a few months from now they are gonna quit?
also ask yourselfs at your own job...whatever it is.
would they move you to a less "stressful" job then what you are doing now just cuz you are pregno?
Who's decision was it to become a cop???
Who's decision was it to become pregnant???
it sure wasn't the departments....thats all I can say.
There are laws in regards to pregnancy, and as long as they follow that I'm ok with it.
@kboy25 - reluctant to agree, but i do.
@mrcolorful - i agree. someone in good shape doesn't need to take a ton of time off. it has more to do with psychological issues of "bonding" and all that.@huginn - Wow! For once you're right!
There has to be SOME job in the office she would be qualified to do. Sounds like there is just some resentment on the force toward this woman by the higher ups!