City of Durham, North Carolina Reviews

Pros

Seven-Day Break, Nice equipment, Good Academy Training

Cons

City is horribly divided in terms of districts (call volume not equal/type of calls very different), Lieut. and above forget what it means to be a police officer and turn into politicians, Bad pay! REALLY long training period, HORRIBLE pay while in training (which you can expect to be in for at least 2 years).

Advice to Senior Management

Return to the roots of being a police officer and stop monday morning quarterbacking… you cannot use the reasonable officer standard if you haven't been an officer for over ten years...

Pros

Very understanding of time off requirements and flexible scheduling. Good benefits packages and people, culture, and environment is superior to any other place I have worked.

Cons

Nearly everything that was a quick decision in the private sector takes a panel and/or chain of command decision making here due to government policies and procedures. A promotion for which you qualify might take up to a year to process.

Advice to Senior Management

Red tape makes it difficult for employees to receive promotions for which they meet the requirements. Little chance for career growth.

Pros

well the thing about this and let me use a cliche, you get what you put in, and im doing okay with this. you just have to have patience

Cons

well im not to sure if any benefits are given out so i'm lost in this area. would be nice though.

Advice to Senior Management

I think if you dont have benefits you should start giving some please, also be a little more generous

Pros

Close to my home
Never expected to take job home
Multiple shifts available with decent work hours
Middle management is very helpful

Cons

non competitive wages and lack luster management
unsafe working conditions
facilities run down and rarely repaired
preferential treatment determined your success

Advice to Senior Management

As important as a water utility is to a city, you would expect there to be an incentive to maintain a quality facility in order to safely administer a safe drinking water supply to the citizens.

Pros

Strong Organizational Development program that encourages movement between department units. This has the effect of allowing an employee to gain experience and skills in many areas. Municipal Governments are like a lot of small businesses housed under one umbrella. This allows a wide range of opportunities. If you are a good learner, go getter and ambitious you can build a solid career.

The benefits are good or exceptional and work life balance is usually better than private companies. There is a sense that you do have another life. It is also nice to be working for the greater good and not just chasing the dollar.

Cons

Local politics can undermine good work. This can cause a very slow and circuitous route to getting a job accomplished. You may often work with people that are just treading water and want to make their 8 hours and go home. Racial issues are very difficult at this work place and often get in the way of good management.

Advice to Senior Management

Evaluate your results and take action based on that evaluation and the goals you want to achieve. This assumes you have done the upfront work to determine your goals for a given time period. You have to really care about what happens.

When you find yourself no longer caring if the city moves forward the way it should, then move aside and let someone else do the job. Encourage people to move around in the organization. Sometimes there are very good people who are stagnant or are in the wrong job to start with. Look at people's strengths and see how there can be a better fit.