18
CORRECTIONS REPORT
NEW JERSEY COPS ■ DECEMBER 2014
The tier officers are the ‘grunts’
on the frontline
Henry J.
Ruiz
There is a fundamental ideology in the
U.S. Army that every soldier, regardless
of his or her job, is an infantryman. The
same could be said about correctional
officers: regardless of what our bided or
assigned jobs are, we are all tier officers
first. The tier officers, like the infantrymen, are the “grunts” on the frontline.
The job of the “grunt” tier officer may
not be the most glamorous job and rarely
receives the glory they deserve, but they are the backbone of the correctional profession. These hard charging individuals who run our housing units, tiers and
cell blocks are tasked with being the mayor, policemen, psychologist, social worker and custodian within their assigned post. Their day can change from good
to bad to ugly in a drop of a dime. They must make
split-second decisions at times that could mean life or
death, and are too often Monday morning quarterbacked by individuals who usually have no under-
standing what it’s like to walk in the officer’s shoes.
You can’t become a grunt by reading a book, taking
a test or through schooling. The only way is through
putting your time in the tiers and through blood,
sweat and tears. Once a grunt, you’re a grunt for life.
You never forget where you came from, even if you are
promoted or get that preferential job, and if needed
you could walk a tier without missing a beat.
In an ideal world, every sworn correctional staff
member, before being assigned to an administrative
position or a preferential job, would have to learn how
to run a ho using unit first, but we all know that is not
always the case. So whether you worked in the tiers or
not, never think that your job is more important than
that of the tier officer. If you’re not assigned to a housing unit, your job is that of support staff and you
should do what you can to assist those on the frontlines. d