Modified TDF - Part II: A Fictional Drama Screenplay

In Part II of this TDF Workplace Scenarios Series I used creativity and the “Hollywood treatment,” and wrote a mini-screenplay to teach Diversity Ethics of Organizational Psychology. I derive inspiration from different sources, so I borrowed a few words and terms from Catholic Angel hierarchy. Like the use of the word “Seraph” to represent the highest-ranking half of the Seraph duo, next to His Preeminence. The top-tiered law officiates in this science-fiction crime drama are super heroes with wings, who command a league separate from the main policing precinct. I thought this was reminiscent of powers and dominions, or Angels of various rank keeping peace and order in human affairs. The Seraphim serve as regulator agents in this ultramodern TDF Screenplay. I could have opted to use non-religious vernacular. However, this article has built-in cognition [brain] reactors or synapse-inducing intelligence. I stuck with tradition, staying true to Hollywood movie depictions of apocalyptic subjects, and integrated theology into the script and dialogue. The objective was to use coded language infused with Catholic semantics to help all people (religious and non) formulate abstract ideas (or conceptualize), correlate, and associate throughout the learning process. Having said that, the theological terms and idioms used are so minor throughout this screenplay, readers will probably barely notice. This is the beauty of the subliminal technique in educational and learning systems; affecting peoples’ minds without them being cognizant!

Genre: A futuristic, science-fiction, crime drama with Catholic and Latin undertones.

Cast & Crew: Samuel Lee Smithsonian; Jennifer Constantia Unitus; Andrew Todd Maximiliano; Marceline Theresa Teglio; and DNS Staff Members: Citizen’s Patrol & Action Committee Liaison, Citizen Complaint Deputy Marshal & Case Manager, Citizen’s Patrol Supervisor, Volunteer Organizer & Administrator, Community Service & Rehabilitation Advocate Specialist, and People’s Attorney & Legal expert.

Conflict [Antagonist vs. Protagonist]: An over-taxed MPD and criminal justice system; social miscreants in need of rehabilitation; a newly appointed Department Head of a “test pilot” program designed to filter out all those in the system who could be rehabilitated through the unconventional means of the new program.

Plot Synopsis: Sam has been asked to head up a new department within the Minneapolis, MN Police Department called the Department of Neighborhood Safety or DNS. His boss created the division because of a disturbing trend identified by 911 dispatchers. A high number of calls were not necessarily emergency situations but rather incidences involving people or persons acting as instigators in community disturbances. The emergency dispatch line had an ongoing problem with response backlog that was not improving but worsening! The types of crimes that warrant DNS involvement vary, such as individuals with past criminal records, or all those identified by local law enforcement as latent. Sam’s new department and its agents would act as liaisons between the police and the community. Its primary role is to maintain peace and order by any means necessary! As part of Sam’s program strategy the MPD created “Operation Peacemaker,” whereby individuals debriefed by Sam’s department are given opportunities to serve their communities in various ways, in return for having criminal records expunged, and in some cases program participation would count toward time served. Essentially, the role of Sam’s department was to avert crimes or prevent arrests, thereby alleviating an over-crowding situation in MPD central holding, and to redirect qualifying 911 calls to Sam’s Department. All crime suspects (arrested or otherwise) identified as “highly useful” to DNS would be segregated from general processing and the pre-arraignment inmate population. The prime initiatives were to steer clear of holding program qualifying individuals in central containment until arraignment in front of a judge; to avoid detainee fingerprinting and picture-taking. This would avert the unnecessary use of human resources and facilities management issues the department wanted to circumvent. Formerly, the MPD experienced major layoffs resulting in department wide staff reductions by about 30 percent, including administrative and secretarial supports staff.

Samuel [Lee] Smithsonian was 42 years old, unmarried with no dependents, and was an experienced crime investigator. His background was handling adult felony and juvenile offenses and cases: Gang activities and offenses, burglary, petty, and property theft, the mentally ill and miscellaneous social deviancies, minor drug offenses, non-complex financial crimes, some instances of domestic abuse and child neglect, concealed weapons and firearms, some sexual assaults, and human trafficking allegations with the Minneapolis Police Department. About 40 percent of 911 calls that resulted in MPD agent dispatches involved situations of groups of three or more community members caught [in the act] of one or more of the following: Racketeering, extortion or attempted extortion, vandalizing personal and public property including excessive litter, pollution, garbage and other waste products, or illegal dumping, spraying or spreading hazardous materials or substances that lessen the air quality of others, unlawfully occupying or congregating in areas outside specific hours of public access or illegal trespassing on personal or public property, or violating the privacy of others in some way. Sam’s department would also employ legal experts and consultants, victim’s advocates, and various legal support staff to handle different types of crimes. Seeking justice for victims, the preservation of public safety, and to treat program participants with justifiable consideration when presiding over their cases was both Sam’s and MPD’s aim (Hennepin County, MN, 2023). Another goal of DNS was for agents to work to obtain livable wages and gainful employment in each offender’s case, to discourage them from engaging in future criminal activities. ?

Sam was appointed as DNS Director because of his outstanding arrest and convictions record in the criminal courts. He was well suited for the opportunity in terms of his knowledge of the justice system. Sam does not have a baccalaureate degree or management experience; he is a “commandeer” with no prior experience working directly with subordinates. He has an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice, a course taken at the local community college, and military service. He is currently in the Reserve Armed Forces. Sam’s work with MPD for the last 20 years has consisted primarily of working solo or with a partner on unsolved cases, misdemeanors, and felony crimes. Sam has certainly completed more than his share of coursework and OTJ trainings throughout his incumbency, and he successfully completed a six-week long course titled “TDF Application in the Workplace for Managers.” Sam’s father was a small business owner who had accumulated considerable wealth over the course of his lifetime, multiple rental properties, and other real estate holdings. Sam inherited and developed a keen eye for spotting business opportunities, and acquiring and managing collective sources of income from his father, along with fiscal accountability and responsibility. Yet he felt the need to carve out his own path apart from his father. If Sam wanted to seek promotion for higher-ranking law enforcement positions later on, he would need at least a bachelor’s for positions such as Chief of Police?or Commissioner; both citizen-elect positions. Acting Commissioner is a post not a police rank or title, meaning accountability does not filtrate though the department chain of command. The most senior officers in a commisionerate are Police Captain, Deputy Police Chief, and Chief of Police, who report to a Commissioner. Sam has plenty of time to further his career though, and perhaps this new appointment will be a stepping-stone for later achievements.

When individuals take on new tasks and procedures the “learning curve” is?the mutual relationship between the learner's performance compared to the number of attempts or length of time engaged. The corresponding points usually represented on a graph indicate experience intercepting with coursework, information, or training materials. The line connecting the dots illustrates conduct trajectory. Sam is subject to a learning curve in his new appointment therefore. One that is indicative of Sam’s effectiveness as DNS Director compared to the amount of experience represented in months/ years at or near the time of his next performance evaluation. Sam’s department budget can accommodate one Director, six full-time office positions, one administrative assistant, and one IT professional or eight FTE total. The six office positions, which Sam will be opening requisitions for with the help of an administrative assistant are: (1) Citizen’s Patrol & Action Committee Liaison, (1) Citizen Complaint Deputy Marshal & Case Manager, (1) Citizen’s Patrol Supervisor (Veteran-preferred), (1) Volunteer (citizen’s patrol & action committee) Organizer & Administrator (said members are not paid staff), (1) Community Service & Rehabilitation Advocate, and (1) People’s Attorney & Legal expert.

Sam decided the first order of business was to hire a department administrative assistant. The person selected for this role would be crucial to the successful management of the department. It just so happened the Department of Records had a temporary administrative assistant named Jennifer [Constantia] Unitus, whose contract will expire in two months; about the same time DNS would need to be fully operational. Sam’s department will be housed in a separate, portable building adjoining the main MPD Precinct, and the move-in date was about eight weeks away. Sam already had Jenny in mind for the administrative position, provided she was the right fit. The only issue he foresaw was Jenny had been housed within a low-volume area with little exposure to a high-paced working atmosphere. The support tasks Sam’s new department would require to start was workspace and office cubicle construction, installation of PC’s, phone lines, and all other IT accommodations. Additionally, the right person would need budgeting and accounting experience and the ability to work unsupervised for long periods. The administrative assistant will have to answer a multiple-phone line switch board, and calls routed from 911 with a projected hold time average of two minutes or less, while multi-tasking other office duties. Jenny’s resume looked impressive and she possessed a BA in Business Administration. The majority of her work history was spent working for a bank. She had customer service experience, managed multiple phone lines/ extensions, processed customer payments, and monitored and maintenanced accounts utilizing multiple software applications with no supervision. Sam could see after about two years in customer service Jenny was promoted to a Department Manager’s Assistant or Executive Secretary. Her written, verbal, and language communication skills were excellent, and most importantly, her customer inquiry resolution track record was very good! She appeared to possess an aptitude for problem-solving with complete sovereignty, and that was what Sam really needed from a department assistant! He and Jenny would be working closely together a great deal, so a positive working rapport was essential! Sam believed Jenny was a projected “sure thing” since she was presently employed in the same role; and he would rather hire someone from an internal pool of candidates as opposed to an external one. He felt whatever Jenny lacked could be learned on-the-job. Sam decided to approach her to see if she would like to interview for the position, which was slated to raise her annual pay placing her in a new income bracket. Sam would like to offer her exempt employee status, but he will need to clear it through internal channels and his boss. Exempt-level employees can work from a home office when needed, and he might need Ms. Unitus to work on-call, extended office hours, and on weekends. The purpose of the interview was not to see whether she was qualified for the job, but to assess whether they could work together, complementing each other’s high-stress, principle department roles. Sam predicted Ms. Unitus would need to increase her understanding of the department’s role in the community, and possibly expand her knowledge of the criminal justice system, which she presently possesses very little of. She would be supporting community organizers, case managers, attorneys, and various law enforcement agents, and Sam was worried Ms. Unitus might feel overwhelmed; but an interview sit-down should alleviate any reservations.

Before approaching Jenny with the new job prospect, Sam went to speak with Todd, his boss, about possibly allocating more money toward his budget for aggressive recruiting of applicants using radio advertisements, and scheduling some local college visits with display tables, brochures, and even on-the spot interviews if applicable. Sam was given the go ahead, and it was suggested that he conduct interviews on-site during the college visits. Sam countered this with the option of [Jenny] performing a pre-screening applicant process, whereby the most desirable candidates would be identified before later sitting down with Sam for an interview. Todd was ok with this arrangement and was impressed with Sam’s problem solving. He admonished him to select staff reflective of the demographics served. “It’s important that you create a diverse work force within the department, Sam. I’m not suggesting affirmative action due diligence outright, but that you actively seek out candidates from different racial/ ethnic backgrounds, as well as sex, religion, and sexual persuasion.” Sam was surprised by Todd’s liberal attitude. He always perceived him as rather conservative and traditional. Todd sensed what Sam was thinking and added, “This department’s mission and the people who stand to benefit from it are what matters most to me, Sam. Not my personal views and opinions.” He directed Sam to go and see Theresa, his administrative assistant, who could provide him with a T & E (travel and entertainment) card for all types of approved purchases within a $1000 credit limit to start, in addition to the salary allocations and costs associated with getting his department up and running. The T & E credit line was rather miniscule, but Todd was testing Sam to see how skillfully he could manage a smaller sum before requesting more. Sam would need his administrative assistant to track his spending and accumulate his receipts. The first charge on Sam’s T & E card was his interview lunch with his prime administrative assistant candidate. He and Jenny went out to a nice but inexpensive restaurant, so they could sit-down within a nice quiet atmosphere. Sam wrote out a list of questions beforehand, and most of them dealt with the subject of time management and how Jenny would routinely approach tasks. Jenny shared she is new to the Minneapolis area, and has been a resident for less than one year. She really did not know many people so work had become her primary social life. She was unmarried with no children. Sam advised Jenny of the extended work hours and time commitment, and she was ok with that. After a lengthy conversation, in which they found they had much in common, Sam offered Jenny the job right then and there. He told her to see Theresa to get her paperwork processed when they returned to the office, and he would also send her an e-mail heads-up notification and copy Jenny and Todd on it. Further, he would keep Jenny’s current supervisor in the Department of Records fully informed of all they’d discussed, until her official full-time transfer date to DNS. Jenny would begin working part-time the following Monday, succeeding the end of her other shift and 1-hour for lunch in-between. As an exempt-status employee her hours would vary, meaning Jenny’s work schedule could be anywhere between 50 to 60 hours some weeks. Because of her current stage in life she did not mind the long hours. Moreover, her work tasks and responsibilities in DNS ran the gamut, with no one work day like the ones that preceded it. This was definitely not a “just show up and punch a time-card” position.

Getting Started

The following Monday, Sam and Jenny hashed out a plan of execution for the hiring of applicants to fill the seven open requisitions. Jenny could expect to spend the majority of the second half of her shift (about 4 hours) creating job descriptions for the open positions on the department website, creating, editing, and finalizing the announcements and brochures for college fairs, the pre-screen interview questions, and integrating the PD’s electronic filing system into a queue or holding pen on a share drive, for IT personnel to later create a streamlined portal for DNS staff access. She was also tasked with setting up (7) workstations with partition office cubicles and (2) offices with PC’s, phone lines and extensions; and scheduling a short radio advertisement with a station that catered to the right demographics. Sam advised there were (2) internal candidates that applied for the position of staff supervisor, and (1) external applicant currently; all have applied on-line through the company website. He would like Jenny to contact the three of them to schedule interviews, only two per day. He also would like Jenny to regularly check the department website requisitions on a daily basis going forward. The close date on all open positions was three weeks from that date! Additionally, Sam asked Jenny to create a final draft for pre-screening questions to be used when making follow up calls to on-line applicants, and a set for job fair disquisitions. He gave her a book on Principles of Organizational Psychology to use as a guideline when formulating pre-screen interview verbiage. Many job recruiters and companies use them to weed out undesirables or candidates not best suited for a job or title.

As Sam communicated during their interview, Jenny would be flying solo most work days. He would not be hovering or even present most of the time, so she would need to be confident and self-assured when performing her duties! Sam made some recommendations on workflow alleviation tactics, which he regularly defaulted to in his role. He advised Jenny to use an electronic task list or a project timeline, but Jenny thought of some strategies of her own that combined both hers and Sam’s. She preferred to use a large desk-size calendar or wall mount, with strong reminders highlighted and lined sections on each calendar date for making notations. She took it with her when leaving her desk in the Records Department to use in DNS. She routinely spent the first ten minutes of each work day (in each department) making entries onto her calendar, which helped prioritize her task list. For example, in the “notes” section during the first two days in DNS she wrote: “Focus on file integration primarily! We may receive program referrals before the department is functional - per Sam, participants may sit under house arrest until office availability. Their files may still be routed and therefore a hard-copy dept. filing cabinet is needed to be in working order prior.” On the next line she wrote, “Spend remaining time multi-tasking between designing the brochures for the college fair and writing out scripting for the radio spot.” In the “notes” section the following day she wrote: “Spend today’s four-hour shift creating a draft for the pre-screen interview questions.” She also wrote and highlighted the word “important” next to that entry, since she would need the questions to provide the necessary scripting when contacting the (3) applicants. Regarding the radio advertising spot, Sam advised Jenny he did not want to hire actors to read the ad’s scripting. Nor did he want the DJ to simply read an announcement. Instead, he would like for he and Jenny to use their acting and improvisation chops and role-play dialogue that incorporated the job opening announcements. Of course he will need Jenny to create the scripting for that as well; and he was willing to contribute! Sam said Todd was giving them an extra $5000.00 to be distributed between advertising, the college fair, and recruitment of job candidates, vendors, and nurturing sales rep. relationships (i.e., catered lunches, dinners, coffees, mixers, etc.), and other miscellaneous costs associated with staffing the department. This was not a considerable amount, though Sam appreciated Todd’s monetary addition.

Sam was a forward-thinking fellow who believed that because of budget constraints and a miniscule staff to manage about 150 cases at various stages to start; in addition to dwindling MPD monthly budgets and layoffs he should act as fleet (sea) captain. Or better yet…. admiral. In his mind the sea represented the unstableness or changeable nature of a body of water. The water represented multiple streams of revenue metaphorically, and the lack of physical containment made water tangibly uncertain. There were risks that warranted further consideration, yet the possibilities could be prospectively endless! That evening Sam invited Todd out for drinks to discuss the risks along with a new budget proposal. Sam began the conversation shortly after they were seated in a booth with, “So Todd….how do you feel about a more aggressive budget management style of using city dollars as financing collateral for all the things we will need to make the department more state-of-the-art?” Todd sat back and asked, “What exactly do you mean by state-of-the-art, Sam? If you’re planning on getting ‘fancy’ with the department’s functioning capacity, I would advise against that! The DNS program is still in its testing phase primarily and then there’s a subsequent infancy period. The program is, therefore, largely ‘un-bankable’ just yet. It is best to be practical and pragmatic in your approach as director. Doing so will gradually earn the respect of naysayers who probably think you are either too young or inexperienced for such an ambitious undertaking. I don’t want or need a ‘flash Harry,’ Sam. What I need is a ‘steady Eddie.’ What do you think I’m telling you?” Sam contemplated what he heard, “You’re telling me to give my role and title the “Warren Buffet treatment” of money management and value investing. Or a simple and conservative approach to investing primarily in business elements, that possess favorable economic characteristics. Focus on business ventures that are economically durable, and are likened to a mostly used-up cigar with a few puffs left in it; likely ignored by those who lack vision. I should look for constituents with undervalued potential that just need new life breathed into them (Ketabchi, 2023). Todd laughed out loud and stated emphatically, “Yes! Oh you are smarter than I initially believed, Sam, and you speak my language! I’m looking to see low to moderate risks in managerial treatment of your budget, only opting to engage in ventures that can deliver above average yield performances. Still, there’s some real potential to explore, capisci? Now, that said, how do you propose carrying out city budget stewardship in a manner that will impress skeptics and retain the affections of your fans?” Sam cleared his throat, “Well, Todd, I intend to not just play the part but BE the politician I know I was born to be. I intend to create multiple revenue streams.” Todd thought of Binet’s witty criticism of Andre-Louis Moreau’s natural arrogance and confidence in Sabatini’s (1921) Scaramouche, as Sam was speaking and this made him smile. “A tri-lateral flow encompassing over-advances and loans based on monthly municipal projections, revenue anticipation notes, and revenue bonds. I plan on dedicating a considerable portion of my weekly schedule to relationship-building, with respect to partnering with various community members looking for opportunities to invest. I will also target small to medium-sized businesses and their owners looking for photo ops and public recognition for involvement in a “good-will” mission.” Sam suspended his schpiel for a few seconds so Todd could respond. After taking a robust swig of whiskey in what seemed like the longest gulp of expectancy, Todd relented, “Ok.” He displayed a sardonic smile that mirrored his pessimism, as Todd always expected the worst in his future outlook; especially when it came to people.

Todd then launched into a long but poignant diatribe about the “working conditions” of he and Theresa’s law enforcement journey that began about 35 years prior. That if he had any political agenda at that time, it would have been the pursuance of an aggressive anti-drug campaign targeting pre-teens. “This was back in the 80s of course, Sam, during the crack epidemic and the significant increase in its usage. Crack’s pharmacologic effects were immediate, and it was highly profitable for dealers because of its affordability. Many of them targeted pre-teens unfortunately, for selling not its usage. I wanted to encourage teens to avoid using elicit illegal drugs. The crack?epidemic?had a particularly devastating effect on African American communities. Operation ‘shake down and take down Darkie,’ the equivalent of Hoover’s ‘Quid pro quo’ in the 60s was in full effect! The FBI’s counterintelligence program targeted groups and individuals deemed ‘subversive’ through a series of covert and illegal operations (Frederique, 2023). The drug correlation was a political official was offering something in exchange for something, and this ideology was reflective of the prevailing culture in America. Although blacks had made considerable contributions to help make our country great to date, many of them were [still] unwanted in communities occupied by whites. So, the goal was to reduce their overall numbers, therefore. Those who agreed with that belief became active participants in helping contribute to an increase of addictions, deaths, and drug-related crimes among African Americans and other immigrants of color. All the ‘good blacks’ were encouraged to distance themselves from undesirables, opting to serve as informants in a genocide conspiracy. Of course, these are all my educated opinions, Sam.” Sam was still reeling over what he had just heard, shocked at Todd’s usage of the word “Darkie.” Sam’s father was Iranian, and his maternal grandmother was from Pakistan, where the people tended to be darker-hued. Sam’s mother looked like an ethnic, mixed-race person, but she nationally identified herself as a French-Canadian Creola, or a colored woman with European ancestors among other things. Her father, Sam’s maternal grandfather, was Dutch and spoke a Germanic language derivative; even though their family settled in a French-speaking region of Canada. Sam’s mother had explained to him that Creolos subscribe to old Euro-cultural practices and native languages of European ancestors. More so than homogenized American culture, in which English is primarily spoken. This is why Creolos distinguish themselves from other mixed-race or colored people in the US. Sam sat there pondering if whether he was a “Darkie?” A brownie or black-ish maybe? Someone part of the inside track or intelligence gathering community would be a credible source, so Sam gave the race issue a rest for now. “Anyway, I would’ve, could’ve, or should’ve used the need to keep our streets safe by routinely rounding up drug pushers and other profiteers, my political platform by which to gain popularity. It could have been a career-defining moment that would have enabled me to transcend to my present Commissionerate at a faster rate.” Sam chimed in, “And now here you are sitting with me! A newbie still wet behind the ears, bridging the gap between the politics of our legal system and the enforcement of it.” Todd smiled and said, “Shall we celebrate the elimination of middlemen supervision, Sam, or drink in honor of their absence?”?Sam happily replied, “Both!”

The following workday, Sam hit the ground running, and asked Jenny to schedule a one-on-one within the hour to discuss how they would team-wise, create a sound blueprint design to ensure the success of DNS and its program participants. Jenny was presently in the process of multi-tasking of all things. Her time spent in the Record’s Department was instrumental because she was already familiar with the department’s filing software system. Further, she would maintain relations with some of her former colleagues in case she ever needed a favor from any of them. All designated department staff would have access to electronically stored files. Jenny was responsible for keeping back-up hard copies tracking participants’ success by keeping records up-to-date, and ensuring seamless inter-department agent hand-offs; and “closed” status’ upon successful program completion. Whomever Sam appoints as the department IT expert will need to help coordinate software that funnels all inter-networking department systems into the records department, central booking, and probation files or a portal. She glanced at the wall clock and saw she had about 7 minutes to wrap up her present engagement and walk over to another building, where Sam’s office was still located.

Au revoir pour le moment, and stay tuned for Part III of this TDF Article Series! ?

Frederique, N. (2023). “COINTELPRO".?Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/COINTELPRO.

Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. (2023). Retrieved from https://www.hennepinattorney.org/cases/adult-felonies/types-of-crimes-offenders.

Ketabchi, N. (2023). Lessons from Warren Buffett’s Investment Strategy and His Mistakes. Retrieved from https://www.toptal.com/finance/equity-research-analysts/warren-buffett-investment-strategy#:~:text=What%20is%20Warren%20Buffett's%20Investing,his%20investment%20history%20and%20portfolio.

Patterson, P.R. (2016). Organizational Psychology, Teachable Diversity Ethics: A Fictional Drama Screenplay. Portland, OR: Unpublished Manuscript.

Sabatini, R. (1921).?Scaramouche: A Romance of the French Revolution. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co.