Families often found sharing a workplace

Nepotism -- or even the perception of it -- can cause issues in any office.

The question of whether relatives should work together surfaced last week when it was made public that state police are investigating documents related to the employment of the teenage daughter of the Franklin County sheriff. Police are looking into whether Ashley Hunt, who worked in the sheriff's office, had been paid for hours she may not have worked.

No one has been charged, and the investigation is continuing.

It's not uncommon for members of the same family to work together, especially in law enforcement, but it does come with benefits and drawbacks, one expert said.

"Even if you have a family member that's the best qualified, the perception is going to be that they got the job because they're a family member," said Michael Aamodt, a professor emeritus of psychology at Radford University who specializes in law enforcement and personnel issues. "And it can affect morale, because if there's nepotism occurring, they [other employees] think they'll never be treated fairly, even if there is no favoritism."

According to a state police search warrant in the Franklin County case, Maj. Josh Carter told investigators that Sheriff Ewell Hunt presented him with time sheets for his daughter. When Carter asked the sheriff what they were for, Hunt told Carter to not ask questions and to "just sign the time sheets."

The investigator said in the search warrant that he believes Ashley Hunt claimed work hours she could not have possibly worked. Hunt is a student at Concord University in West Virginia.

The investigation became public on Tuesday, a day after Carter and Lt. Allan Arrington were fired. Hunt has said their terminations have no connection to the state police probe.

No one has been charged, and the investigation is continuing.

Hunt has declined to talk about the details of his daughter's work arrangement, so it is not known whether he directly supervised her. Franklin County's policy dictates that relatives should not supervise one another.

In law enforcement circles, wearing the badge can run in the family.

For example, former Franklin County Sheriff Quint Overton's son, Bill Overton, was a captain in the department when the former sheriff retired in 2007.

In the Roanoke sheriff's office, Sheriff Octavia Johnson has employed her sister, Patricia Johnson, as the department's public information officer.

Several localities in the region have set policies to help department heads manage the issue. Many don't allow one relative to supervise another, for instance, and at least one prohibits family members from working in the same department.

Aamodt pointed out that there are some benefits to working with family.

"There's always a problem when being supervised by a family member, but in some cases research showed when a number of family members work together, it lowered turnover," he said. "So it's not always a bad thing, but they have to be careful they're not being supervised by anyone in the family."

Dana Schrad, executive director of Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, said that family members are often seen as trustworthy and more reliable, and for that reason are held to a higher standard.

She used her working relationship with her daughter, the communications manager for the association, as an example.

"She'll tell you that sometimes it's harder working for mom because sometimes I impose on her more than I would someone else," she said.

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department has to be diligent about how it manages its staff, which includes fathers and sons, uncles and nephews, and, at one time, a husband and wife.

"We're very sensitive to the issue," Chief David Hoback said.

He said he avoids putting family members in the same battalion or, in accordance with the city's practice, having one relative supervise another.

The Botetourt County Sheriff's Office doesn't fall under the county's nepotism policies because it is a constitutional office, and it doesn't have a policy of its own.

But Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle said he avoids any perception of favoritism by not hiring people who have relatives in the department, although his own brother also works at the sheriff's office. He already held the job when Sprinkle was elected.

"We've certainly turned down some good folks because they were related to someone in the sheriff's office," he said.

Sprinkle worked under his father, former Sheriff Norman Sprinkle, for about five years.

"He was harder on me than he was on other folks," he said. "He expected more of me."

Weather Journal