Maple01 - Staff Report: Violation of Event Protocols - Griff52

[Maple01 (Brandon Brookfield)]

Maple01 - Staff Report: Violation of Event Protocols - Griff52

What’s your BYOND key:

Maple01

Round ID:

33441

Your character name:

Brandon ‘Brandy’ Brookfield

Their BYOND key:

Griff52

What are you reporting?:

Violation of Event Protocols

Description of the incident:

First off, I like Griff. His events are always a blast and I am happy he considers me of good standard to be chosen for them. So it genuinely hurts me to make this and I hope there is no hard feelings.

I was Corporate Liaison during the minor event.

The minor event started with the CMP being informed by the Provost (sent through high command’s fax id instead) that there was a drug operation on the Almayer. Eventually, (heard second handedly through LOOC), that the MPs were informed through Mentorsay that the drugs were near/in my office. I was in the middle of roleplaying a form with the CO at the time, and the MPs demanded I head to my office. They then informed me the Provost ordered the search and were going to use charges, which I defended saying their is no cause for the search without a direct order and I would have to involve legal and security if they did so. As the CMP was trying to teach a new MP, they mentioned in LOOC that they did not enjoy the event and cryo’d as a result as they wanted to train a new MP and were instead sent on a wild goose chase and IC conflict as a result.

After this, I decided to let the Major in as IC Brandon had nothing to hide and I just wanted it to be over with, and this led them to my second floor hall with “suspicious powder” sticking out my wall. I opened the cell for them as the CO (roleplayed IC, not metaknowledged) was going to cut it down anyways and inside were suspicious syringes and crates/barrels roleplayed to be drugs. I asked them to take it away after forensic sweep showed I was cleared of DNA evidence and I thought it ended there.

I then deployed groundside to see how the fight and colony condition were doing. At this point, an announcement calls me back to FOB where the MPs notify me I am under arrest by Provost’s order for the drug investigation. I am then removed on charges of major contraband. During the processing, the MPs did not read me my rights to protection and medical care, only appeal (after I mentioned such) so I included it in my appeal to said provost. Appeal was labelled as pending and my timer ran out, so I was freed.

It was then I was informed, yet again, by MPs, that I was to be arrested permanently until IC “I returned to a station” by orders of the Provost unless they found evidence of the actual culprit. I assume it to be CLF based on the “Ominous Fax” sent as well. Yet there was no IC prompting other than a very vague fax mentioning it was their drugs. At this point I was getting no enjoyment after my existing brig (as well as failure to follow detainment procedure should be a valid appeal) and being permabrigged over it felt deeply unfair so I said I was going cryo. I changed my mind as I thought hey, maybe the fax was just misinterpreted. Hijack happened which ended it afterwards but the fax was not misinterpreted.

I am making this report as I believe event protocols were violated. Other than the fact nobody was enjoying the event, the doubling down is what really got me. As the forums state,

“A minor event does not need to be overly structured, but to be approved, it should have a story set up, goal to accomplish or problem to be resolved and resolution. A minor event can involve antagonists and combat, but should not include anything that will take players out of the round without them directly engaging in combat. (For example, if you want to establish a mysterious, deadly force, use event chars or NPCs, rather then killing PCs without warning)”

Being permabrigged for this would have taken me out of the round which I as well had existing roleplay occuring in, against the clause. It’s also mentioning metaknowledge through mentorsay was used to inform the MPs where the drugs were. I was also not informed nor prompted about the drugs, so this event was forced onto myself and the MP department who were following orders from their superior, which was expected. I am sure there are other violations including the lack of a clear end objective other than “brig the CL” but I will let the reviewer come to a conclusion. Once again I genuinely enjoy Griff’s events, I just really wish he didn’t double down on something the players were not enjoying.

Evidence:

Logs and attached image. I would check logs for the other faxes and mentorsay.

[AnRandomPerson (Random Person)]

Hey there, Adding in on the event from the MP’s Prespective.
I start the round as a new character, I’ve been trying out Claire A.W. Manurhin, We get reports of a skull and spine, a Rodent of Unusual size and clown shoes along with a Toilet emerging from req, alongside other ‘hauntings’, so, IRPly Fax High Command after it was suggested we request a chaplain. cool, maybe some RP doing an Exorcism or such. We then get a Fax about a drug ring, cool, love MP events. Jokingly say maybe the Quartermaster might be responsible, since last Deliveries of strangeness came from ASRS.

Fax number 2 says its in middeck, and we find some ‘Narcotics Powder’, followed by Fax 3 saying Search around where we found the first powder, being outside Mid-deck CLs Office. We later get the search warrent, though by then Brookfield had consented to the search with the CO. We find ‘Large Box of Drugs’ ‘Barrel of drugs’ and other Drug related items inside the Aux Lab after the CO doing some RP, and my noticing of the Space on the Provided ship map tool in game. I fax the provost with everything I find, we get a fax saying ‘Did you arrest anyone, and who did they belong to?’ In the moment, I took it as the Provost Implying we should arrest the CL, so with authorization from the Warden, CO and XO, I was authorized to deploy, and we arrested the Liason, where I mis-spoke as again in my mind the Provost was pretty much saying arrest someone.

The Warden then majorly messed up brig procedures, mixed in with Lawyers shouting and the TPPO shouting at us. Combined with a completely new MP, lead us to get overwhelmed until I stepped in and finally got the appeal in my hands and the Brig timer started. I faxed the appeal to the Provost who said: Possession is 9/10ths of the law, and if you can’t prove its not the CL’s…appeal denied, and to look into it further. Then the brig timer ran out, and we let Brookfield go, as is procedure. We then get a Fax saying No, No keep him locked up until you can prove its not him. It was at this time, I found the event was forced upon Brookfield with no communication from the staff member running it. Then Hijack happened and we didn’t arrest him due to Delta alert.

Like Maple01/Brookfield stated the event would of kept him in the brig perma, since the provost wanted us to keep him locked up if we didn’t find evidence he didn’t do the drug crimes. way longer then the 15 minute brig time Major Contraband brings. Plus with The CMP cryoing, a New MP (Was her second MP round ever), and non-consentual involvement of the CL and CB, just killed everyone’s enjoyment, and there seemed to be no real resolution besides round remove the CL by keeping him brigged.

[antlersss (Antlers)]

I was the Corporate Bodyguard for the event. It was really just a disaster all around. Basically everything Maple said about what happened was true.

Preface

I don’t blame the MP’s for being inexperienced and not following procedure to the letter. Everyone has to start somewhere, and Marine Law frankly requires not only several rereads but in-game experience to enforce correctly. And hopefully, but not always, there will be someone there to guide the new corporals and sergeants during slower hours. However, an event that heavily involves law enforcement—read: drug smuggling—should never, ever be run unless a majority of the MP department is experienced enough with the game to know the intricacies of marine law.

What was certainly not helping them was the repeated, vague faxes from the provost, Griff52. Being the CB, I did not have the liberty of reading every single fax sent by the provost. However, the ones that I was purview to were incredibly vague at best, and downright LRP at worse. I’ll outline this more in my timeline.

Timeline

The round started with some silly happenings in requisitions, with lights flickering and a skull-spine being brought up on the ASRS, which I assume to have been Vending Machine poking fun at the players present. One part of this was a “suspiciously large rat,” which turned out to be irrelevant to the event Griff was running, but nonetheless involved in it.

Early in the round, as Maple said, we were informed in CiC by Hades that there was a drug trafficking scheme occurring on the Almayer according to the provost.

Sometime later, the CL’s roleplay with the Major was interrupted by a large gathering of MP’s outside the CL’s office. They stated that they had found drugs in the middecks around the liasion’s office, and were demanding entry. They claimed to have a search warrant from the provost, but this was the first occurrence of a vague fax by the provost. I cannot remember explicitly the wording, but in no part of it was it stated that MP’s had authorization to search the office.

The MP’s did not breach the office. Shortly afterwards, the CL offered the Major into the office as an act of good faith to prove that drugs were not being held here. Naturally, when the Major was escorted down to the basement, there was a pile of cocaine just sitting on the false wall to the containment cell. MP’s were brought in, the false wall was brought down, and a huge stash of (admin spawned) drugs and crates was found. Seeing as Brandon was clearly not enjoying the event, I attempted to take the heat off of him by pretending to be extremely nervous and sweating. I thought perhaps I could be a twist ending where it’s the bodyguard who’s been smuggling drugs. Nobody seriously bit the prospect and, frankly, not enough suspicion was put on me for being one of the two possible suspects. MP’s confiscated the goods, and the CL was not arrested. Things seemed to have come to a natural close. A dull event, maybe. But that’s what happens when you don’t ask the person involved if they want to participate to begin with.

Later, while myself and the CL are planetside, we are ordered to the FOB by the captain. Seeing as the CL had been set to arrest beforehand, we begrudgingly returned to the MP’s at the FOB. They told us, by the order of the deputy commander of the USMC provost office, that we were under arrest for Major Contraband and False Testimony. We returned to the Almayer, Brandon calmly and willingly gave himself up to the brig, and I gave him his briefcase to call a lawyer.

This is where the problems begin. After some interrogation, I discover that the arrest of Brandon was not ordered by the provost whatsoever. Paraphrasing, the fax that the provost sent was:

Good job finding the drugs! Did you make any arrests yet?

While the MP’s were technically within their rights to make that arrest, as the CL had not officially been pardoned for possession of drugs, informing command and the liasion under false pretense that it was under the authority of the provost deputy commander that they were to be arrested made the arrest and resulting confinement illegal. Again, I don’t blame the MP’s for this. You see an unprompted provost fax, especially as a new player, and you’re pressured to follow it.

Following some very poor arrest procedure and handling, a flurry of faxes was sent to the provost by both the MP’s and Corporate Laywers about the nature of his confinement and ordered arrest. Somewhere in there Brandon’s official appeal form was sent too. Two responses were received, in this order:

Possession is 9/10th of the law. If he says the drugs are not his, then you had better find out who’s they are.

Vague. And completely avoided addressing several of the concerns the MP’s had. Then, about three minutes later:

Unless you can provide sufficient evidence, the Liasion’s appeal will be denied.

Who was this addressed to? Is this not explicitly admitting that the liasion is guilty until proven innocent? How is this not totally unbecoming of a deputy commander.

Both faxes were completely unhelpful to the situation at hand and only prompted further confusion. Eventually, Brandon was released after his cell time had concluded. No Appeal Form was ever received back from the provost.

This would already have been a disastrous end to the event. But like stairs, it just keeps happening. About 5 minutes before hijack happens, the provost sends the fax seen in Maple’s OP. At this point the Liasion had already been released, having served their sentence. Nowhere in the paper does it mention discretionary arrest, and the wording is, once again, completely unbecoming of a provost deputy commander. Thankfully, as the arrest was about to happen, hijack happened and it was cancelled.

Things I would like clarified by Griff

• Why was Brandon not asked if he wanted to participate, let alone informed that the event was happening at all?
• Why was a ML-heavy event run with a 2ndLt CMP and extremely inexperienced MP crew?
• Why was there no “bigger fish” provided in the event that the CL could have pointed to, like was said in the final fax?
  • The way the event was run, it was unavoidable for the CL to avoid prison time without breaking server rules and refusing provost orders as an MP.
• Why were members of command and military police informed of information IC using MOOC chat?
• Why was the event not stopped after the drugs were confiscated from the office?
  • It was evident at this time that nobody was enjoying the event, both IC and in LOOC.
• Why were short, curt, and vague provost messages being sent to the MP department?
  • The correspondence that caused the arrest was acceptable in a vacuum, but the extremely casual language made it easily misinterpret able by MP’s, especially new ones.
  • The second fax was almost complete fortune-cookie nonsense. Not the lawyers nor MP’s knew what the provost was talking about and it further added to the confusion and delay of the situation.
  • The third fax was already thoroughly deconstructed.
  • The final fax not once mentioned the words discretionary detainment. Only that he was “to be held under arrest.” Under arrest for what crimes? The ones he already served?
• Why was there no attempt from the provost to stop the misinterpretation of the fax as an arrest warrant?
• Why was a provost team not sent to the Almayer, for gods sake? If the Brigadier General is investigating something onboard the Almayer, he’s not going to provide loose, uninformative updates through a fax machine. He’s going to be there, with a squad, to be able to clarify things in-person.
• Why was the Liasion ordered to be arrested after they had served their time?
  • There was no evidence the drugs were their’s apart from the fact it was in their office.
  • They had been cooperative the entire time.
  • They were thoroughly not enjoying the event.

I hope that the staff team can learn from this event as for what not to do.

Roosevelt out.

[AnRandomPerson (Random Person)]

Hey, Small addition again:
I never saw any MOOCs as a MP. I don’t know if those only were gotten by the Warden, the Cyro’d CMP or the New MP, but I didn’t get anything in Mentor OOC.
Also, why were all the Provost Faxes coming from High Command?
And I agree, most of the Provost Faxes where unhelpful, not a valid response to an appeal, or generally just LRP. I was also really hoping we’d get a team to at least help investigate, or correct the situation…not a [Insert vague reply loosely connected]

[smellyhippie]

Thank you for the report. Griff has been placed on leave for two weeks. The reason(s) for this is as follows:

1. The event seemingly had no reason other than to keep a player in the brig indefinitely.
2. Staff should not be using ingame channels like mentorsay to direct someone where to go during events. I will never yell at staff for telling a SEA where to find a new player, but we have proper channels to direct people during events.