Even though I didn’t label it as such, the recent VotersOpinion 2013 “Thing of the Year” blog was Part 3 of this Year in Review series.  Today’s Part 4 will review the issues regarding our two local Police Departments.  Even though North Miami’s PD isn’t dealing with the pension problems we’re having in NMB (not yet, anyway), the NMPD did make some noise in 2013.  Here’s a brief recap of the highs and lows.

For starters, while I was on my Vacation From Hell (Don’t ask!  Seriously.  Don’t.), The Miami Times reported North Miami cops win big at Police Olympics.  While the original article is no longer online, I fortunately had reprinted it in its entirety on VO.  Congratulations to the guys in the North Miami Police Department who took home eight gold medals, four silver and one bronze!

The North Miami Beach Police Department also got kudos by receiving CFA Exelsior Status.  According to the press release I reprinted, “The North Miami Beach Police Department was awarded Excelsior status by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc. (CFA), making it the first law enforcement agency in Miami-Dade County to achieve this prestigious award and one of only twenty-two law enforcement agencies in the State of Florida.”  How awesome is that?  Give it up for the NMBPD!

As an aside, the news was not so good for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office as Random Pixels blogged on July 28, 2013:  Q: What happens when you turn over rock in Broward County? A: Scott Israel and his supporters slither out.

We folks here in the northeast corner of Miami-Dade County are grateful to have dodged that bullet.  Um, no pun intended.

On August 6, 2013, I caught some grief from the NMBPD by reporting that North Miami would be hosting two events commemorating the 30th Anniversary of America’s Night Out Against Crime, while North Miami Beach would be hosting, um, none.  When I queried, NMB: Where People Care?, I irritated Sgt. Richard Silberman, who advised me that “we do this type of event in October, due to better weather, and October is Crime Prevention Month.”  I could be wrong, but I was pretty sure Sgt. Silberman was still a tad annoyed with me for my earlier blog, Who’s on First?, when I reported that NMBPD was handling traffic accidents in North Miami’s territory.

Both stories also prompted an email to me from our then Chief of Police Larry Gomer, who asked me to call him to “discuss some issues including the jurisdictional issue you had requested info on.”  After our discussion, I posted the details in Sorry, I’m still not buying the Brooklyn Bridge.  The title pretty much sums it up.  To my knowledge, the “jurisdictional issues” are still a problem.  If they’ve been resolved, I’d love to know.

As for celebrating Crime Prevention Month, the North Miami Beach Police Department did hold an Annual Community Safety Day event on October 13, 2013.  While it was a really wonderful event, it was hotter than hell outside that day, so it kinda made Sgt. Silberman’s comment about October having better weather pretty much moot.  Despite our little disagreement, Sgt. Silberman is still in the top ten of My Fav Peeps List.  Absolutely no one does Internal Affairs Investigations like the Sarge!  He raised the bar.

While I’ve been lamenting the loss of the North Miami Beach Police Department’s Gang Unit (Paging Jodi Schuster!), fretting over the downsizing of the department, and scratching my head over our PD’s fleet of unused cars rotting away in a lot somewhere, North Miami’s Police Department has been able to maintain its entire force, hire more officers, and give them take home cars to boot.  On top of that, as I reported back in August, North Miami PD rolled out “an entire fleet of brand new police cars.”  Ouch!

Then again, North Miami Police Officers have not had to deal with the surreal pension issues that are facing our Department (more on that in a moment).  Not yet, anyway.  But I’m told by a North Miami Officer who retired in time, that similar problems are on the horizon for that Department.  Good luck with that!

In early September NMBPD made the news again … unfortunately … when one of our finest left his keys in his unlocked cruiser, which was just too tempting a trick for Stalyn Enriquez Hernandez to pass up.  Pleased as punch with himself, Stalyn told the arresting officers who caught up with him after his joyride, “I just wanted to drive for a little bit.”  He got his wish.

September was also the month that North Miami Beach held an Impasse Hearing on IUPA Contract, and the “fun” began in earnest.  The very next month, after receiving a hot tip and spending several months doing some serious research, I started a fecal blizzard (h/t RP) at City Hall with my column A Deal’s A Deal.  I investigated two monetary issues, the “Municipal Police Officers’ Retirement Trust Fund” (per Florida Statute 185.07), and the matter that I refer to as “The Freaking 2.5% Ripoff.”  (Read the blog for details.  I’m not reiterating yet again.)  After I opined that our Police Officers were getting screwed royally (without a kiss, I might add), some members of the City Council got really pissed off at me.  Some still might be, but they’re talking to me now anyway.  For the most part.

In any event, that column was the first of several that caused even more anxiety on the dais, but which I have to admit helped restore my goodwill with the PD.  That’s nothing to sneeze at since “Staph Kienzle” spent the better part of last year being Public Enemy Number One.  Especially on LEOAffairs.  And, yes, it always helps not to be on the bad side of cops.  Just saying.

That blog was then followed by one in defense of experienced cops and teachers, another wild rant about pensions and one last jab about The Freaking 2.5% Ripoff.  Then I gave it a rest.  For now.

On a more upbeat note, the North Miami Beach Police Department unveiled its “brand spanking new (renovated) Divisional Emergency Operations Center” in October.  YAY!

On a lighter note, also in October I found out that there is a North Miami in Oklahoma.  But not before I humiliated myself by berating a reporter from the Miami News Record (in Miami, OKLAHOMA!).  She wrote a story about the North Miami Police Chief being arrested for domestic violence and I insisted she was wrong.  If it weren’t for Random Pixels, who sometimes has to pull me out of orbit when I’m defying gravity, I’d still be demanding a retraction from her.  Boy, did I have egg on my face.  I’m still trying to scrape it off.

Two final shout outs before I wrap up this PD Edition of the Year in Review.  The North Miami Beach Police Department has deployed a Holiday Crime Prevention Task Force (criminals and speeders, you have been warned!), and two murdering scumbags get to spend the holidays behind bars courtesy of the North Miami Police Department.

I hope y’all had a very Merry Christmas!

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”