Make no mistake about it. Nothing sells news like murder and mayhem. The same principle is involved when traffic slows to glacial speed even if the accident is well off to the side of the road. People love blood and guts. While there’s no actual bloodletting to report here in North Miami Beach, where a contentious budget balancing act is taking place, the North Miami Beach Police Department lured the press here with the promise of murder and mayhem if things don’t go their way. Like sharks circling a shipwreck in search of survivors, reporters are flocking to our city, elbowing each other out of the way to get a story worth broadcasting at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, and then again at 10:00, 10:30, 11:00 and, if there’s enough gore, again the next morning. The more gore the better because in the local news business, if it bleeds, it leads.
Yesterday, some of the members of the Police Department walked the streets of NMB trying to drum up support for the “List of 24” officers who are allegedly targeted for layoffs. In a theatrical show of what is meant to be visually shocking, the “24” are even wearing numbers on their blue shirts in order to announce where they stand on the “List.” I totally get it. First of all, they’re trying to put a human face on what is usually a very dry topic, i.e., the city budget. But even more importantly, it’s a cute shtick that plays well in the media. The “sea of blue” is camera ready. By circulating this “List of 24,” and accusing the brand new City Manager, Lyndon Bonner, of making this “List,” the cops are getting lots and lots of media attention. Which is exactly what they set out to do. This is no grassroots effort. This is a carefully planned and executed game plan to garner public sympathy. It really is right out of the Cloward/Piven Strategy playbook – create, then manage a crisis. Good job, fellas!
Now reporters love soundbites. Aside from blood and guts, nothing sells news better than a great quote that can be used to drum up controversy. Unfortunately, a great quote, or soundbite if you will, doesn’t always tell the whole story. Even if the reporter interviews opposing sides to a dispute, the soundbite with the most kick gets the most air time. A news station will play a great soundbite over and over, not only in the evening broadcasts, but in promos throughout the night during prime time. Who can blame them? They are, after all, in business to make money. Controversy is better news than, say, a community bake sale.
Who wants to cover a bake sale when you get your audience’s attention with “Police officers’ jobs are on the line?” That’s exactly how Channel 7 opened this story when they aired it last night (http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21004977682146/). The folks at Channel 7 know exactly how to suck the viewer in, and they play it to the hilt. (In all fairness, and in the interest of full disclosure, this is exactly why I watch Channel 7 – for the drama!) The reporter, Richard Jordan, then went on to state, “These officers are turning to the same community they protect and serve to help save their jobs and for many of them it’s personal.” I find it ironic that these are the same people that some of the cops refer to as “animals” and worse. Oh, so NOW you want the public to support you? You know, the ones who infest our city! Nice!
Then the news camera panned to the tee shirts of “Officer Number 4” and “Officer Number 15” to make the point that these are real people, folks. And their days are numbered!
The video also showed one cop telling a resident, “It’s your safety that’s gonna be at hand.” Had to get that soundbite in. Murder and mayhem will be the order of the day in North Miami Beach!
The self-appointed leader of the pack, Sergeant Nelson Reyes was on camera claiming that the response time for North Miami Beach police is “between two and three minutes,” while “other agencies” with a lesser per capita ratio of officers to residents, “their response time is sometimes an hour and a half to two hours,” if they show up at all. Oh, REALLY?? I’m sure the North Miami Police Department really enjoyed hearing that one! Not to mention the Police Departments of Aventura and Sunny Isles Beach. I’m sure any one of their police officers would love to respond to that accusation. Talk about throwing your colleagues under the bus! Them’s fightin’ words, Sir.
This Channel 7 piece of news reporting had all the right elements of flash and drama. Police losing their jobs! Residents living in fear of criminals! A big bad city manager slashing the police force! Get out your hankies, folks. And then storm City Hall and give the Mayor and Council a what for!
Only one problem. This sensationalized piece of journalism conveniently left out the other side of the story. You know, like the fact that the city has no money, for example. Just a small detail, of course. This is quite understandable, of course. Quotes from auditors and accountants don’t usually make good soundbites. Why do you think the accountants who tally the Academy Awards votes don’t host the Oscars? I’m just saying.
Furthermore, although the reporter did make mention of the fact that if these layoffs happen they will be based on seniority. What the reporter left out is the fact that because of UNION rules, the UNION decides who gets fired and who gets to keep their jobs. The UNION’s policy is “last in, first out.” In essence, it makes no difference if you’re dedicated, professional and excellent at your job, if you don’t have the seniority, you’re outta here. On the other hand, if you’re an old, out of shape, jaded veteran, who can’t stand your job or the people you’re charged to protect (and, believe me, they make no bones about it!), you get to keep your job by virtue of the fact that you’ve been there since “New Coke” was actually the Old Coke. In other words, the UNION would be sacrificing some of their youngest, brightest and best officers, like Officer Christie Coffey for one, at the expense of the entire department and the residents just to make a point. (And, for anyone who still questions my anti-UNION stance, you can start with this as the number one reason.)
Speaking of sacrificial lambs, one of my readers who happens to be a cop stated that the City Manager is throwing the UNION under the bus. Well, assuming that were true, I’d respond with “what goes around comes around.” UNIONS have been throwing their members under the bus for years! However, despite the claims of some of the cops that the City Manager hasn’t even bothered negotiating with the UNION, the truth is that Mr. Bonner had a negotiating meeting with UNION officials just last week. It was held on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 to be exact, and at 1:00 p.m. to be even more precise. I am told that more meetings are scheduled. In fact, if anyone saw a news broadcast last Tuesday, Mayor George Vallejo was being interviewed on the same exact day and time, and he even stated that “as we speak” the City Manager is in talks with the UNION. Apparently what the Mayor said wasn’t an exciting enough soundbite to broadcast over and over ad nauseam, since I can’t even find it on any of the websites of our local stations. He also wasn’t sporting a camera ready numbered tee shirt. Maybe he looks too much like an auditor or an accountant.
No, the media doesn’t want to hear that the City’s reserves, including those of the water utility, were bled dry by the former city manager and former mayor, who was previously a long time council member. The two of them connived for years under the radar, preparing and passing bogus budgets that didn’t reflect the true state of the city’s finances. They hid the fact that a high ranking employee embezzled $2.6 million dollars out of the coffers right under their noses. They ran this city in a “business as usual” fashion while they were sucking the well dry. Three of the seven council members who are sitting up on that dais were also in charge during that time. They apparently had their collective heads in the sand, too. We now have a brand new City Manager (since March of this year) Mayor and Council member (since May), as well as two Council members who only came on board in 2009. Unfortunately, they are now the “clean up crew” since they are now charged to fix the financial disaster they inherited. No one said it would be pretty.
Mayor George Vallejo was quoted in an interview with Channel 4 last week (http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/07/26/two-dozen-north-miami-beach-police-jobs-may-be-on-the-line/), “There doesn’t necessarily have to be layoffs,” said Vallejo. “There are a lot of other alternatives between the layoffs and the way things used to be, like concessions that can be made.”
The UNION doesn’t want you to know that there are alternatives to the proposed layoffs.
The press won’t report that negotiations are underway.
Why? Because neither of these facts make a good soundbite. Remember, if it bleeds, it leads.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Excellent Blog Stephanie. You hit the nail on the head, but why should that surprise anyone.
I usually don’t reply to these sorts of blogs because 99.9% of the time the people writing these are non-law enforecent and always have a different point of view. I always try to relate to the citizens on their views of law enforcemnet because they don’t do our jobs and I cant expect them to understand or sympathize with us. They only see how the media portrays us, like Stephanie says, “If it bleeds, it leads”. But reading all of these blogs day after day about the same thing, it makes it seem to me that you “Stephanie” are pretty upset with the way the Police department is going about trying to keep their jobs. It’s not like you have people replying to your blogs in a negative way which would prompt a response from you. Instead you are self initiating the same blog over and over and over again on how the police dept. is making up the list of 24. Now come on Stephanie, you know as well as everyone else in NMB land, that the CIty Manager did in fact recommend laying off 24 officers along with 13 civilian employees. You can verify this by logging in to the NMB website and watching him saying it to the council during last week’s budget meeting. It was clear that he wants to layoff in total 24 Officers. So Stephanie, please stop trying to fool the citizens and trying to make it sound like our union are the ones that made this whole thing up. Trust me, we would not make something like that up to instill fear into our Officers and their families. One more thing I want to touch on. You ask, why dont Officer’s live in the city of NMB. If you really have to ask that question then you are just plain ignorant. Why dont you ask Aventura, Sunny Isles, NOrth Miami Officers etc. if they live in their cities. Some of them probably do, but I bet that the majority dont. You just don’t crap where you eat! Period! How do you want me to go to walmart or target or even a restaurant with my family in a city where all we do is arrest criminals and now you want me to run into one in the milk isle of PUBLIX with my baby daughter in hand. Yea that would be great! Its nothing personal, but it’s just common sense. Most Officers already live where they live prior to getting hired so its not like we can just get up an move at will. When I drive home after my shift i want to be as far away from that city as possible. And yes there are savages and really bad bad people that live in that city. Just because they are not walking around with signs on there heads doesn’t mean they are not there walking amongst you. And to clear something up, what Nelson Reyes was saying about our response time was very accurate. What he means is that some municipalities our size (Aventura, Sunny Isles, North Miami, etc. etc.) typically have a very quick response time, but if you compare us to larger departments like Miami Dade County and City of Miami, to name a few, yes you will be lucky if they show up within a few hours, if at all. So Stephanie they will not be insulted by our Officers saying that becasue they know its true. We have an excellent relationship with our surrounding agencies so those are not fighting words. Again, I can appreciate you opinions, but it just seems to me like you have a more personal angle when it comes to the PD. I know this is cliche but, you all, the citizens, really are lucky to have your own police department and dont know what its like to have a very large, super busy, agency policing your neighborhood. Stephanie you appear to be a very intelligent women with great vision. You spoke the other day about how much you love graphs. Well I challenge you to just look up the crime stats for your beloved NMB and tell me what you think. Like you said, the numbers don’t lie and they speak for themselves. I am so confident that after you see those crime stats you will have a different perspective of how 24 Officers being layed off will affect your community. And by the way, you have to pick one. You keep stating that you personally know Christie Coffey and would not want to have her fired, but then you continue referring back to how there have to be cuts and if 24 officers have to go, then they have to go. That would include Christie, who is also a good friend of mine, as well as myself. This is our job at stake and I am postive that if you were in our shoes, you would be trying everything to fight for your career as well. So if wearing a blue t-shirt with a number on it and going door to door informing the citizens about what the city manager is proposing to do is too far fetched and ridiculous for you, how else do YOU propose we try to save our own careers.
Just so you know, this is coming from an officer with 11+ years of law enforcement experience, currently part of a specialized unit in NMBPTha, and I am #20 on the list of “24 officers”. I would be happy to speak with you on any of these matters in person if you wish. Thanks and be safe.
Thank you for writing. Rather than constantly reiterate the same things over and over, I’ll simply reply to your questions and comments as succinctly as possible by going down the list:
1. Yes, I am upset with the tactics being used to keep their jobs.
2. I never said there was no “list.” There obviously IS a list.
3. The police were told to cut $4 million from their budget.
4. The police department and/or the UNION chose to fire officers instead of making other cuts.
5. By its own policy, the UNION decides which officers go on the list.
6. I am not trying to fool the public.
7. I personally did NOT ask why police officers don’t live in NMB (read what I wrote again). I personally don’t care where they live. Not my issue.
8. Putting words in my mouth and calling me ignorant is rude.
9. I certainly hope Sergeant Reyes had his facts right.
10. I’m sure the North Miami Police Officers aren’t going to be happy being dissed by him.
11. I actually did research the crime statistics for my “beloved” NMB. We are about on par with other cities in our area.
12. I never said “if 24 officers have to go, then they have to go.”
13. You still put words in my mouth, but you didn’t call me ignorant this time.
14. I’ll be more than happy to take you up on your offer to speak with me. I’m always up for an intelligent conversation. If you want to call me, I’ll send you my phone number.
The tactics the police are using to “fight for their jobs” are straight out of the playbooks written by UNIONS and they are being played out all over the country. Until now the public has bought it hook, line and sinker. Unfortunately, the public is slowly waking up to the fact that the unions have been sucking governments dry for decades. Don’t worry, plenty of people, especially here in NMB, are still asleep. I’m just not one of them.
For a person who only pays $221.52 towards North Miami Beach taxes you sure do have a big mouth. Do you realize the amount of services you get for that petty price? Time for some clarifications… The unions do not decide who get laid off, that is determined by the city’s civil service rules. The 24 officers to be laid off came from the city managers office not the police department. We have asked to start contract negotiations but the city has not responded to our request. I think there should be a slight increase in taxes for those that pay practically nothing. You write well but some of your facts are wrong. Good day ma’am.
For a person who pays absolutely nothing to the City of North Miami Beach, you certainly have a big mouth, too. I’m just saying.
The unions do decide to lay off people instead of advising the departments to make cuts elsewhere. If you believe otherwise, you’re being lied to.
The CM already started negotiations with the union last Tuesday. If you believe otherwise, you’re being lied to.
Thank you for offering to raise taxes in our city. In case you hadn’t noticed, many of the people here who “infest” NMB, you know, the ones some of your buddies refer to as “animals,” are out of work and in danger of losing their homes. Even a slight increase in taxes would be an economic disaster for them. Besides, even if the taxes on every property in NMB were to be increased to the maximum rate allowable by law, it still wouldn’t raise the four million dollars to cover the deficit. If you believe otherwise, do the research.
The standard union line, “balancing the budget on the backs of the [insert public employee’s position here],” is straight out of the union playbook. How about the fact that you guys want to balance the budget your way on the taxpayers’ backs? I’m just saying.
Don’t worry, though. There are still plenty of folks in NMB who’ll fall for your scare tactics. Not everyone reads this blog. I’m only one person. What are you so afraid of?
By the way, creating an email address of “stephaniekienzleisanidiot@yahoo.com” was a nice touch. Juvenile, but nice. Did you think that up all by yourself? Well, at least you can spell. You get a few brownie points for that.
Notice that Stephanie didn’t make any replies to the $221.52 that she pays to North Miami Beach for her taxes. Fact is NMB hasn’t raised taxes in some 12-15 years. Now they want to continue that same level of service that the residents have enjoyed for those 12-15 years, but don’t want to pay for it. They want the city employees to pay for it because the pay and benefits are too generous. Well you get what you pay for. With her husband’s county pension maybe she can donate some of the Financial shortfall that NMB claims to be having…I don’t see you blogging on MDFD’s benefits and pensions saying that they are too generous
I didn’t think I had to comment on the amount of property taxes I pay, which I actually have no control over. For starters, I purchased my home in 1989 and our taxes by law cannot increase by more than 3% due to the Save Our Homes Amendment to the Florida Constitution, which was passed in 1992. I pay the taxes for which I am billed. Do not assume I wish to “continue the services” that I “enjoy” in NMB, because frankly there are very few services I “enjoy.” Running water and trash pickup are important, and I already pay more for those than I do for property taxes. I appreciate having a police department and I’ve never had any complaints; however, judging from the tons of complaints I hear from other residents about crime in NMB, I’m guessing they’re not exactly “enjoying” the police protection they claim they don’t get. I doubt they’ll even notice if anything changes.
As for my husband and his “generous” pension that some of you cops like to continuously bring up, please be advised that (a) his pension was negotiated with his union, the county and the Florida legislature over 30 years ago; (b) the contributions made to his pension were nowhere near as generous as the ones the NMB cops get; and (c) his pension is with the Florida Retirement System, which is FULLY FUNDED. This means no one is borrowing money to pay his pension, which is exactly what the City of North Miami Beach has to do for the cops’ pension.
Really, this is all I’m going to say about my husband’s pension. Since you and your little buddies are so obsessed with my husband and his pension, I suggest you ask him about it yourself. If you have a problem with me, talk to me about me. If you have a problem with him, talk to him about him. We are two separate people, not Siamese twins.
As for me and my “pension,” I have my own Individual Retirement Account to which I contribute 100% of all sums I deposit. I know all of you are bitching that you have to pay a whopping 11% of your own contributions, but here in the real world, most employees contribute at least 50% or more to their own 401(k) plans or IRAs.
Here in the real world, when people get laid off they don’t storm the board of directors of their employers and make unreasonable demands.
Here in the real world, people who get laid off don’t go to their boss’ customers and tell them they’ll never get the service they had before, even if it is true. It’s just not done.
Here in the real world, shit happens. How a person deals with it is a measure of his character. Grow up already.
Oh, and if you don’t like my opinion, don’t read my blog.
Your husband contributed nothing to his pension……and it is pretty generous at 30 years of service at a Captain’s salary with no contributions by him over those 30 years. He negotiated that benefit with his UNION….the same thing you are constantly saying is the reason for all this trouble. UNION was great for your family’s future, but not for anyone else’s family. Ask the city why they still haven’t opened their financial books to the UNION, and why they never went through with filing the financial urgency with the State of Florida. NMB is pulling the wool over everone’s eyes with misleading information about their current financial status. Using the same “scare tactics” the you claim the UNION does to get what they want. As long as the city continues to supply water services to just about all of Northern Dade County, they will never be in any distress with money.
The fact that you don’t even know my husband wasn’t a Captain shows you have no idea what you are talking about. Again, if you have any more to say about his pension talk directly to him. If you can take your thumb out of your mouth long enough, that is.
I am in the process of obtaining additional information with respect to the city’s finances, which I intend to review in depth and publish my findings. Something that at least I am capable of doing. Have you even tried?
You obviously also know nothing about the required utility reserves or why the water department’s credit rating was just downgraded by Fitch. If you did, you would understand why the utility cannot be raped anymore. I have been following this event very closely, and understand the ramifications of same. Have you?
Never mind. I already know the answer to that.
I’m done reacting to your petulant whining. When you decide to have a grown up conversation let me know. But if you really want to make yourself useful, try giving me a rational reason why it’s necessary for cops to bring their cars home from work. I’ve heard several “explanations” but quite frankly, none of them are even remotely logical. Want to give it a shot?
Jealousy. Yes we do get some perks that “civilians” don’t. All of our benefits we have with our pension we have paid for with higher contributions nothing was free. I don’t think any of us mind paying for our take home cars but that is something we will deal with during our contract negotiations if they ever begin contrary to what you believe. Being a police officer is a very dangerous job and one where your life can end in an instant. Yes, I chose this profession and yes, I enjoy putting my life on the line everyday to protect the citizens, even you!!! Fortunately for you, you don’t see the horrors that we have to respond to and meet people at the lowest times in their life. We are not busy 24/7 with death and mayhem but even one call like that that is one too many. We talk about your husbands benefits because it’s something you can relate to not to bash you. The city has skewed numbers and is trying to give the appearance that the UNION caused this by negotiating sweet deals that the city could not afford when in reality the city is having to put in more money in to our pension because they underfunded it for years and we took steps to get it back on track. That’s why when you hear the say they pay 10% to a general employees pension but pay 60% to the police pension they are adding in what was shorted. Those numbers were used as a way for me to explain and are not accurate by the way. Suggestion, ask us (the police)some of your questions before you blog it, you might be surprised and learn something along the way. I understand the citizens are fed up with how things are going, just as we are. Our benefits are comparable to almost every surrounding agency. Just remember you get what you pay for but in your case you are receiving top notch police service and not to metion outstanding overall city services for the low price of $221.52 a year, you can’t even get a root canal for that price. I look forward to your reply and by the way I changed my email address.
Jealousy? Are you serious? Obviously, you don’t know anything about me. Other than the fact, as you keep repeating for some odd reason, that I paid only $221.52 in real estate taxes to North Miami Beach. Sorry, but “jealousy” is not in my repertoire. If I did have a “jealous bone,” it would be only of people who are smarter than I am. Luckily, there aren’t too many of those around. I’m just not a material girl. But, again, if you knew me, you’d know that.
I did do some research, however, and I found out that in Miami-Dade County there is a built in increase in property taxes every year if nothing is done to prevent it from occurring. When the County administrators vote to either increase the millage rate further, or decrease it, or make no change, this is the only thing that keeps the taxes from automatically going up. I further found out that even when the County does nothing and the rate increases automatically, the City of North Miami Beach actually lowers its millage rate by the same rate in order to protect its taxpayers from an increase. If the County decreases it (which I believe will be the case this year) the City may or may not increase its millage rate accordingly. If it does increase the millage rate, the total taxes may stay the same, but the City would get more revenue.
However, and here’s the big “however,” any governmental agency that increases its taxes in this recession, which I am predicting will double dip, there could be a citizen outcry, or worse, it could force some homeowners over the edge into foreclosure. I know some of you won’t believe this, but there truly are people in NMB who literally do not know how they are going to pay their mortgage or rent, electric bill, telephone bill, or even if they’ll have enough food to feed their kids. Do you have any clue how many people have lost their homes already? I’m sure you don’t know and most likely don’t give a crap.
As one of your colleagues so succinctly put it in a comment on a recent Herald article, “Because the only place we would want to be is E. Shores. The taxes there are high. The rest of the city is mostly unappealing to live in. Not to mention, we wouldn’t want to live in an area infested with the people we arrest. We have to be able to sleep at night too.”
Sorry, but that was my breaking point. Up until then I was going to try to do everything in my power to convince the Mayor, Council and City Manager to figure out a way to keep our PD intact. But, when I read that I realized how despised we are by our own police officers and I decided it wasn’t worth the effort. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t even care anymore whether you all stay or if we go with the County. I’m not going to fight for people who think we are nothing but “infested” rats. Why bother? We are apparently all just pieces of crap to you guys anyway.
You also suggested that I ask the police questions before I blog. Considering you keep making up temporary email addresses and then deleting them, I’m thinking that’d be a tad difficult to accomplish. Besides, and I know this might come as a shock to some of you more “manly” men, I’m not accustomed to asking permission to speak. Of anyone. You could verify that fact with my husband if you like.
A good site to see the pay of County employees in the years past is http://www.miamifly.net. Don’t know why they stopped in 2008…election year? but clearly one can see the pay of Miami Dade Police officers and Firefighters and other county jobs. No different then our pay in the police and fire category and Miami Dade employees didn’t pay 11.1% of their salary.
I guess it’s hard for us to understand how you can attack our livelihoods we have worked so hard for, when you enjoy the same benefit which your husband worked hard to achieve. Him being a civil servant just like us. I’ve worked with your husband on many scenes when he was at 31 and around NMB and find it hard to digest that you have backed this attack on the PD like we are to blame for the city’s problems. That is assuming they are what they portray.
“If it bleeds, it leads”….I like the “Divide and Conquer”. That has been the way for years turn the civilians and the public against the big bad evil police officers. Of course it doesn’t help when we let the emotions get the best of us, but hey it’s our livelihoods that are under attack so we do take it personal. I would bet CK would be just as fired up and you sure become defensive when he is mentioned. Let’s face it though…when are firemen the bad guys…NEVER!!
Bonner was brought in to do exactly what he is doing. He and his sidekick have fuzzy mathed the numbers and painted this bleak picture of the city to cause panic and allow the numbers to match what their ultimate goal is. Not saying that we need a raise because I do believe there are issues, I just don’t believe they are to the extent that is being portrayed.
Truth is there are those that feel the police officers make too much….and have hopped on the “We have a Financial Urgency” wave to cut our pay..(refer to http://www.miamifly.net to see we are in line with Miami Dade Police and Fire)…These same wave hoppers will do anything to cut our pay even if that means jeopardizing the safety of the community and the officers by cutting manpower.
P.S. You can keep the take home cars. I still have a car payment AND insurance so the city literally pays for me to drive 10 miles to work. In exchange the car is taken care of ridiculously because most of us are very particular about our take home cars. Unfortunately if the city goes to a pool car system, studies have shown that the cars are driven harder and need service more often and more frequent replacement. Don’t have to like the study and in a perfect world that wouldn’t be, but fact is that most cops are anal about their take home cars because it is basically their office. If your office changes everyday you don’t mind spilling coffee on the floor or the equipment you accidentally broke…new office tomorrow….Not to mention the other benefits the city has with take home cars such as callouts and storage. Also, don’t tell me the take home equates to $35k or whatever ridiculous number has been assigned in the past because it does not. Not to mention a marked unit in front of your house is not necessarily a good thing…
I get it. You try to put me on the defensive by (a) constantly bringing my husband into this discussion when this is not about him, (b) misquote me entirely, (c) credit me with things that other people have said. This is the last time I will respond to any of the accusations on this blog because after this I’m moving on. If any of you wish to discuss this further, you may email me directly at stephanie.kienzle@gmail.com or I invite you to call me. If you want my number, email me and I’ll send it to you.
One last time, these are the facts:
1. I never said I wanted any police officers fired.
2. I have stated over and over, and over again, that I am a huge supporter of our police department. Although, in light of the recent personal attacks on me I do admit it’s been difficult to maintain that support. Calling me names and calling me ignorant doesn’t exactly make me feel the love.
3. I have not once, ever, mentioned any dollar amounts of any salaries that police officers earn, or that our officers were overpaid. Others may have posted these figures in the comment section, but I did not.
4. I blatantly admitted I am anti-Union. I have made no bones about it and I am well aware of the tactics unions use to get what they want. Nothing anyone can say will change my opinion.
5. Article 24 of your union’s contract with the city states that “seniority within that particular classification shall govern the order of the layoffs.” IF there must be layoffs, the UNION decides who gets canned by virtue of the fact that it has a pecking order. The only employee in any department of the city that the City Manager has the power to fire is the head of that department, in your case the Chief. Beyond that position, the UNION makes the call by instituting its “last in, first out” rule.
In a nutshell, these are the main points I have made. Anyone trying to read between the lines will be wasting his time because I don’t write between the lines. I literally say what I mean and I mean what I say.
Lastly, and this will be my final comment here on this column, what pissed me off more than anything and put me almost in a blind rage, was a post on the Miami Herald’s article of last week by someone calling himself “supportyourpd.” He wrote:
“Because the only place we would want to be is E. Shores. The taxes there are high. The rest of the city is mostly unappealing to live in. Not to mention, we wouldn’t want to live in an area infested with the people we arrest. We have to be able to sleep at night too.”
The truth is I’m still fuming over this and I can’t get past it. It would be nice if someone would step forward and apologize to the entire city for making such a crass and insulting remark, but I don’t expect one. If a cop in your city said the same thing about where you live, I’m sure you’d be pissed off, too.
“The unions do not decide who get laid off, that is determined by the city’s civil service rules.”
Are you freaking kidding me? Can you just say the UNION rules?
“The 24 officers to be laid off came from the city managers office not the police department.”
Are you freaking kidding me? That is because the city is following the rules of the UNION. Last in, first out! Even YOU should know that, or don’t you read the contracts?
“We have asked to start contract negotiations but the city has not responded to our request.”
Are you kidding me? I heard they absolutley have responded.
“I think there should be a slight increase in taxes for those that pay practically nothing.”
Are you freaking kidding me?????? A little discriminatory ya think??????
Wow…I stopped reading the Herald after all the negativity. This blog hasn’t done too much to make me feel all warm and fuzzy lately either, though I’m sure it’s not what its for anyway. In any case, I am reading the quote that has you all up in arms. I think you read something else into it. My intention was not to offend the good citizens. By infested, I was referring to the many lowlifes that roam the streets of NMB. The thugs, drug users and dealers, and others. These are the ones that I do not want living anywhere near me. Not because there aren’t any in my own community, but we don’t need to be worried about retaliatory action against us or our families. If you don’t think it doesn’t happen, you’re mistaken. So, if I offended, I do apologize. I also apologize if I created a bad feeling against the fine officers protecting the community. That wasn’t my intentions, and I’m wise enough to eat crow when warranted.
Emotions are high, and people’s livelihoods are at stake. We’re worried about our future, our ability to pay our bills, put food on our tables and keep our kids safe…like everyone else. We are human. We are sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, parents. We are not superheros, but we often are called upon to maintain superhuman composure, strength and courage. We are teachers, counselors, life savers, and guardians against the evils of society. We are not infallible. We are here to do the job which we were hired for.
I already stated that I wasn’t going to post any more comments to this blog, but since you were gracious enough to apologize I felt I had to respond. You are correct tensions are high all over the city and everyone is really on edge. Your unfortunate comment did cause me to “lose it,” as you (and everyone else) can probably tell. Yes, I do wear my heart on my sleeve. I appreciate that you took the time to write and I accept your apology. Thank you.
Stephanie
Any city needs their own police department, as well as their own parks and play fields. Unfortunately for North Miami Beach, we have a PD that decides they are the most important thing around, and its citizens are now obligated to pay through their noses to upkeep exorbitant life time pensions we cannot afford, massive salaries beyond the reach of many.
One word to describe this all is GREED.
# 20 THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR GIVING THE CITIZENS OF NORTH MIAMI BEACH AN EXAMPLE OF THE HOSTILITY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS FOR THE CITIZENS OF NORTH MIAMI BEACH. YOUR IGNORANT REPLY AS TO WHY NEXT TO NONE OF NMBPD LIVE IN THE CITY SHOWS MUCH ABOUT YOU.HOW COME SO MANY OFFICERS SPEND SO MUCH TIME IN NMB RESTAURANTS AND STORES WHEN NOT ON A CALL WITHOUT FEAR OR CONCERN IN THEIR EYES OR ACTIONS.SO MUCH OF THAT HAS BEEN CAPTURED ON CAMERAS. DEFENDING NELSON REYE’S ACTIONS AND COMMENTS CERTAINLY SHOWS EVEN MORE ABOUT YOU. YOUR STATEMENT THAT YOU WOULDN’T MAKE THINGS UP TO SCARE THE OFFICERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. WELL T WHY WOULD YOU MAKE THINGS UP? THE POLICE HAVE A 2-3 MIN. RESPONSE TIME? IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME, ASK THEM! CERTAINLY NOT THE EMPLOYEES SCARED FOR THEIR LIFE BECAUSE OF AN ARMED ROBBERY AT CHECKERS THAT YOU COULD PRACTICALLY SEE STANDING OUT IN FRONT OF THE STATION!( AT LEAST 10 MIN RESPONSE TIME!) OH, THAT ONE! YOU CAN’T SAY THAT DO TO SO VERY MANY. THANKS AGAIN FOR HELPING TO BRING THE TRUTH OUT. HAVE A NICE DAY AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU.
You people have no idea…….your so ready to have Miami Dade Police come in and take over police services. You complain about a 10min response???? I have seen calls hold in the county areas for some 6-7 hours. The city of North Miami Beach falls within the “Intracoastal” District of Miami Dade. “Intracoastal” district spans from NE 79 ST on the South end, all the way to the Broward County line. If Miami Dade were to take over police services for North Miami Beach, they would just incorporate the city into the “Intracoastal” district. There would not be any extra officers to cover just North Miami Beach as you would like. Miami Dade also has no minimum staffing requirments for the road. If a typical shift has 10 officers, and 6 call out sick, then there will be only 4 officers to handle the calls for service. Just ask some residents from Broward County cities(Pompano Beach, Lauderhill) that contracted with the Sheriff’s Office how they like their service. Sure it was great for the first year when they pumped all of their special units into the city that contracted them. They had police everywhere, on horses and motorcycles. But as time went on BSO pulled all of that out of the city. Also the cost for police service goes up every year. So much in fact that Pompano Beach wants to go back to it’s own police department again, and Lauderhill returned to their own police department several years ago. It’s not always better on the other side…Miami Dade has it’s own issues to deal with. Remember you get what you pay for.