I want to personally thank Sergeant Nelson Reyes of the North Miami Beach Police Department for giving me the material to write this blog. If it weren’t for him, frankly, I doubt I could have summoned up the energy or the interest to report to you the details of the budget workshop I just attended. I showed up, I listened, I wandered off in my mind to chase unicorns, and to keep myself from falling asleep I took cursory notes of the meeting, hoping I would get excited about something. Anything.
For the first forty five minutes or so, a trail of people got up to speak. Most of them, residents and cops alike, said pretty much the same thing they all said at any one or more of the previous budget workshops. Yada, yada, yada. I stopped taking notes after about seven speakers, wishing I was home watching any of the handful of cop shows I’ve recorded over the last week, because the “real life” cop show I was watching was boooooooooring. This is why I never watch “reality” shows, American Idol included. “Dancing with the Stars” holds no interest for me except to make me wish I had visions of Dwight Yoakam dancing in my head. So, yeah, you get the picture. Budget workshops, and reality TV, are really not my thing.
So here I was sitting in the back row of the room, minding my own freaking business, replying to an email, when a voice behind me stage whispers, “You go write that blog!” I sat up and looked around to see the aforementioned Sergeant Reyes walking past me. Not having a clue what he meant by that remark, I got up and walked over to him say hello and tell him that a blog wasn’t even a blip on my radar, when all of a sudden he looked at me with such an evil, venomous look that I literally took a step back. He then gritted his teeth, curled his lip and snarled, “YOU GET AWAY FROM ME! I’m not talking to YOU!” I wish I could paint a picture with words sufficient to describe the intensely deranged look in his eyes as he spat out those words. All I could think at that moment was that this person is bat shit crazy. Wow!
Recently, my husband had a similar run in with Sergeant Reyes and when he tried to describe the encounter to me, he was similarly at a loss for words. Seriously…WTF is wrong with that guy?
Needless to say, I backed away from the madman, muttering something under my breath that he should probably get some help, although I’m sure with the raging storm that must have been brewing in his mind he probably didn’t hear me. I sat down and attempted to calm myself by taking a few deep breaths, when lo and behold, he walked past me again. And this time he angrily shot at me words to the effect, “I’ll give you something to put in that blog!”
“Really?” I responded. “How can you tell me anything when you’re not speaking to me?”
He didn’t respond, probably because it might have actually occurred to him that he’s not speaking to me. DUH!
I do not intimidate easily. But I have to tell you there was something in Sergeant Reyes’ demeanor, and mainly in his demonic death stare, that gave me the heebie-jeebies. I stepped out, hoping for some fresh air and was assaulted by the typical oppressive humidity of an August South Florida night. Still, it was much less suffocating than any room Reyes occupies. I eventually just left and went back to the safety of my own home.
So, here I sit, not having a clue, or even giving a damn, about what went on in that budget workshop. I hadn’t planned to write about it at all. But, Reyes is right about one thing…he certainly gave me “something to put in that blog.” Only, I’m guessing he won’t be happy that he himself is the subject.
That guy is wound way too tight. He is in serious need of a hobby. A couple dozen sessions of psychotherapy wouldn’t hurt, either. But, what concerns me most is that Sergeant Nelson Reyes wears a badge and carries a gun. That should concern all of us.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
I saw that episode take place. Not cool.
Nope. Not cool at all.
Sorry that happened Stef. Perhaps the staff will address this? Let’s hope so.
On another note from last nights meeting….
I heard many people both citizens and officers alike stating that if the senior officers in the DROP would leave, no lay offs would be necessary.
Probably a true statement however there is a side to this that no one seems to understand. It’s what I call the “Vacuum of Leadership”.
The VOL is what would result if all the current DROP participants left. The interim Chief, the one Major and two out of four Captains (all part of the staff) are in the DROP and thus if people had their way they would have to leave. This leaves two Captains as the “leadership” of the agency.
To compound matters there are probably ZERO people who would want to be promoted to Captain, Major because simply put- the Captains and Majors have NO benefits! And to make matters even worse- the Captains and Majors have NO pay increase in about 5 years now. So a Sergeant makes slightly less than a Captain but the Sergeant has the ability to earn overtime where a Captain is exempt and cannot earn overtime. Most Sergeants can easily earn more than a Captain and Major plus they get all the benefits of the IUPA contract. Does anyone else see a problem with this scenario or is it just me?
Now the CM could bring in people he knows to fill these positions of leadership but when you have basically an entire change of leadership at the top of any agency, there are problems that come with that.
Some might say that a Sergeant earns to much and should have their pay cut. Not necessarily true. A Captain at NMB makes about 107K a year whereas a Captain at Miami Gardens makes 126K a year- 20K more. A Lieutenant at Aventura makes slightly less than a Captain at NMB; Aventura does not have a Captain rank in their structure. Plus the other agencies provide some kind of benefit to their staff- NMB Police Staff does not have any benefits. Don’t take my word for it; the “conditions of employment” are public record. Pull them and read about how exciting it is to be a Captain or Major at NMBPD. Plus the fact that Captains and Majors earn less leave time than an IUPA employee. Seems a little unbalance to me but that’s just my opinion. Anyone can see why if those in the DROP were force out there would be many problems that would be created by that; the greatest problem being the “Vacuum of Leadership”.
Thanks, Frank. I hope so. I’m still extremely distressed about my encounter last night. Reyes might be used to dealing with the criminal element in that fashion, but he obviously cannot separate the criminals from the residents. I cannot imagine that an employee of a business would be allowed to treat customers like that, and he needs to be reminded that he is an employee and a public servant. I am certainly no criminal!
As for your other comments, you know already that I have no issue with salaries, nor do I like discussing them. It is my understanding that the salaries NMB cops earn are about on par with other cities of our size. It is my very humble opinion that the DROP program as it was created probably contributed to a large part of the police budget, and that those contracts were negotiated years ago when the city expected to be able to continue at the same pace it had for a long time. Not too many people saw this economic tsunami coming down the pike.
I also have absolutely nothing to contribute as far as a solution, as this is not my area of “expertise.” The only thing I know is that NMB, like cities all over the county, state and country, is facing tremendous budget shortfalls and something, somehow, needs to be done. It totally freaks me out to hear from several people on the police department that there is no budget problem and that cuts don’t need to be made (not just to the PD, but at every department). Do they really have their heads in the sand? Even a layperson like myself knows we are in an economic crisis of epic proportions, and the truth is I fear we are nowhere near the end of it.
As you know, I missed most of the meeting last night, for which I’m actually thankful. I didn’t speak, nor did I plan on speaking, because I really have nothing to add to the conversation as far as a solution is concerned. I don’t have one and I never claimed to have one. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that the folks who are in charge – CM, union people, finance people, etc. – can get together and work out something that will be in the best interest of the entire city. I heard Mike Pons saying that he is close to a workable proposal for the mayor and council, and all I can do is hope that it’s something good. The ONLY thing that I know with certainty is that this particular mayor and several other council members are willing to hear and accept any reasonable solution to what is a horribly dreadful dilemma. I do not envy them one bit, and it only makes me even more grateful that I never wanted to run for office.
Hey Stephanie,
I am sorry to hear that you have had another encounter with Nelson Reyes. That person does not belong in law enforcement, and the only reason he is still there is because every case that comes out of NMB into the United STates District Court goes to Judge Joan A. Lenard, who just so happens to be the wife of former NMB City Attorney Howard Lenard, and they are close friends. Otherwise, the F.B.I. would have arrested that guy for RICO violations in 2002 when Reyes, Pons, Hardison and a few others were under investigation for Civil / Constitutional violations against a citizen. They went as far as covering up their investigation, and filed I.A. reports disappeared, not to mention the fact that each time I attempted to obtain the records from the city, or file a complaint with the city manager, I was arrested for trespassing, simply for going to the department or across the street to Cityhall. Unreal.
I have taken these cases to the United States District Court, The Eleventh C.C.A. and finally to the Supreme Court of the United States involving this officer, solely because the City and lower Court’s have refused to administer accountability against him and the band of bad elements within the City ranks. Unfounded and dismiss for some minor clause has been the result each and every time. But it’s ok, because I’ve known that someday people will realize what I have been saying for 10 years is correct and accurate, and this encounter you have described here is proof that I was correct in my assumption.
I am certainly gald to hear that he has shown his true colors to you, solely because your a remarkable, and very respected member of our community, and also for the past 10 years, the city has defended this officer as a role model example for the City’s Police Department. All of the complaint’s and petitions to higher authorities to try and obtain accountability have been unsustained because Nelson Reyes has masked his madness with the help of others within the department.
Please follow up and if you gat your hands on a copy of this guy’s personnel file, you will see that he truly should be removed from active duty, and return his weapon that he used to shoot an unarmed 16 year old kid in 2008 and placed at a desk to preserve the dignity of our community representatives, and protect the citizen’s from a reckless representatives like this individual.
The City Charter is clear about this, and the policy and procedures of the department are crystal clear regarding interaction with the public and citizen’s in general. It may be possible to obtain accountability on your incident, or get his personnel file to see just what you are dealing with in this case. He is mad, and he is known to write false report’s and falsify testimony to further his career. Someone needs to do something before he kills someone else.
Best of luck Stephanie, but I fear that even if you file a complaint, you will lose because they cover for his illness.
Steven, thanks for writing. I only had one encounter with Reyes, as described in this column, but my complaint to the department was brushed off. They claimed that Reyes was exercising his “First Amendment rights” by addressing me (regardless of whether or not it was rudely done) and because he was “off duty” when he did so. The fact that cops are allowed to carry a gun 24/7, and the fact that the police department’s own policy manual clearly states that their cops are always “on call,” the interim Chief blankly told me that my complaint was denied.
I also believe that Reyes has serious problems, either mental or emotional, but short of taking this matter to court (which I am not going to do), he will unfortunately retain his certification. On the plus side, Reyes retired from the NMBPD so we are finally rid of him. I have heard, however, that he got a job with the Aventura PD. If this is true, I pity the poor people of that city, especially the first time someone or something sets him off. I know that I, for one, will avoid going to Aventura as much as humanly possible for the very reason that Reyes might be on duty at any given moment. I’m not looking for that kind of trouble.
In reply to Frank, his comments do not say much about the professional level of the NMb police officers. Yeara ago, police departments the size of NMb were run by one police chief, a captain, two lieutenants and half a dozen sergeants. The police officers that worked for the city did the job they were hired to do. They drove their own cars to the station, they went out on patrol. They arrested bad guys, did community patrolling, and became the heros of the residents.
Today, that concept has been turned upside down. NMB has approximately 25% of its 115 man force as sergeants (over 25). We pay the average police officer about $75,000 in salary and a like amount in benefits.
There is no shortage of applicants for lieutenant, captains, and majors who would work for the measely $107,000 a year quoted by Frank. The benefits they receive, although maybe not as lucritive as their fellow police officers, still puts them at the top end of the wages earned anywhere in the southern part of the United States.
The problem inadvertently pointed out by Frank is not that the captains and majors aren’t making a substantioal paycheck, its the fact that the police officers, are getting overcompensated in salary and benefits that the taxpayers can no longer afford.
As far as the vacummu of leadership is concerned, I am extremely distressed that men and women costing the taxpayers of NMb approximatley $182,000 in salary and benefits cannot be adequately supervised by “only” two captains and over a dozen sergeants that are not in the DROP. The ratio of police officers supervise by sergeants would double from 3.2 police officers per sergeant to twice that. When you consider the military has one sergeant supervising a squad of 12 soldiers making considerably less than our police officers, I think the remaining sergeants can handle the task.
Frank makes all the $ comparisons to how much surrounding, higher population, cities are paying their police officers doesn’t hold water either. They are just as out-of-whack salary-wise as NMB is thanks to union contracts that were negiotiated when property tax revenue was rolling in hand over fist due to the real estate bubble. If all the DROP particiapnts were to leave, the opne slots would all eventually be filled by rookie police academy graduates that would love to have the job for half the compensation we are paying now. There is no shortage of applicants wanting to work for every PD in the country. When was the last time you saw a want ad for a police officer or fire-fighter position anywhere?
The bottom line is that like the real estate bubble that burst, there isn’t the funding to continue to pay the compensation levels (mostly the pension obligations) all cities have paid their police and fire people. something has to change and since there is no magic wand that can be waved to bring in more revenue, the pensions, promotions, and benefit packages have to be revised accordingly.
Bob White
I just hope Pon’s solution isn’t to PAY OFF officers in the DROP to leave!
Just accept the city can not afford to pay a retirement check, a salary and now maybe a parting gift to officers that have help make this problem. Do you all get triple pay when you work a holiday? (Everyone gets paid for the holiday per contract & then double time if you work it)
Here’s a solution:
STOP the DROP!
The city is NOT obligated to offer this “PONZIE SCEME” after September 30th.
It was sold by the UNION years ago as a WIN WIN for everyone. Well, the actuary figures that are used now, are looking like they’re really bogus.
Make the POLICE UNION bare the expense to prove their case, they started this mess.
You all want a retirement plan, how about this:
Matching funds. For every dollar the cops put in, the city matches it, up to a maximum amount.
That way if an individual wants a large retirement check, they invest in their own future.
Captains and Majors can be compensated like they do with administrative time to even the playing field. (No Executive package? Or at least a pay increase?)
I love it when people say, “DON’T HATE THE PLAYER, HATE THE GAME”.
Well let me inform them, “IF THERE WASN’T ANY PLAYERS THERE WOULDN’T BE A GAME”.
We all know of people we work with, that are there just for the money. They sit and calculate every little penny, thinking that this is the way to live and get ahead.
STOP with the SPECIALTIES! It’s just another way of nickel and diming us into bankruptcy. PUT your UNIFORMS on and stop thinking of how to get out of doing what you’re paid to do.
Well, again let me inform you, this is a city “WHERE PEOPLE CARE”.
We care when a UNION LEADER draws a line in the sand and then sends out his fellow brothers and sisters door to door telling lies to the residents about what the Mayor and City Manager are doing to the police. Not once does it dawn on them that maybe the UNION LEADERSHIP is the problem.
It was Chief Hernandez that made the hit list NOT THE CITY MANAGER, and it was the UNION that helped disseminates it and tell the residents lies.
We care when the police are only 1/6 the city’s workforce and use over 50% of the budget. Let’s not forget the 70 million owed.
We care when our police officers treat our citizen’s like animals, and then have the audacity to say they’re there to protect us.
We care about the mental status of our officers when they put on their uniform and strap on a gun. That kind of leads me to my final question.
Why was Nelson Reyes disputing Chief Gomer’s statement that 17 officers being laid off would NOT affect patrols?
Last night was a circus…It does not take this many meetings and this many resources to do a budget. If the Council had not been playing politics last year with the hiring of a CM and CC, there would have been sufficient time for proper negotiations and deadlines would not have been missed…talking about “kicking the can down the road”
Solution: Everybody needs to come to the table(with clean hands) and do some real negotiations….I have seen other cities work this out with a lot less drama…IT is what it is and the numbers don’t lie (unless you are in the finance dept) but that’s another story for another day. Let’s have some real negotiations and stop playing “let’s see who says what next” so I can say “GOTCHA” these are real people with real families.
The meeting lasted till midnight and all we got was dates for more meetings….by the way someone needs to check with the City Clerk about possible “NOTICING ISSUES” with these meetings…the city does not need any more problems than they have already.
I know that the current council demanded public workshops and a thorough investigation of all departments. While it may be true that in a “normal” city we wouldn’t need all these meetings, way too much has been covered up and swept under the rug for so many years, the council wants to make sure that everything is done out in the open and with complete accuracy. As you can see, even with this new “transparency” there are still items that need to be investigated. I have not yet watched the rest of the meeting, which I will do when it comes online. I received an email from a resident who wrote, “You will have to review the end of the meeting to see the scramble by the two Finance employees, Roz, and the Finance lady from the Utility.” These people should know better by now, that they are not going to be able to “scramble” or hide anything!
As for your remarks about the council playing politics last year, I totally agree with you! Myron & Baker ran this city like a circus, and the games they played with the hiring of those two positions were incredible. We are very lucky that we ended up with such a great Clerk. So far it appears that Bonner is doing a good job wading through the financial mess he inherited, but it will be interesting how this all plays out in the end. I agree with you that the drama is exhausting. But at least it gives me something to write about in the meantime. I really can’t wait until it’s all over, though.
Let me see if I can undertand this. Mr. White says the PD HAS 24 Sergeants. We actually have 17 with three leaving in the next two years. The last two sergeants have had ALL step raises frozen which equates to approximatley 6,000 a year per sergeant. That was not what the city advertised in the promotion package. Police work has changed drastically since “years ago” as stated. Everyone is upset with the officers. Why? We were hired here and we were told what the job paid. We agreed to our end of the deal by doing what we were hired to do. We do not make up our salaries. If you want to be mad at anyone be mad at the past politicans and the people who approved these budgets. Can you afford to take a 25 percent pay cut, pay 300 a month for your car, lose have of your pension and survive? We are not the problem. The car is not a deal breaker for us. 25 percent paycut is unreasonable. We would be one of the lowest paid officers in the county. Yes you could get new officers that will take this job for 40,000. How long do you think they would stay here? Not long after they get the training and experience. They would use this PD as a training department and leave. We would have a huge turn over rate in the PD. To most of us this is our career. The damage that has been done at this point is of great concern to all. Take a minute and put yourself in some of our shoes. Morale is at an all time low, we are chasing top notch officers out of here and we are making yhis city look like a complete joke to the rest of the county. Everyone is upset, stressed, frustrated, and scared. If we continue with this pointing fingers, talking about the past we will get nowhere and Sept 30th will be here. It’s time to move ahead. Communication is the key to this situation. Look at the people up top. I believe that our Mayor and council are doing the best that they can with what they have. I have a solution! Let us try to stop attacking each other and COMMUNICATE what we would like to see for this city. This has got to get better soon or this city will be out of business. Be open minded and reasonable. The clock is ticking and we are still moving backwards….Forget about Past Mayors and CM’s. They are GONE!
Madness, I agree with you that asking an employee to take a 25% pay cut is quite steep. I have never advocated for that except for the employees at the very top of the food chain, i.e. upper management. From what I’m hearing about the meeting last night (the part I haven’t watched yet), those cuts should start in the finance department. I’m sure I’ll have something to write about once I get to view it.
Thank you for your trust that the mayor and council are doing the best they can, and for telling people to stop blaming them for past administrations. Individually, I have bones to pick with a few, but as a whole (meaning the majority), they really are trying to find the best possible solution for everyone involved.
I hope you are able to convince some of your colleagues to back off on the finger pointing and histrionics. I have met quite a few members of the police department who understand the situation and are extremely concerned about the city as a whole, including the residents. They understand this is not easy for any of us. I wish all the cops (and all the residents) could be as rational as they are.
As for you, thanks for writing. You are so sweet. You always put a smile on my face and I don’t even know who you are. 🙂
When you have posters like Frank, Bob White & Green Lantern responding with incorrect information on our pension, our pay, our manpower allocation, the amount of sergeants we have, our holiday pay (triple pay, I like that one, I’d make sure I worked every holiday if we got paid triple pay). With incorrect information, of course were gonna do our best to correct them. They having nothing nice to say ever about the PD. However, we will answer any questions you have on the benefits we receive. If they like, we’ll even provide a copy of our union contract.
I believe we have said all we need. It is now up to the tax payers and the elected officials to make a decision. I am not saying to stop te fight, I am saying that we need to fix this situation so that everyone is satisfied. If we don’t fix it, it will continue to creep up an we will deal with it next contract. It is what it is! We will always have people that have their opinion about what should be. I have faith that the residents in this city will do the right thing for all of us. If at the end of the day, we are not happy here then we can move on. This is the time to plan on other options. It will get better!! G-D bless and keep the faith.
I for one have 18 years left in NMB.i would like to see this get resolved so “our” future is protected. Some of us have children, wives, significant others (and some both haha?). We ALL should be looking out for our childen because they will be the ones suffering from our mistakes. Times are very difficult for everyone. Our children do not deserve to suffer from our ignorance. Look around us, this world is a mess! Let’s make a difference and set the example. Our society has lost the ability to communicate and negotiate solutions. If we cange our attitiudes maybe just maybe we will stop the suffering so our children will be proud. I know we will!!!
If anyone had or has an issue with an officer then we have procedures in place to address these issues. Don’t think for one minute that “we” treat people like animals. That is an absurd and ignorant statement! We have an obligation to protect the residents and visitors of this city. What is best for EVERYONE? I was always told, “It is wise to direct your anger towards problems–not people; to focus your energies on answers–not EXCUSES”.
Mrs. Kienzle, I applaud you on your attempt, albeit futile,to register a complaint on me for the exercising of my first ammendment right in a public forum, while in an off-duty capacity. I suppose you and your husband are the only ones with the right to speak your mind. The fact of the matter is, I didnt even know who you were, or had any knowledge about your blog until someone told me that you had made defamatory comments about me. I went online to view your blog and found that I was criticized for standing up for what, as of last night, was revealed to be true in the budget public comment forums. Your tabloid comments were about someone you dont even know. Then to have others comment about me behind ficticious blog names trying to state how bad a person I am. Again, more slaughtering of my character. My shooting was justified by the State Attorneys Office, and was settled by the City Attorney as the cost of going to trial would have been more costly and drawn out, yet with all confidence that we will have emerged victorious. A business decision. The accident that I was involved in was no fault of my own. I was enroute to training at the Pembroke Pines Shooting Range on day 3, of a 3-day Advanced Firearms Instructor’s course. I had no traffic control devices governing my direction of travel, and was 20 mph below the speed limit (as indicated by the black boxes pulled on the police car). The other driver, an 87 year-old woman, made a left turn in front of me. I tried to avoid hitting her, by taking evasive action, to no avail. My head struck the windshied, and my left knee swelled up like a basketball. What I didnt mention is that some months before I was traveling down that same road, and had arrived on an accident of exactly the same type, one block east of the intersection where my accident occurred. That accident occurred exactly like my accident. I arrived, seeing one man face down in the median, and two females in a badly damaged car. I was able to get the 40-year-old female driver to breathe, but the 89 year-old mother of the driver was pinned in the badly crumpled passenger side and was struggling to breathe. I tried everything, but there was nothing I could do, but watch her die. She grabbed her daughters hand just before she expired. She looked like my grandmother and this had troubled me greatly. The Traffic Homicide Investigator from Miramar told me that the stretch of road is the most deadly one in Broward County. From that day, I would always drive through there and remember that moment. The day of my accident was no different. Then the accident occurred. There was nothing I could do. She was concious and scared at the time EMS arrived, but lost conciousness and succumbed to her injuries after being air-lifted because she wouldnt accept blood due to her religion. A tragedy her family will have to endure for the rest of their lives. So the sensationalistic comments of your bloggers about me and my character prompted my comments and reaction to you last night. Your husband tried to file a complaint against a resident who stood up to voice his concerns about his safety in his community. I guess its o.k. for your husband to say in every public hearing that he worked for the fire department, but know one else can state their affiliation with their profession. You and your husband bash Officers by name, and then you try to shake our hands at meetings? I am sick and tired of the negative people of the community that have nothing positive to say, ever. They love to hear themelves on the pulpit in their ever long diatribe of negativity, only to try to squeeze in another minute or two past the ‘3-minute-timer’. Nothing productive mind you, just senseless analogies, gross exagerations, and rhetoric. Every once in a great long while they something of interest, but their idea could have been conveyed easily with a phone call, instead of enjoying hearing themselves ‘on-stage’ at the Council Meeting. I only have ever spoken in NMB public hearings 4 times (3 of which were recently) in the manner in which I have spoke lately. Usually I have been up there to receive awards, but tha’ts not the case now, it is to stand up for what is right, and what we have been saying came out last night. People really shouldnt be surprised to get the reaction you received from me, when your comments were not even neutral, they were very negative. I dont have a PhD, I dont need therapy, and I am not a menace to the community in which I have lived for 25-years, and have worked for 20-years. All my neighbors know me, and I have captured burglars on 4 different occasions while off-duty in my neighborhood, and I captured an armed robber while cutting my grass. I do care for this community, and served this community longer than anyone in that Council Chamber. I am known by many, many people in this community, and I will talk to anyone, anytime. Perhaps in the future if someone wants to have a conversation with another person, maybe they will create an atmosphere receptive to an intelligent conversation. Don’t expect a friendly conversation after making several irresponsible, tabloid-type comments on a blog that has a potential to be an excellent source for the dissemination of information, and not an online version of the National Enquirer. I look forward to having a respectable conversation with anyone. If, on the other hand, someone wishes to continue the slanderous comments and animosity toward me, just remember, you choose the behavior, you choose the consequences. Thank you for your time in reviewing this response.
Nelson Reyes
“Telling it like it is”
Sgt. Reyes, thank you for your comments. I wish to respond to some of your comments, as follows:
1. I never once mentioned your accident or accidents in any of my blogs or comments. As far as I’m concerned, none of those are relevant as they were dispensed with according to law and are, in my opinion, history. I realize others have brought these up in their comments, but I never have.
2. I am well aware of all your achievements and awards, and as far as I’m concerned they were well deserved.
3. I do not have others comment on my blogs. They do so of their own volition. Some choose to use their real names, others choose to remain anonymous. I respect their wishes if that’s their choice. I do not edit comments, nor do I write them for anyone else.
Now, this is the most important point I would like to make to you with respect to the unfortunate shooting incident that was recently settled by the city. I know you are aware, as Darcee Siegel told you, my husband went to her office while the lawsuit was still pending. He offered to testify ON YOUR BEHALF. He even spoke personally with former Chief Hernandez (despite the fact that there was no love lost between the two of them) and told him that he supported you in this matter. Do you understand that? My husband never, not once, spoke out against you in any manner whatsoever. Personally, I was completely neutral on the situation since (a) I only knew what was published in the press about the incident, (b) I was not a witness to the incident and (c) it was none of my business.
What was the most surprising thing that occurred was that my husband came home from a meeting one night and told me that when he attempted to approach you, he was SHOCKED that you treated him in a similar manner that you treated me the other night. He was completely stymied that you were angry with him for ANYTHING AT ALL! He then told me that he asked Darcee to step in to advise you that he, in fact, tried to help you with respect to the incident, and that you completely disregarded that information. To this day, my husband has no idea why you would verbally attack him the way you did as he had never, ever spoken badly about you or to you.
Up until that point, I had no thoughts about you one way or the other. I knew about my husband’s intent to testify on your behalf should a trial ensue. I neither encouraged nor discouraged him because, as I stated, it was none of my business. But the fact that you turned on him seemingly out of nowhere and for absolutely no reason concerned me.
My blogs about the police vs. the city situation are my opinion. Some of the cops understand my position. Some do not. I respect everyone’s opinion, whether or not I agree with them. My comments about you were based solely on my observation of your behavior, both in meetings and in your interviews with the press. The truth is, had you not unfairly, viciously, and with no apparent cause, treated my husband in the manner you did, my subsequent opinion of you might not have been as harsh as it was.
Based on what I have seen and how you have treated me and others, my opinion is that you are quick to anger and I am reasonably concerned about how you might react to anyone who disagrees with you. Yes, I understand that you have First Amendment rights, on which I would never dare to attempt to trample. Yes, I understand that when you lashed out at me you were off duty and not in official uniform. Yes, I understand that you do not like me, and that’s your choice. But, I simply do not understand why you lashed out at my husband at that earlier evening when he was doing everything possible to help defend your actions. I was and still am completely perplexed as to why you chose to treat him in that manner.
As I said, I make absolutely no comment or judgement about any of your previous actions or incidents. In fact, until recently most of the people I have spoken with in NMB have always sung your praises and have spoken very highly of you. I only heard about the unfortunate shooting incident because it was so highly publicized and because the other party happens to be my neighbor. AGAIN, I never spoke about it either privately or publicly. In fact, until recently I had never even heard of any of your other incident(s) or accident(s). I still have absolutely no comment about any of them. As far as I am concerned, all matters have been closed, you have been exonerated of any wrong doing, and frankly, none of them concern me personally. If others have brought them up, I am not responsible for their comments.
Thank you again for sharing.
Steph,
I think the attitudes are changing?? Together WE can make a difference.
I hope so. I wish everyone would just calm down. I have two blogs to write that aren’t related to this issue in the least, but it’s been very hard to concentrate on anything. I also wish this entire thing would just be over with.
Layoffs are the answer. Enough cops to “make us feel safe” means enough cops to Taser cranky old ladies and beat mentally handicapped men to death for not groveling quickly enough to a little cop who happens to be spoiling for a fight he can win. We must take more responsibility for protecting ourselves. Florida is a concealed carry state. Remember, enough cops to rescue us from home invasions in ten minutes is enough cops to beat the crap out of bloggers and authors of critical comments about cops! As any cancer patient knows, sometimes the treatment is worse than the disease and it’s time to ask for a second opinion. That is where we are now with cops; they are worse than the criminals because of their virtually unlimited immunity. Their immunity is limited only by video cameras. A second opinion: let’s lose as many cops as we can and hire our own private security guards who do NOT have immunity for such bad behavior and can be fired very easily. This is called “working within the system” while asking cops to police their brother cops is called “being a schmuck”.
Richard Carpenter,
I look forward to crossing your path some day, meantime you might want to check out this site http://www.mentalhelp.net/
RichardCarpenter, that was a bit over the top. Also, I wouldn’t want to hire a private security firm (I hope you were being facetious). Every community needs professional police officers or there would be absolute anarchy. I seriously don’t think that any NMB cop would “beat the crap out of bloggers!” If I believed that for one second I would be seriously concerned to the point that I’d contact an outside agency for an investigation. I don’t know if you really believe that or if you’re just being dramatic.
Hey Nelson,
Allow me to unload some of the baggage for you.
You obviously are carrying a heavy load.
You stated:
1) I suppose you and your husband are the only ones with the right to speak your mind.
Who is the angry one again?
2) ….I was criticized for standing up for what, as of last night, was revealed to be true in the budget public comment forums.
You were the ONLY one I saw disputing Chief Gomer’s presentation.
He stated that laying off 17 officers would NOT affect patrols.
Man I hope you’re not ANGRY that you might have to put on your uniform and go on patrol. Kind of demeaning isn’t it.
They just don’t realize how much of a Rootin’ Tootin’ Sharp-shooting kind of guy you are, do they?
3) My shooting was justified by the State Attorneys Office, and was settled by the City Attorney as the cost of going to trial would have been more costly and drawn out, yet with all confidence that we will have emerged victorious. A business decision.
I really don’t want to get into this, mainly because payments to the plaintiffs haven’t been made yet. I will discuss this at a later date. The only comment I feel comfortable with right now is,
The City had too high of an “EXPOSURE” problem, doesn’t sound like the City’s Attorney had too much confidence emerging victorious to me.
It sounds a lot like the delusional Charlie Sheen yelling “WINNING”.
4) The accident that I was involved in was no fault of my own. I was enroute to training at the Pembroke Pines Shooting Range on day 3, of a 3-day Advanced Firearms Instructor’s course.
I have to ask…….On or off duty? City vehicle or personal vehicle? Did you get additional pay for the certification or can you use it for additional income? Sometimes it’s not good to go into detail.
5) My head struck the windshied, and my left knee swelled up like a basketball.
Maybe this could explain a lot.
6.) Your husband tried to file a complaint against a resident who stood up to voice his concerns about his safety in his community.
Who did I file a complaint against?? If you mean the officer that tried to rudely interrupt me while I was speaking. I didn’t have to file a complaint; I put him in his place I thought. You better go check with Silberman if you think I have ever filed anything against an officer. Not my style.
7) I guess its o.k. for your husband to say in every public hearing that he worked for the fire department, but know one else can state their affiliation with their profession.
Since you’re a “NEWBEE IN THE PIT” I’ll try to explain.
For years I had to watch what I said in public forums.
Unlike you, I could be held accountable if I used my title, the wearing of my uniform, or alluding to the fact that I worked for fire department and that it could be misconstrued as representing them.
Since you have just recently appeared in the pit, you have only heard me refer to my PAST employment. I have been retired now for almost three years and don’t have to worry about “The Department” retaliating.
8) You and your husband bash Officers by name, and then you try to shake our hands at meetings? I am sick and tired of the negative people of the community that have nothing positive to say, ever.
The only officer’s name I have used was Silberman’s, and that was only to bear witness to a handful of officers who childishly and publicly retaliated against me.
Oh yea Ex-Chief Hernandez……..wasn’t he like a “Daddy” to you.
This could explain the Anger and Hostility you have towards me.
You also stated that you didn’t shake my hand because I was sitting with Richard Reiss and Mary Hilton.
In fact, I was early to the workshop and had gone over to say hello to them. They were the only ones there besides about a dozen officers sitting together. When I went to shake your hand, your attitude said it all. Kenny D. also greeted Reiss and Hilton, and you couldn’t wait to jump out of your seat to shake his hand, sounds fishy to me.
Talking about the pot calling the kettle black, it was YOU that had the NEGATIVE attitude, not me.
9) If, on the other hand, someone wishes to continue the slanderous comments and animosity toward me, just remember, you choose the behavior, you choose the consequences.
Your last comment says it all, just look in a mirror and say it aloud.
It could help you recover from your misplaced anger and you might learn to enjoy life a little more.
10.) “Telling it like it is”
You sure did, just remember “Conduct Unbecoming an Officer”.
Retired Lt. Carmen Kienzle
“Making Tough Decisions for over 30 years”
P.S. A lot of times my wife and I do not share the same opinions, that doesn’t mean one of us is wrong or right, It just means we have a difference of opinions.
I have to say, my wife did an OUTSTANDING job of reporting on “RAT ROSNER” and truly deserves her 2011 Gadfly award.