Most people inherently know that the best way to get something you want is to not piss off the person who can give it to you. Kids who make it past the terrible twos stage somehow figure out eventually that if they stop throwing temper tantrums and behave themselves, getting what they want becomes a whole lot easier. Of course, they seem to forget this lesson as soon as they become teenagers, when petulance and sulking becomes their standard reaction to pretty much everything. But by the time they get into college and enter the world of business, they miraculously remember that good behavior usually gets rewarded.
Unfortunately, some people never get it. Several members of the North Miami Beach Police Department, for example, have been behaving like teenagers with attitude ever since the city’s budget talks started. As I’ve mentioned in this blog over and over in the past few months, encouraged by UNION president Mike Pons, the cops have been storming city council and budget meetings, giving residents the stink eye, intimidating those who would dare speak out in favor of the city manager, and they don’t seem to care who they piss off.
Apparently, some of them need no encouragement to act out. Just take a look at the comments posted in the forum of their website LEOAFFAIRS (http://forums.leoaffairs.com/
If that’s not bad enough, a couple of them stated that they will only respond quickly to calls from people who support them, while the rest of the residents can cool their heels until the cops show up. Some of them like to rub our noses in the dirt by bragging about what nice neighborhoods they live in, while North Miami Beach is nothing but a scumbag filled war zone. One of them even went to far as to say, “I’ll collect my $100k a year…F&$k you pay me!!!! Lol!!!!” Yeah, I’m feelin’ the love. How about you?
Granted, the boys who write these comments are but a small handful of cops out of an entire police department. They may not represent the entire force, but I’ll tell you what. Whether or not they are speaking for the rest of you, your refusal to tone them down indicates a silent approval. Like it or not, you have allowed them and Mike Pons to become The Face of the NMBPD.
All this taunting makes you wonder exactly what are they trying to accomplish. If they are following Mike Pons’ lead, they’re certainly not doing themselves any favors. In his representation of the UNION, he has shown himself to be a rude, classless and ignorant bully. By verbally abusing the council and grandstanding for the news cameras, he is only hurting himself in the eyes of the public. He even had the audacity to tell the mayor and council that they are disrespecting the police department. Hey, Mike! Respect is a two way street. You can’t demand respect from others without respecting them in return.
Of course, he doesn’t see it that way. He and his little gang of LEO AFFAIRS thugs get a kick out of calling certain residents the STP (Same Ten People). I’m not sure where they picked up the phrase, but they sure love to use it, especially as an insult. Any resident who disagrees with the UNION’s tactics is called an STP. It doesn’t matter whether there are five, ten, twenty or more residents who understand that budget cuts are a painful necessity of life in this Age of Recession, if you dare speak out you are automatically labeled an STP.
Fine. You want to call us the STP? I got no problem with that. In fact, I’ll even wear the tee shirt. I’d much prefer to be an STP than stand in the STFU line behind Phyllis and Pons.
A letter just published in the Miami Herald online (http://www.miamiherald.com/
Posted on Thu, Sep. 15, 2011
Reader fed up with union tactics
North Miami Beach is going through the very painful process of adjusting its budget to reality. Cities all around us have been doing it for years and still are faced with gut-wrenching decisions. We are two years behind the curve and have accumulated total liabilities exceeding $ 140 million, counting pensions and bonds.
We elected a council which promised to attack the problems. That unions would not be happy with the proposed cuts is understandable, but the vicious personal attacks by the police union are over the top. Over the last couple of months they have taken over the budget process, trying to bully council and manager to give them free rein and take money from other organizations to prop up their bloated, ineffective operation. Yes, they got away with it in the past, but we have hit the limit.
The mayor, manager and council have made time available to the union to make their case, to the extent that the mayor gave in to their request for a 20-minute presentation which no resident would ever get, and allowed them repeated time to talk, always exceeding the three minutes residents are held to. The thank you was a vicious, disrespectful attack by Officer Pons in front of TV cameras, accusing our mayor of trying to stifle his right to free speech. False!
Nasty, derogatory law enforcement website attacks against individual council members demonstrate the union’s true character.
These actions clearly show their attitude to our city; many are out-of-county mercenaries with little commitment to our city. On Aug. 23 threats were made as to the “service” they will deliver if they do not get their way. It is time we face reality. This department is beyond redemption and outsourcing a la Miami Lakes needs to be considered.
Bert Kehren, North Miami Beach
Like it or not, this is the sentiment of those residents who are sick and tired of their city being treated like an ATM machine with an unlimited cash supply. Even ATM machines get more respect.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Stef, I hear you. We hear you. Thank you for these updates. We need to live within our means. I have seen in this economy, billionaire becoming pauper. Millionaires squealing. What is so hard to understand we have to cut back on our spending? The days of government handing out signed blank checks, are over. This is a new era. The taxpayers have had it up to here. No mas.
Maybe we can make South of 159 St & west of 12 Av another donut hole that the county can handle. I agree, downsizing is the answer. Lets give the county all our problem areas (one of those mentioned above) and NMB can keep all the nice areas, like where you live Steph. 🙂
You’re funny, even though I suspect Kazan won’t think so. I live in Sunray West, which isn’t fancy but it’s quiet. I feel very fortunate that I have almost no crime in my neighborhood. At least none that I’m aware of. I have never had any issues with our police department, and I’ve lived here since 1989. We had a couple of break ins back in the early 90s. I’m pretty sure they were young punks. One crook broke in, unwrapped all the Christmas gifts that were under the tree, and left them there. Good thing he wasn’t on my Christmas list or he would have been hard to please I guess. We didn’t have computers back then or any cool electronics since most of them weren’t invented yet. Except for the Nintendo, which he passed on. The crook ended up taking a bottle of perfume and a Gucci watch that was a gift from my first husband, which was the only good piece of jewelry I had left that my second husband didn’t already steal and pawn to buy drugs. (Yeah, that marriage didn’t last long.) We eventually got an alarm system and a couple of big dogs. I’m pretty sure the dogs are the best deterrent. The guy who used to mow our lawn never came back. Anyway, none of this budget crap that’s going on now is making me happy. I’d much rather be writing about other things. Some things I’m saving for the book. 🙂
Outsourcing to Miami-Dade should be considered. Potentially we might be able to cut the police force budget in half with little if any adverse effect on overall law enforceent. A contract that stipulated that a minimum of officers be on patrol during high crime hours might even lower criminal activity. Coral Springs seems to be doing just fine with patrol density higher than what we have at half the cost when adjusted for population. I believe the key to the situation is that with a contract we won’t be saddled with the pensions or other benifits which are currently killing us.
I come from a small town in California (Ojai) where we dumped our local force and contracted with the county of Ventura. Things immediately improved and what was unique for California was that the residents got a tax break; likely the only place in California where that has ever occured. Today, long after I left, Ojai still contracts for this service.
“A contract that stipulated that a minimum of officers be on patrol during high crime hours might even lower criminal activity”
-The county has already met with the city. They made it clear they don’t want NMB. They also advised if they were forced to take over police services they would only provide 30-50 officers. NMBPD currently has about 70 assigned to patrol.
“Coral Springs seems to be doing just fine with patrol density higher than what we have at half the cost when adjusted for population”
-I agree, lets scale down the department to 75 officers and pay us what Coral Springs pay their officers including their benefits. We’d all get a pay raise. Good idea 🙂
“I believe the key to the situation is that with a contract we won’t be saddled with the pensions or other benifits which are currently killing us.”
-You would still have the pension cost if NMB went to MDPD. Those that are currently in the NMB pension could stay in the NMB pension or switch to FRS. NMB is 20 year retirement and FRS is 25 year retirement. So those wanting to work 25 years will get an immediate raise since FRS is only a 3% contribution and NMB pension is a 11.1% contribution.
“I come from a small town in California (Ojai) where we dumped our local force and contracted with the county of Ventura”
-MDPD has a 400 million dollar shortfall, do you really think they want the problems of NMB?