You can thank me now, Aleem. I just made your job a whole lot easier.
The Miami Herald reported this morning in North Bay Village police chief Robert Daniels fired, that Village Manager Frank Rollason ditched the Police Chief because he wasn’t doing his job.
Rollason told the Herald, “I have been observing the police department for the year and a half that I have been here and I just feel the direction needs to change, [such as] the emphasis on community response.”
Mr. Rollason made his decision after “residents of the Kennedy House, a condominium at 1865 79th St. Causeway, complained to the commission that the police department was ineffectively handling reported burglaries at the condo and that the investigations were unnecessarily prolonged.” He made it clear, however, that “the dismissal did not stem from a specific event, but rather an overall performance review of the department.”
Oddly, it doesn’t even appear that NBV has a problem cop, such as NMPD Officer Jodlyn Antoine.
The North Bay Village Manager simply decided the Chief wasn’t working out and showed him the door.
North Miami City Manager Aleem Ghany has been getting tons of complaints from residents (and this blogger) about Police Chief Leonard Burgess. Maybe Aleem can take a cue from his North Bay Village counterpart and take care of business already.
The best part of the Herald article was the final quote by Village Manager Frank Rollason, who said, “I did not poll the commissioners. It was strictly my decision.“
Here ya go, Aleem! A whole pile of easy!
You’re welcome.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
I’m confident that Mr. Ghany is reviewing the circumstances at the police department and mulling over how it’s being run. The homeowners groups are talking about it so I’m sure it’s gotten back to the council and manager how we feel.It’s widely known that the complaints on your blog are just a small fraction of the community unhappy with the mismanagement and lack of leadership.
It’s not just mismanagement it’s corruption.
cor·rup·tion
kəˈrəpSH(ə)n/
noun: corruption; plural noun: corruptions
1. dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.: dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers)
“the journalist who wants to expose corruption in high places”
synonyms: dishonesty, unscrupulousness, double-dealing, fraud, fraudulence, misconduct, crime, criminality, wrongdoing;
Full Definition of CORRUPTION
1 a : impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle : depravity
Obviously, North Miami Chief of Police Leonard Burgess needs to be terminated from his position. North Miami City Manager Aleem Ghany is a breath of fresh air. North Miami is a strong City Manager form of government. Mr. Ghany does not need permission from the city council to get rid of Burgess. Men and women who put their lives on the line for all of us should never have to be under the thump of a chief that does not demand the best from all officers. Trying to sweep horrendous offensives under the carpet is not acceptable. Good-by Burgess
It may be a strong City Manager form of government but the council still wields some authority over the manager. The mayor, Carol Keys and Scott Galvin should be letting the manager know that they support his decisions. It would also show that they aren’t on board with the corruption going on over there.
I’m sorry, but I must disagree with your opinion on Mr. Ghany. If many people are complaining and he is not taking any action, or at least acknowledging that he hears these complaints, then I don’t believe he is doing a good job. Has he made any public comment about this issue? Have the people who keep commenting here spoke with Mr. Ghany personally? Has there been any public comment at City Council meetings about this subject?
I am not a citizen of North Miami, so it’s not my issue, but as some people may know, I do speak up at NMB meetings and question something that doesn’t seem right.
TC, Aleem has been approached in person or by phone by at least several North Miami residents that I know of. He has to deal with a lot more in his plate right now than one department, even if the PD is the most important one. I assume he’s looking into this as well.
North Miami City Manager Ghany has been contacted by a number of people. He is well aware of what’s going on and apparently told Burgess to get rid of the ‘bad’ cop in question. It seems that Burgess thinks he’s the one to determines his own fate. Remember, Ghany was not the City Manager when Burgess was hired. The police department needs to clean house from the top down. The Chief of Police MUST be beyond reproach!
Wow! I just read this comment on your last blog. In case someone didn’t see it here it is:
Retired MDPD Gold Badge February 26, 2015 9:48 am Reply
I am a retired Miami-Dade PD Lieutenant, where Lenny Burgess also retired from. Another MDPD employee brought this blog to my attention, and I wasn’t surprised to learn about the controversy. When most of us who knew him found out that he was appointed as Chief in North Miami, we knew it was the beginning of the end for the police department. I worked with Lenny Burgess for many years. He was protected and mentored by some of the most powerful in Miami-Dade, mostly because of his affiliations in common with those same heavy hitters in outside professional organizations. He never supervised anyone in any one unit or stayed in any one place long enough to gain any real executive leadership experience. Before his flaws could be exposed, he was moved again somewhere else, collecting titles, ranks, and certificates along the way. He never mastered anything in his career, other than politicking. I’d be willing to bet he’s close with whoever is the head of the most popular or most powerful clique in North Miami PD. He’s a facade at best. He hasn’t been fired because he’s probably in with the City Manager or a Commisioner. Lenny Burgess is after all a politician incognito. Those who know him, will know that he will avoid having conversations about topics he should know about. And if the conversations can’t be avoided, he will talk in circles to death, without any real substance, until you’re left asking yourself, “what did he just say”. For those concerned about the corrupt police officer in question, I read all the documents posted. The investigation and recommendations by the panels for discipline were very well written and thorough. The problem is the final decision made by Lenny Burgess and most likely with backing of the City Manager. Lenny Burgess’ inexperience and inability to make tough executive decisions is evident. Any other chief would have fired that officer. This wouldn’t have been tolerated in MDPD. But speaking from experience, the officer won’t be fired at this point. So requesting his termination would be a waste of time. I’d concentrate more in finding another qualified chief to run the North Miami PD instead. To those who say that he’s being shoved down your throats, I’m sure you have Town Hall meetings or other forums in which to bring this up, and Commissioners or other influential people in North Miami you can talk to. Demand for his resignation or termination. Sadly, if that police officer does it again, it won’t be in Lenny Burgess’ hands, he’ll probably be gone by then. It’ll be the next chief who has to answer for Lenny’s poor decisions. I’m glad he never made Director in MDPD. Those of us who saw through the BS, we knew better and hoped for the best. Unfortunately for North Miami, he’s your problem now. And ladies, I’m not sure if he’s changed his ways in the last few years, but just beware of Lenny Burgess. Those are my two cents. Good luck.
I’ve never heard of a more accurate description of Lenny Burgess. He was a politician throughout his entire career and has no true accomplishments to speak of. Lenny eventually hit a ceiling and the Lieutenant’s comments should give you an idea why that is, but regardless he was taken care of right to the end. This blog is being read by some us who worked with Lenny, which means that eventually someone will contact you with more details. Suffice it to say that Lenny’s decision not to terminate this officer may have more to do with the traits they have in common. Again, read between the lines. It’s right there for everyone to see in the Lieutenant’s closing comment.
As a resident of north bay village and particularly a homeowner in the kennedy house condominium association referenced here I applaud Rollison’s decision to fire chief Daniels. I am one of the many condominium owners who has witnessed the extremely prolonged investigation into the burglaries at the Kennedy house and the corruption and gross mismanagement as well as criminal activities which are being investigated by the North Bay Village Police Department and the state attorney.
I find it shocking that Daniel allowed his own off-duty police officers to be used by Timberlake management manager Rachael Badilla at home owners association meetings to threaten to remove homeowners from their own meeting if they spoke up. That is a violation of our First Amendment rights. the same Rachael Badilla, by the way who was arrested in August 2014 and charged with financial crimes committed at Kennedy House. The same Rachael Badilla, Community Association manager who hid like a scared rabbitt and would not face the camera crew who came to interview her today. Stay tuned there will be more coming later.
People, seriously. If you’re all so concerned, show up at the next city council meeting. You’ll see how quickly you’ll get their attention. That chief needs to go. What are you waiting for? For his termination to fall from the sky? The city manager isn’t going to do anything he isn’t forced to do. He works for the mayor and council. Wait aren’t they all up for reelection soon????? So show up to the next council meeting. Especially if he chief is there. The longer this goes on, the longer he has to try to polish shit, meaning his reputation. If the city manager won’t fire him, then he should go too. You say he has other things to deal with. Really? More important than this dipshit running the police dept and breeding corruption. Keeping this chief around is just as bad as the chief keeping that bad cop around. It’s negligent retention!!!!! People, seriously. Stand up and voice your opinion and don’t hide behind the blogs. If I was a N.miami resident, I would. Does the miami herald know about this? The new times? The news? It’s your tax dollars. People, seriously!
I would suggest that residents of North Miami contact their council members and the city manager with their concerns. That can be done by emailing them.
City Manager Aleem Ghany:
aghany@northmiamifl.gov
Mayor Smith Joseph:
sjoseph@northmiamifl.gov
Councilman Scott Galvin—District 1:
scott@scott-galvin.com
Councilwoman Carol Keys—District 2:
ckeys@northmiamifl.gov
Councilman Philippe Bien-Aime—District 3:
Pbien-aime@northmiamifl.gov
Councilwoman Marie Steril—District 4:
msteril@northmiamifl.gov
The City Manager should be embarrassed. You don’t want to lose the trust you have earned in such a short period of time as City Mananger. If you think your Council isn’t watching and taking notes, think again. Do not delay your decisions or we will start think that like the Chief you can’t make one. I can’t think of any reason why anyone would question your decision to fire this guy.