Criminal Investigations Bureau / Detectives Assignments

Saturday, December 23, 2006

By Major Paul Miller

Major Paul Miller is the Commander of the Criminal Investigations Bureau and was previously employed with the Miami-Dade Police Department for 19 ½ years. During his tenure, he held various positions and assignments, including assignments in Homicide, General Investigations, Auto Theft, Narcotics, Public Corruption, and the Crime Suppression Team.

The Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB) within the Miami Gardens Police Department will be responsible for criminal cases involving burglaries (residential and commercial), thefts, assaults and frauds. In addition, detectives will be assigned to investigate specific crimes such as Domestic Violence, Auto Theft and Narcotics Investigations. During the early transition period, the Miami-Dade Police Department will continue to investigate homicides, sexual batteries and robberies for the City of Miami Gardens.

The Bureau’s formal structure, including schedules, the exact number of detectives and supervisors assigned, has yet to be established. This manpower allocation and scheduling will be based upon the needs of our community and that of the department.

It is important for applicants to understand that the Miami Gardens Police Department will first hire individuals into positions as officers and sergeants. A limited number of these individuals will then be assigned to the Criminal Investigations Bureau as detectives.

Assignment to the Criminal Investigations Bureau will be based on the background, past experience, specialty, and oral board performance of candidates. This detective assignment is not a permanent position and may be changed at any time as the agency sees fit.

Candidates for the officer positions will be asked the same oral board questions, however, those having shown an interest in an investigations assignment may be asked to return for a follow-up interview prior to selection to the Unit.

Supervisors selected for assignment to the Criminal Investigations Bureau must meet the minimum requirements for past supervision on the employment posting. If you are interested in a position in the CIB please write investigations in parentheses next to the position you are applying for on your application.

Our initial objective will be to fill the detective’s assignment with individuals who possess at least three or more years of investigative experience, though this may be adjusted based upon the candidate pool and the experience level of the applicants.

The Miami Gardens Police Department’s commitment to community policing will be seamless throughout the agency and will be exhibited by personnel assigned to the CIB. Detectives will be assigned to specific areas within the City and will be expected to be familiar with all crime trends occurring in their area as well as the adjacent areas.

Our Detectives will be required to regularly communicate pertinent information on preventative measures, crime trends and statistics to residents, business owners, and school administrators. This dissemination of information will extend to Department members and neighboring law enforcement agencies; in the form of BOLOS and information sharing.

We hope that this course of action assists us in developing a reputation as an agency dedicated to creating a solid partnership with the society we serve, as well as showing our commitment to cooperation with neighboring law enforcement agencies.

I hope this posting addresses some of the questions that potential applicants may have. If you have additional questions please feel free to email me at pmiller@miamigardens-fl.gov.

Again, thank you for the interest you have shown in the Miami Gardens Police Department.


Stay tuned for updated information on the Criminal Investigations Unit.

Command Staff Swearing-In Ceremony

PRESS RELEASE


Contact: Ula Zucker
Events and Media Coordinator
Tel: 305-622-8035
Cell: 786-253-8408
uzucker@miamigardens-fl.gov
For Immediate Release

Miami-DaDe County Mayor Carlos Alvarez to Swear-In police chief and command staff of New Miami Gardens Police Department (MGPD)



Miami Gardens, Fl, December 18, 2006 -The command staff for the newly established Miami Gardens Police Department (MGPD) will officially be sworn in on January 16th, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. at Florida Memorial University’s Lou Rawls Performing Arts Theatre, 15800 NW 42nd Avenue, Miami Gardens. Newly appointed Police Chief Matthew Boyd, former police major with the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), and Deputy Police Chief John Feltgen, former Assistant Director for the Broward Sheriff’s Office, will be sworn in to lead the agency. Other command staff personnel who will be sworn in include: Major Chester “Chet” Butler, Operations Commander, former MDPD Major; Major Alfred Lewers, Jr., Support Services Commander, former Lieutenant with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department; Major Paul Miller, Investigations Commander, former Lieutenant with MDPD; and Captain Steve List, Professional Compliance, former Public Safety Director/Chief of Police with the City of Parkland.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Miami-Dade State Attorney, Kathy Fernandez Rundle will officiate at the ceremony. They will join other local elected officials in swearing-in the command staff that brings to the City over 145 years of professional law enforcement experience.

“It is a great honor to be selected to lead this group of experienced law enforcement personnel in developing a top ranked, professional agency,” said Chief Boyd. “We look forward to meeting the high expectations of the community.”

The ceremony will also serve as the official kick-off of the MGPD. In September 2006, the Miami Gardens City Council officially approved the creation of its own, independent municipal police department, which is expected to have 150 police officers and 24 administrative civilian personnel. With the command staff now in position, the City will begin active recruitment for officers, detectives, sergeants and captains in January 2007 and expects to complete all its hires and assume full police patrol services in December 2007. The City Council has already approved an incentive package and salary schedule that is expected to attract qualified, experienced, community oriented professionals that offer the resources and expertise it will take to create a first class Miami Gardens Police Department.

Information regarding the application process, hiring incentives, timetable for recruitment and information sessions, is available at www.MiamiGardensPolice.org , or by contacting Major Alfred Lewers Jr. 305 622-8000 x 2372 or email: alewers@miamigardens-fl.gov.

The City of Miami Gardens was incorporated on May 13, 2003, and at a population of 107,569 is the third largest city in Miami-Dade County.

For more interviews regarding the Miami Gardens Police Department, or information about the City of Miami Gardens or other media and events-related information, please contact Ula Zucker, events and media coordinator, (305) 622-8035 or email: mailto:uzucker@miamigardens-fl.gov

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City of Miami Gardens
1515 NW 167th Street, Suite 200
Miami Gardens, FL 33169
Tel: 305-622-8035
Fax: 305-622-8001
uzucker@miamigardens-fl.gov
https://services.fortlauderdale.gov/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.miamigardens-fl.gov

Captain's Positions Status

December 10, 2006

We are pleased to say that more than 90 applications were received for the Captain’s positions. The screening process has reduced this number to 42 individuals who will be allowed to compete for the 7 remaining Captain’s positions.

The interview process for these applicants will begin during the second week of January. The Human Resources Department will notify all applicants of their status.

Command Staff of the Miami Gardens Police Department

December 10, 2006

The command staff of the Miami Gardens Police Department consists of Police Chief Matthew Boyd, former police major with the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), Miami Gardens District: Deputy Police Chief John W. Feltgen, former assistant director for the Broward Sheriff’s Office Department of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services, Major Chester “Chet” Butler, Operations Commander, former retired operations commander (MDPD), Major Paul Miller, Investigations Commander, a former lieutenant with MDPD’s Homicide Unit and Major Alfred Lewers, Jr., a former lieutenant in the Administrative Support Division of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

In Response To Postings on Officer.com web site

All of the questions that are being asked about the Miami Gardens Police Department are good ones and anyone who is looking to transfer to another agency should ask these questions and more. Though some of the responses to the questions are inaccurate, though I have to give credit to FLPD698, he has been sharing quite a bit of accurate information. I would like give you some input from a position of knowledge.

As far as the City of Miami Gardens and their tax rate is concerned, it is NOT one of the highest in Miami-Dade County as stated, though it has recently been raised to 5.14 from 3.63. To give you an accurate comparison, the City of Miami's millage (tax) rate is 8.37, Opa Locka's is 9.80, Homestead's is 6.25, Miami Shores is 8.25 and Avenutura's is 2.27. Don't take my word for it; if you would like more information on the tax rates of other Miami Dade County Cities access this link http://www.miamidade.gov/pa/forms/mill2006adopted.pdf .

The City of Miami Gardens has put together one of, if not the best benefits, salary and incentives packages that I have ever seen in the State of Florida. This was done with one thing in mind, and that was to attract and RETAIN the very best police officers to the City.

Many of the postings aren't very flattering about the city, but from what I have experienced, the City Manager, his staff, the City Council and citizens I have come in contact with have done nothing but shown me respect and impressed me. I have sat in on countless other City Commission meetings and have never been as impressed with others as I have been with the Miami Gardens City Council. They are the most cohesive group of professional elected officials I have ever met. Coming from a major city "Fort Lauderdale", this says something.

This City Council are the people who agreed to the benefits and salary package for the "Pioneer Officers", before they ever met them. Keep in mind, this benefits package was put together without a bargaining unit. I don’t think the council wants to have a police force that can be controlled; I think they have a genuine interest in having their own force of officers who will be committed to their citizens. They want to have the best police force in the State of Florida and are willing to pay their officers accordingly.

For some of the people who write the, not so nice comments about the City of Miami Gardens, everyone should understand that the City of Miami Gardens was a part of the unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County that was predominantly black and was not treated as fairly as it should have been by elected and government officials, before they were a city. This has changed; since they became their own city in 2003; the redevelopment in the City of Miami Gardens is the third greatest amount of any city in the county. There certainly is room for improvement in the City and it is being made.

I believe that the City of Miami Gardens’ Police Department is destined to be the best led, managed, supported and compensated department in the State of Florida. But what do I know; I am leaving the largest municipal police agency in Broward County to be a part of it. recruiter@MiamiGardensPolice.org email www.MiamiGardensPolice.org web site

Miami Gardens using attractive incentives to recruit officers

Posted on Sun, Nov. 12, 2006

MIAMI GARDENS
Miami Gardens using attractive incentives to recruit officers
THE CITY UNVEILED AN ATTRACTIVE SALARY PACKAGE DESIGNED TO LURE APPLICANTS FOR ITS COMING POLICE DEPARTMENT
BY ROBERT SAMUELS
rsamuels@MiamiHerald.com
Devoting big bucks for benefits and bonuses, the city of Miami Gardens unveiled an incentive package that is intended to create one of the highest-paid, most educated police forces in Florida.
A Miami Gardens officer with a high school education and no experience in police work will make about $45,000 a year to start. That salary, effective December 2007, will most likely place the city's police department in the top 10 percent in the state.
Salary raises will be based on education and experience. For example, a college-educated officer with five years' experience will earn $61,000. That's higher than what some sergeants are paid in Fort Lauderdale, according to 2005 statistics.
Law enforcement agents around South Florida are talking about the incentives package, as it shows a new approach in an increasingly competitive world of police recruiting.
Many of the nation's largest, most established departments -- Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami-Dade -- can't fill all their spots. And as these forces scrounge to find qualified officers, this 3-year-old city of 105,000 must devise a way to fill 150.
''Miami Gardens is definitely causing a buzz around here,'' said Dick Brickman, president of the Broward County Police Benevolent Association. ``What they're doing is innovative and different and it will bring in certified officers.''
It's not just the pay that's attractive. There's also a $12,000 signing bonus. And possible free college education. And an extra $2,000 annually that Miami Gardens pledges to pay if the officer lives within city limits.
Currently, the county provides police services for Miami Gardens under the terms of incorporation. The city plans to take over after the contract ends in December 2007.
Curbing crime remains one of the city's top priorities. Maj. Matthew Boyd of the Miami-Dade police department, who is commander of the Carol City station, reported that auto thefts and commercial burglaries dropped more than 20 percent this year but homicides have increased 27 percent.
Residents were hit with a 41 percent property tax increase for the new fiscal year to help finance the $4.4 million cost of creating the new department.
Lucy Stanley, who lives in Cloverleaf, said she is hesitantly hopeful having a local presence will stop violence and improve citizens' relationships with the police.
Under the current arrangement, she said, cops don't respond to calls quickly enough. They don't have as personal relationships with the children as she would like.
''I'd like to see them get to know people,'' Stanley said of the upcoming department. ``I hope with our help they'd get to know people.''
The city's goal is to court quality, local potential recruits with a passion for the community, said City Manager Danny Crew. He looks to Boyd, who has been tapped to head the force, as an example. The city has also hired a deputy chief and three commanders. Crew said he hopes other officers nearby follow.
Given the crunch for police officers, hostility toward Miami Gardens from other departments might occur.
''Are we going to have some enemies? Oh, yes,'' Boyd said at a recent City Council meeting. He said Miami Gardens was going to upset people ``and that's saying it lightly.''
Boyd later added that Miami Gardens is giving the embryonic police department much-deserved importance.
People are OK with paying athletes millions to move from one city to another. They should be willing to do the same for those who are trained to protect and serve them, Boyd said. And as civic employees become more flexible about where they live, Mayor Shirley Gibson said, all municipalities will compete for top talent.
''This is business,'' said Gibson. ``Finding employees to work in municipalities, in the public sector, is looking more and more like finding employees in the private sector.''
This seems to be true for new cities nationwide. In drafting the incentives package, Crew did research to determine how they started successful police departments. The strongest comparison was with Elk Grove, Calif., a city of 135,000 that started its own police force in June. Its starting salary is around $58,000. After a year of recruiting, Elk Grove started a 112-member force at capacity, said Officer Christopher Trim, the department's spokesman.
''In our particular case, we wanted the best of the best and we feel like offering something to them to make sure we were getting the best of the best,'' Trim said. ``And I feel that it's paid off.''
Miami Gardens' plan has been successful so far, said Crew, who drafted the package. Days after he posted the plan on the city's website, it received almost 1,000 hits. About 50 people have filed applications so far. The response was so overwhelming, Crew said, he took salary information off the site to curb inquiries until the city could better manage such great interest.
''So far, things are looking good,'' Crew said, ``but, still, our biggest challenge is to find 150 good people.''

Creation Of A New Police Department

Why I Chose The Miami Gardens Police Department?

This is a good question. When the opportunity to assist with building this agency came up, I was not searching for a career change and had little knowledge about the City of Miami Gardens. I was comfortable as a Lieutenant with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and felt that I would retire with the agency. This was soon to change after speaking with officials of the City.

I decided to check into the City, its form of government, their solvency as well as the people that I would soon be working for. This quest for information began at my computer (the internet is a great thing) with an in-depth perusal of the proposed budget for the yet-to-be formed police department, as well as the available information on the City’s history and their initial struggles. I found that the City of Miami Gardens was three years old and had recently been incorporated in 2003. I also discovered that there was, what I later felt, a reasonable budget proposed to form their own police department. For information on the City of Miami Gardens visit http://miamigardens-fl.gov/ .

From there my wife and I decided to take a tour of the city and to speak with a few residents. This tour of the city gave me a good feeling about the residents of Miami Gardens. The people that we spoke to seemed excited about having their own police department. The reoccurring message that I received was a sense of pride in the city along with a desire to have officers responding to their needs who were committed to the City, as opposed to a rotating group of officers who weren’t tied to the community.

I started to see this as a challenging opportunity to help build the newest police department in the State of Florida.

More entries later... In the meantime please visit the Miami Gardens Police Department web site at www.miamigardenspolice.org

When will you post more informaiton

I have a question, when will you start to accept applications for police officers for this agency?