Sunday, January 14, 2007

First police staff will be sworn in

Posted on Sun, Jan. 14, 2007
Obtained from the Miami Herald website
MIAMI GARDENS

Miami Gardens is preparing to swear in the command staff for its first police department at a ceremony scheduled for Tuesday at Florida Memorial College.

BY ROBERT SAMUELS
rsamuels@MiamiHerald.com

The city of Miami Gardens will swear in the command staff for its first police department on Tuesday in a ceremony that is garnering interest from law enforcement officials across South Florida.

They are taking notice because the city is charting some success in filling 150 vacancies at a time when established police departments nationwide are struggling to fill empty spots.

Many credit the city's lavish incentives package, which police unions say they love and other municipalities say makes them worried.

The police department won't take over until December. Logistics with the county still need to be worked out. But pinning the badge on Chief Matthew Boyd and his four command staff is a major symbol, said Mayor Shirley Gibson, a former police officer herself.

She said the department is critical to Miami Gardens' evolution as an independent municipality. It is also a key factor in curbing a spike in area violence.
''This is the No. 1 priority for the New Year,'' Gibson said in an interview.

In October, the city unveiled its incentive package. The starting salaries -- at least $45,100 for an officer with no experience -- will most likely place the city in the top 10 percent of highest-paid police departments in Florida. There also is a chance at a free college education and a $12,000 signing bonus.

Danny Crew, the city manager, said drafting the incentives package was simple: ''I looked at what other places were offering,'' said Crew, who drafted the package. ``And then I topped it.'' It's a strategy that new cities coast to coast employ. And, so far, Crew said, it's been successful.

The city has received 105 applications for seven captain positions, according to Renee Farmer, assistant city manager.
In the two weeks, the city received more than 80 completed applications for officers or sergeants. City Hall has more than 1,000 people showing interest in the jobs.

''I've been surprised at the caliber of applicants and the willingness to want to join us building a police department,'' Farmer said in an interview. ``We're hearing that they want to help put a mark on something new and it's a more important factor than the money.''

Farmer said the city is on track to getting the best and the brightest. Residents at City Council meetings have raised concerns about making sure the staff is diverse in a city where four of five residents are black.

Demographic information for applicants has not yet been compiled, Farmer said. But four of the five sworn staff and two additional hires are black or Hispanic. One is a woman.

''So far, a good number of the captain applicants are women,'' Farmer said. ``And we're working hard to show that we want female officers here. In our advertisements, the officer is a woman.''
Attracting applicants has been the easier part, Farmer said. A host of administrative tasks between Miami Gardens and Miami-Dade County still needs to be done. The city was required to enter into a three-year service contract with the county force as part of the agreement that allowed it to incorporate.

Ideally, new officers could go on ride-alongs with the old guard. Files needed to be transferred. And the city is still unsure whether it will have to pay for the Carol City District building at Northwest 188th Street and 27th Avenue. It is taking out an $8.5 million loan, just in case.

''The hardest part has been nailing points down with Miami-Dade County,'' Farmer said. ``We've seen a willingness from them to work with us. It's just that our timetable is very aggressive -- and we'd like to see their rate be as aggressive as ours.''

Miami Gardens has spent more than $300,000 on advertising. Not all the response has been positive. On a national discussion forum on the website officer.com, posters cite the city as a ``high-crime area.'' Crime statistics show 21 people were killed there in 2006 -- a 50-percent increase from the year before. The number of sexual batteries jumped 31 percent. Theft and commercial burglaries, though, dropped by a fifth.

Still, the city's aggressive recruitment push has sparked strong interest among those interested in law enforcement.

''The Miami Gardens situation is looming over us,'' said Adam Burden, assistant chief, administration division, for Miami Police. ``We've heard different people say they are going to apply.''

When Broward County Police Benevolent Association President Dick Brickman heard about the Miami Gardens hiring package in October, he said he hoped other municipalities would soon follow. ''I think it's going to have a domino affect,'' Brickman said.

Police Chief-designate Matt Boyd called any worry that Miami Gardens' recruitment would drain nearby police departments ``ludicrous.''

''We're not taking everybody. But we're going to be taking some of the best talent that we have out there,'' Boyd said. ``It's like in football. It's a free-agent market here, and we're taking the best talent.''

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