Sun Sentinel Article October 14, 2008

Rick Perez was a cancer every day he worked for the city of Ft Lauderdale. He Hated women , really afro american women, but carried one on his side ( a large one)so it would be a good legal defense when he got sued. I have been retired since 2/03 but cannot imagine he has changed since he was a piece of S### then and is a piece of S### now. Rick never cared about the troops but it was all about his macho ego.

Why would WM paint the rainbow symbol on their vehicles? Why is there a need for an agency to take a position on human sexuality? Why not chrome girlie mudflaps? Why imply support for ANY sexual attitude. Why not a swastika, a cross, a star of david, or a witch? Celebrating a social movement based on rubbing body parts against like minded citizens is buffoonery.

Maybe its time to revisit this.

Since the Sun Sentinel has not allowed comments after the article, we can post comments here.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/ ... 5184.story

Remarks on Web site target Wilton Manors police chief, gay residents
By Elizabeth Baier | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 14, 2007

It started with a vague question about Wilton Manors Police Chief Richard Perez that implied he played favorites.

Though it did not mention him by name, the May 9 posting on the city's forum on leoaffairs.com, a Web site for law enforcement agencies that encourages frank discussion, quickly changed the way officers in the small Broward community vent and communicate.

Writers have called the Wilton Manors Police Department a "HORRIBLE place to work" and described the agency as "filled with backstabbing, 'yes' men & women, fear, intimidation and retaliation."

The initial author of the "Where to start ..." message board, identified only by the name "Lovin the Manors," started what is now one of the longest thread of comments posted to the 48 topics on the city's forum.

As of Saturday, the thread had been viewed 5,098 times and readers had added 101 comments.

Since those initial postings, some residents and city officials say the city's forum, which is not password-protected, has turned into an outlet for personal attacks and offensive remarks, most of which are anonymous.

Writers about the police department have repeatedly referred to what they say is unfair treatment and an iron-fisted style of management by Perez, who took over in January 2006. The comments, many of which contain creative spelling and punctuation, also have targeted commissioners and the gay community, estimated to be 35 to 40 percent of the city's population.

Someone identified as "Guest" posted a message on a July thread titled "WHY ARE THEY MAD AT ME!!!!!!!!!" asking, "So is WMPD going to start painting the patrol cars the colors of the rainbow [a common gay symbol]? If so, it would match the demographics of the city and the ever changing dept."

Perez has known about the site for about six months but says he doesn't read it. Other officers, though, tell him about the posts, he says, and he finds such comments offensive and unrepresentative of the sentiments of city residents or officers in his 42-member department. Morale, he says, is "very good."

"People hide behind anonymity and don't want to use their real name. It's frustrating," Perez said. "It's kind of hard to defend yourself or rebut what people are saying if you don't even know who they are."

The department was criticized in 2005 after the city hired California-based Dhillon Management Services for $30,000 to assess the agency. The report said management was overstaffed and that the city could save $1 million by cutting back on overtime and eliminating several high-ranking positions.

Controversy continued with the departure of then-Chief Richard Wierzbicki, a 24-year veteran of the agency, who was placed on administrative leave before retiring, and protracted contract negotiations between the city and the police union.

The forums on leoaffairs.com are meant to allow officers to talk freely about their department, share tips and promote public participation in police affairs, said Chip DeBlock, a Tampa police detective who co-founded the site in 2002. The site hosts more than 400 community forums for police departments in nine countries and receives about 8 million hits a month.

On the Wilton Manors' forum, Perez is the biggest target.

"Wasn't the new chief suppose to build the department into a great place to work? What on earth does he think he is doing?," one writer wrote. "This isn't the Mafia."

Perez said he is disappointed that some of his officers might be posting, but said they are entitled to do so off duty on their own computers.

Fred Neely, president of the city's Fraternal Order of Police, said the message boards have empowered officers in the small city to speak their minds without fear of retaliation.

The officers are "frightened that if they speak out or show resistance to the current administration, they'll face repercussions," Neely said. "With Perez, it's kind of his way or no way."

Mayor Scott Newton said he does not understand why officers are still disgruntled, since the city recently signed a contract that provides a six-year, 3-percent annual cost-of-living adjustment for Police Benevolent members. It also allows officers with at least 15 years of service to retire early without penalty.

"It's baffling sometimes to understand why some of them are writing these things," Newton said. "They got pretty much everything that they were asking for."

Some posters on the site have responded to the criticisms.

One, identified as "SomeoneWhoPaysYourSalary!" in an Aug. 15 post, said: "Did you ever stop to think for one moment that all this carrying on is being witnessed by the very people you're sworn to protect and serve?"

Neely, of the Wilton Manors FOP, agrees that "some of it is really over the top."

"I certainly cannot agree with everything that's on that Web site," Neely said. But "many of the officers have turned on each other. The cohesiveness is gone."

Elizabeth Baier can be reached at ebaier@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4337.

Hey Tennessee people read this. It tells it all brothers and sisters.

Gallegos wil be gone after 10/1 and perez will cannon foder after THAT.