OFFICERS IN NEED OF HELP

Just in case you did not read this the first time.

This is to all the new Davie officers. Pay close attention to this story. Read it more then once. Hopefully you will realize that working hard and dedicating more time then what is necessary to this department will get you nothing. In the end a knife will get shoved in your back. People that you once thought were your friends will turn their backs on you.

Be comfortable being able to stand on your own. Don't be concerned about fitting in with the crowd. Depend on yourself and no one else. That way you will never be let down. Yourself and family always come first. When you retire your family is what you'll have left. Not co-workers.

People training for specialized units and staying late for paperwork without putting in for overtime are only helping the same regime that will not help you in return.

Do your job. Do it right. But don't give this place anything extra. Just give them what is required. Hard work is not rewarded here.

I agree with Kwagmire....... All Davie PD Officers need to ask themselves one important question: What will happen to me if I get injured in the line of duty??????? Could be the result of a car accident, injury during training, or some other health issue................ Will the PD ( & the FOP for that matter) help you?? Isn't HUMAN RESOURCES supposed to help it's employees? I don't think they helped out the Sarge & Lt.......... Protect yourselves.....................

[Signaltwenty]

I for one would like to see some sort of protest. I will happily carry a sign at the next town hall meeting.

I hope that your guys get what they deserve and stand behind them all the way. But it must be said that the PBA would have never allowed this to happen. The PBA in Pines kept Lynn in check and kept the elected officials happy and on our side.

Whatever happens, we all pray that they will be healthy for a long time and get some kind of money from your city. God Bless.

Guest25 - You hit the nail on the head !!!!!! Our current FOP only cares about our contract and what they can get from the city....... There are a number of Officers who are also PBA members because they know the true value & benefits that they offer......

Guest25 - You hit the nail on the head !!!!!! Our current FOP only cares about our contract and what they can get from the city....... There are a number of Officers who are also PBA members because they know the true value & benefits that they offer......

please..................... get your facts straight first. But then again, you would rather talk first them seek facts

But it must be said that the PBA would have never allowed this to happen.

Hey uninformed, the Sergeant who was fired IS a PBA member and is using them for his legal representation. So, the PBA DID allow this to happen to one of its members. How incredibly stupid are you to think that the PBA can do something magical that the FOP can't or didn't do?? Does Brickman REALLY brainwash you guys that much??? Wake up...

But it must be said that the PBA would have never allowed this to happen.

Hey uninformed, the Sergeant who was fired IS a PBA member and is using them for his legal representation. So, the PBA DID allow this to happen to one of its members. How incredibly stupid are you to think that the PBA can do something magical that the FOP can't or didn't do?? Does Brickman REALLY brainwash you guys that much??? Wake up...

WELL SAID.......................................

OPEN PUBLIC SPEAK(3 minutes per person)
Davie Town Council Meeting
Wed., March 6, 2008
6:30 or 7pm(Check Town website under Council Agendas for exact time.
Open Public speak held first council meeting of every month @ beginning of meeting)

FYI - When asked about all the recent firings, forced retirements and separations of employment happening with Davie employees, the
Asst. Town Administrator answers:
"It's all part of Gary's Master Plan"...

BLOG for Article below:

http://www.topix.net/forum/source/south ... AOU1HI601V

sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flcwcop0210cwfeb10,0,4307296.story

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Firing of Davie police officers stirs emotions
Dispute in Davie turns up in the national spotlight
By Susannah Bryan

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

February 10, 2008

The town's firing of two police officers with heart disease has angered residents, garnered national attention and put Town Administrator Gary Shimun on the defensive.

Sgt. Mike Necolettos said he was fired on Jan. 9 because of a heart attack he had while on duty in May. His boss, Lt. Greg Mize, was fired the same day, after suffering several heart attacks.

The story, broken by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel last month, was picked up by WSVN-Ch. 7, CNN and MSNBC, whose Keith Olbermann declared Davie one of the "worst persons in the world" in his Countdown newscast.

The story has even made its way to Youtube.com, with a man calling himself "Preacher James" asking whether the town's mayor, police chief and town administrator can "sleep at night."

Mayor Tom Truex, who did not have a say in the dismissals, said the town was unable to publicly defend its position due to privacy laws.

"There is more than meets the eye to this," Truex said, declining to elaborate.

Necolettos, 37, has filed a grievance with the town claiming he was wrongfully terminated.

Officials with the town's police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, declined to comment.

"We're not going to debate this in the public or the newspaper," town spokesman Braulio Rosa said on behalf of Shimun. "We're confident in our position."

Florida law presumes police officers and firefighters with heart disease got it from on-the-job stress. The same law requires cities and counties to pay workers' comp and retirement benefits to officers and firefighters with heart-related illnesses.

The town administrator has declined to speak to reporters but did write to one resident angered by the dismissals.

On Feb. 1, town activist Karen Stenzel-Nowicki sent an e-mail to the Town Council with a link to the MSNBC video clip of Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

Shimun replied via e-mail the same day, telling Stenzel-Nowicki she did not have all the facts. In the e-mail, Shimun accuses Necolettos of being uncooperative and refusing to apply for workers' compensation benefits or see a workers' compensation doctor.

Stenzel-Nowicki forwarded Shimun's e-mail to the council and Necolettos' attorney.

Necolettos, who was being treated by a workers' comp doctor at the time of his dismissal, said he was flabbergasted by the e-mail. "There's nothing that could be further from the truth," he said.

The town had voluntarily provided Necolettos with workers' comp benefits when he first became sick, he said. Those benefits stopped coming in August, the day after the town lost a court hearing trying to force him to get an independent evaluation from a Vero Beach doctor, he said.

Necolettos objected to traveling so far and thought the town was trying to prove his condition was not work-related to avoid paying benefits.

Necolettos filed a claim in September to have his workers' comp benefits reinstated, said his West Palm Beach attorney, Robert Winess. The case is set for trial in October.

Most police officers who can no longer do the job are given time to apply for disability pensions rather than being fired and left with no health insurance or workers' comp benefits, said David Murrell, executive director of the Florida Police Benevolent Association.

Necolettos said he had hoped to return to work after recovering from his heart attack. In October, the father of three returned to light duty with his doctor's OK. But in November, still feeling lousy, he stopped work and checked into the hospital to find out why his blood pressure remained high.

In December, he requested a return to light duty, but the town turned him down. About a week later, he got a letter from then-Human Resources Director Mark Alan firing him.

Necolettos began receiving long-term disability after his worker's comp benefits were stopped in August. The disability payments bring in slightly more than half of his regular paycheck.

In the meantime, he hopes to receive an in-line-of-duty disability pension. A decision by the town's pension board is three months away.

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7929.



Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The true and correct body of the e-mail sent to the longtime Davie Resident and Property Owner:

You would be a far more effective advocate if you actually took the time to learn the facts before you opened your mouth.
The officer in question has been receiving monetary compensation and benefits for the last nine months, but has refused to apply for worker's compensation, see a worker's compensation doctor, or turn over his medical records to the worker's compensation review board. In the opinion of the human resources director and the risk manager our action was the only way break this deadlock and move this issue to resolution.
As you will note from the newspaper article, he is now applying for his benefits under worker's compensation. Our decision obviously helped facilitate this appropriate result. The taxpayers of the Town of Davie pay for worker's compensation insurance on behalf of the employee. Its purpose is to insure the employee's financial security when a situation just like this one occurs. We have always fully supported his application for and receipt of this benefit.
State and Federal laws prohibit the Town from discussing an employee's medical history, and that puts us at a distinct disadvantage when publicly discussing individual cases. Suffice it to say that the article written was decidedly one sided, and did not highlight the employee's uncooperative and adversarial posture. However, should the employee choose to file a lawsuit, we will be more fully able to explore his reasons for not wanting to cooperate. We welcome that opportunity.
I trust you can understand that there are two sides to every story.
Sincerely,
Gary Shimun
Town Administrator