The Overtime Option

On Tuesday, June 3rd the City Commission will consider a proposal to fund additional Police overtime targeting high crime areas in the city for the remainder of this fiscal year – until Sept. 30th. If approved, $100,000 will be transferred from the Commission Contingency account.

The CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) www.lakeworthcra.org has funded Police overtime for western neighborhoods for the last year. They started with $80,000 in April of last year and increased it to $150,000 for this fiscal year. The results have been phenomenally successful. Below are some of the statistics of the activity being done strictly by the CRA patrols in the area (6th Ave South to 7th Ave North from C St to F St.) The police patrols are presently working Thursday- Sunday. These stats are from April 07 to April 08.

Citizen Contacts: 5,317
Arrests: 243
Citations (Traffic & Criminal): 1,120
Vehicles Towed: 243
Red Tags Abandoned Vehicles): 182
Community Action Orders (code issues): 103

What the stats don’t show is the impact that up close and consistent contact with the police has had on the neighborhood. People have come to know the officers and have a much greater appreciation for what you all do. People are less hesitant to report suspicious and/or criminal activity. More and more neighbors are actually watching out for each other because they have greater confidence that when they report something – it’s going to be addressed by an officer they have frequently seen on patrol and have spoken with.

Targeted and consistent neighborhood policing works and I hope the Commission approves this additional expenditure. BUT, there’s a fundamental flaw in this whole picture. At what point does it make more sense to simply hire more officers and put more boots on the street all the time. Overtime expense is justified as a short-term solution, but crime in Lake Worth is not a short-term problem. We have not added officers for years now even though we’ve annexed more territory and our population has exploded with undocumented and non-tax-paying residents who draw a disproportionate share of public safety services. Foreclosures and abandoned or neglected rental properties have skyrocketed. Code compliance is severely understaffed and underfunded. Misguided political correctness intimidates and inhibits city leaders from supporting vigorous code and law enforcement.

Enough Already! The CRA community policing stats for the last year PROVE what LWPD can do when they have the resources to do it. We need precisely this kind of laser-beamed and consistent police presence in every neighborhood and we need it yesterday for heaven’s sake. I live on the edge of the CRA district and I’m grateful for what’s been accomplished, but how in the world can the city, even with help from the CRA, continue to fund adequate police services at time and half?

I’m holding Sheriff Bradshaw to his word that PBSO will bring all the resources we need to get this city under control. I’m holding this Commission to their word that public safety is their top priority. Either make the deal and make it soon with PBSO or tell us how much it going to cost Lake Worth taxpayers for permanent, citywide overtime police protection.

Above all, Thank You and Be Safe.
M.

On Tuesday, June 3rd the City Commission will consider a proposal to fund additional Police overtime targeting high crime areas in the city for the remainder of this fiscal year – until Sept. 30th. If approved, $100,000 will be transferred from the Commission Contingency account.

The CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) www.lakeworthcra.org has funded Police overtime for western neighborhoods for the last year. They started with $80,000 in April of last year and increased it to $150,000 for this fiscal year. The results have been phenomenally successful. Below are some of the statistics of the activity being done strictly by the CRA patrols in the area (6th Ave South to 7th Ave North from C St to F St.) The police patrols are presently working Thursday- Sunday. These stats are from April 07 to April 08.

Citizen Contacts: 5,317
Arrests: 243
Citations (Traffic & Criminal): 1,120
Vehicles Towed: 243
Red Tags Abandoned Vehicles): 182
Community Action Orders (code issues): 103

What the stats don’t show is the impact that up close and consistent contact with the police has had on the neighborhood. People have come to know the officers and have a much greater appreciation for what you all do. People are less hesitant to report suspicious and/or criminal activity. More and more neighbors are actually watching out for each other because they have greater confidence that when they report something – it’s going to be addressed by an officer they have frequently seen on patrol and have spoken with.

Targeted and consistent neighborhood policing works and I hope the Commission approves this additional expenditure. BUT, there’s a fundamental flaw in this whole picture. At what point does it make more sense to simply hire more officers and put more boots on the street all the time. Overtime expense is justified as a short-term solution, but crime in Lake Worth is not a short-term problem. We have not added officers for years now even though we’ve annexed more territory and our population has exploded with undocumented and non-tax-paying residents who draw a disproportionate share of public safety services. Foreclosures and abandoned or neglected rental properties have skyrocketed. Code compliance is severely understaffed and underfunded. Misguided political correctness intimidates and inhibits city leaders from supporting vigorous code and law enforcement.

Enough Already! The CRA community policing stats for the last year PROVE what LWPD can do when they have the resources to do it. We need precisely this kind of laser-beamed and consistent police presence in every neighborhood and we need it yesterday for heaven’s sake. I live on the edge of the CRA district and I’m grateful for what’s been accomplished, but how in the world can the city, even with help from the CRA, continue to fund adequate police services at time and half?

I’m holding Sheriff Bradshaw to his word that PBSO will bring all the resources we need to get this city under control. I’m holding this Commission to their word that public safety is their top priority. Either make the deal and make it soon with PBSO or tell us how much it going to cost Lake Worth taxpayers for permanent, citywide overtime police protection.

Above all, Thank You and Be Safe.
M.

Thanks Mary. They can approve overtime, but they will soon be gone with this economy. They need to merge with PBSO. The additional resources and cost savings would allow the city to spend more for Sheriff overtime.

"They can approve overtime, but they will soon be gone with this economy. They need to merge with PBSO. The additional resources and cost savings would allow the city to spend more for Sheriff overtime."

I know I get a bit too wordy sometimes, but that was precisely my point.
M.

They can approve this foolish plan which amounts to putting a band-aid on a chest wound. All it will do is deplete the city's already depleted coffers. This is not a solution. The LWPD has lost control of the streets because they are severly understaffed, overworked and grossly mismanaged by the administration. If the merger does not happen then it will only get worse when 20 or more officers leave for greener pastures. The merger is a good thing for everbody. The city will save money and have better policing for it. (win-win / no brainer)

Has anyone ever thought about adding more resources to our current PD instead of this quick merger?
The additional funds appropriated for the overtime of high crime areas has worked. Therefore, it shows our current police is capable of dealing with the current crime situation. I don't mind the PBSO merger unless all our options have been exhausted which is not the case. This is a drastic decision which I commend the Commission in taking the time to analyze it real carefully.

These arrest numbers are a ruse only meant to fool the citizens. What the citizens don't know is that most of these arrests are misdemeanors where the officers issue the bad guy a ticket with a court date. The bad guy doesn't go to jail. It won't work.

High visibility is the best deterent of crime. Having only seven or eight patrol cars on the road that are usually humping calls is not enough. Visible patrol stops crime before it happens. With PBSO, we'll get about twelve cars out there per shift, and road patrol can do what it is designed to do, PATROL!!! We have enough personnel, meaning bodies, but alot of them are chiefs and too few indians.

High visibility is the best deterent of crime. Having only seven or eight patrol cars on the road that are usually humping calls is not enough. Visible patrol stops crime before it happens. With PBSO, we'll get about twelve cars out there per shift, and road patrol can do what it is designed to do, PATROL!!! We have enough personnel, meaning bodies, but alot of them are chiefs and too few indians.

Amen

This sounds like a last ditch effort by the chief to keep his over paid job. Go PBSO now on the city's terms or wait for the city to fold and go on the county's terms. One way or another it's going to happen.

I do not know what the true and actual cost of hiring, equipping and then maintaining a police officer for a year is for the City of Lake Worth. But I would be willing to bet that for $150,000 you would only be able to get two officers on the road for that amount of money. Once you factor in the salary, benefits and expenses to hire, train and equip an officer you will see that it is not cheap. While I agree that there needs to be more officers in uniform on the street, I think that you will find that for the amount of money spent, regardless if they were issuing NTA’s, traffic citations or just standing on the corner deterring criminals through their presence you would not be able to achieve those types of results and numbers as posted, by hiring two new officers. Two new officers would amount to no gain basically. My point is that the overtime patrols are undoubtedly more cost effective and productive than spending that money on the two officers that you could hire.

The bottom line is the City of Lake Worth needs to have at a minimum of 12 road patrol units on the road at any given time of the day or night. During the evening hours and especially on Friday and Saturday night there should be a four person crime suppression team/street team out, to bring the total uniformed personnel to 16. Add a K-9 and a traffic/DUI unit and you have 18 along with two sergeants and you should have at minimum during the evening hours 20 uniformed personnel on the street. You will never get this with the current police department and its administration, this is just a fact. The only way that the City of Lake Worth will ever get the proper law enforcement presence that it deserves is to contract with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The reality of the economics dictates that this merger takes place for the betterment of the city. Those of you who are looking at this merger in a negative aspect are only being selfish and self serving. The citizens of the City of Lake Worth deserve better. This is not a slam on the many fine officers who currently work at Lake Worth P.D. or the department in general. This is also not to say that PBSO is perfect and that they are the cure all for all of the problems that the city is facing. A merger will not mean that crime comes to a complete and total halt, there will be issues to over come, things will not be perfect in the city just because green and whites are patrolling the streets. But it will be better than what is currently in place. And that will be better for everyone, citizens, officers and the city as a whole.