Results 1 to 1 of 1
-
08-26-2008, 11:52 AM #1
citizens support the merger
Lake Worth-sheriff's merger crucial
Palm Beach Post Letters to the Editor
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
City needs better coverage
Merging the Lake Worth Police Department with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is the only responsible action the city commission can take tonight when this contract is up for approval.
Our city's most basic promise to residents is to provide for the safety of our homes and families. That security has become increasingly compromised, with violence occurring with deadly frequency. Murders are at an all-time high in Lake Worth. Burglary, home invasions, gang activity, prostitution, drug dealing and armed robberies threaten every neighborhood and business community. Lake Worth has not added positions to its police force since it was reduced by 10 percent in 1998, despite massive increases in its budget.
The department has earned accreditation and, more important, the respect and trust of city residents despite an appalling lack of resources and personnel to meet the demands of a city larger and more populous than it was 10 years ago. The sheriff's office will immediately bring much-needed new organization, revised shift schedules resulting in a 60 percent increase in officers on regular patrol as well as additional resources and the special law enforcement teams that criminals fear and residents deserve.
Commissioners who object to the merger on financial grounds fail to consider the crushing cost of future pension obligations as well as the intangible cost of lost opportunities to attract working families as home-owning, taxpaying contributors to our city. I support this merger and look forward to a new commission with members who honor and support law enforcement, code enforcement and the safety of Lake Worth residents.
MARY LINDSEY
Lake Worth
Editor's note: Mary Lindsey is a candidate for the District 2 commission seat.
It's about citizens taking control
I found some letters to the editor concerning the decision by the Lake Worth City Commission to contract with the sheriff's office shortsighted and lacking a basic understanding of operating a city.
Fuel costs, pensions and raises were named as things Lake Worth will continue to be responsible for even after the shift to the sheriff. In her letter, City Commissioner Cara Jennings did not mention that if Lake Worth had chosen to keep its police department, these items would have remained the responsibility of Lake Worth, in addition to the rising pension fees. Lake Worth is not in a position to offer the officers enough resources to be effective in the fight against gangs and other serious crime in the city.
Commissioner Jennings has had ample opportunity to offer solutions, but all city departments are unable to attract new talent or keep the talent they have. The dangling carrot for the police was the great pension, which turns out to be bad financial planning.
As much as Commissioner Jennings has the right to practice her "absence of government" politics, I have the right as a business owner and a land-owning taxpayer to demand to have good governance and quality policing to keep me and my customers safe. Lake Worth needs this change to show its citizens that the city is serious about the future. With this decision made, I believe that the citizens will see that well-planned growth and a solid tax base are needed to develop the city and make it self-reliant.
Years of poor planning, fear of growth and the passing of Amendment 1 have catapulted Lake Worth backward. Lake Worth is in a serious situation, and the city needs to take serious steps to pull itself up. This merger is the citizens taking control, not giving it up.
SHANON MATERIO
Lake Worth
Editor's note: Shanon Materio is president of McMow Art Glass in Lake Worth.
Quick Navigation
Lake Worth Police Department
Top
- Site Areas
- Settings
- Private Messages
- Subscriptions
- Who's Online
- Search Forums
- Forums Home
- Forums
- ANNOUNCEMENTS
- MAIN
- UNIONS
- NEWS
- ENTERTAINMENT
- U.S. STATES
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Alameda County Sheriff's Office
- Berkeley Police Department
- Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office
- Fremont Police Department
- Hayward Police Department
- Lake County Sheriff's Department
- Long Beach Police Department
- Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
- Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.)
- Marin County Sheriff's Office
- Napa County Sheriff's Department
- Oakland Police Department
- Orange County Sheriff's Office
- Palo Alto Police Department
- Pleasant Hill Police Department
- Richmond Police Department
- San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department
- San Bruno Police Department
- San Francisco County Sheriff's Department
- San Francisco Police Department
- San Jose Police Department
- San Mateo County Sheriff's Office
- Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
- Santa Clara Police Department
- Solano County Sheriff's Office
- Sonoma County Sheriff's Department
- Stafford County Sheriff's Office
- Sunnyvale Police Department
- Vacaville Police Department
- Vallejo Police Department
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Alachua County Sheriff's Office
- Apopka Police Department
- Aventura Police Department
- Bal Harbour Police Department
- Bartow Police Department
- Bay Harbor Islands Police Department
- Biscayne Park Police Department
- Boynton Beach Police Department
- Bradenton Police Department
- Brevard County Sheriff's Office
- Broward County Sheriff's Office
- Blountstown Police Department
- Cape Coral Police Department
- Central Florida Motor Officers Association
- Charlotte County Sheriff's Office
- Citrus County Sheriff's Office
- Clay County Sheriff's Office
- Clearwater Police Department
- Clermont Police Department
- Clewiston Police Department
- Collier County Sheriff's Office
- Coconut Creek Police Department
- Coral Gables Police Department
- Dade City Police Department
- Davie Police Department
- Delray Beach Police Department
- Doral Police Department
- El Portal Police Department
- Escambia County Sheriff's Office
- Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- Florida Atlantic University Police Department
- Florida Department of Corrections
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement
- Florida Department of Transportation
- Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
- Florida Division of Insurance Fraud
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- Florida Highway Patrol
- Florida Highway Patrol Auxiliary
- Florida International University Police Department
- Florida Narcotic Officers’ Association
- Florida Office of the Attorney General
- Florida State Fire Marshals Office
- Fort Pierce Police Department
- Fort Myers Police Department
- Fort Lauderdale Police Department
- Gainesville Police Department
- Glades County Sheriff's Office
- Golden Beach Police Department
- Gulfport Police Department
- Hardee County Sheriff's Office
- Hallandale Beach Police Department
- Hendry County Sheriff's Office
- Hernando County Sheriff's Office
- Hialeah Gardens Police Department
- Hialeah Police Department
- Highlands County Sheriff's Office
- Hillsborough County Schools Security Services
- Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
- Hollywood Police Department
- Homestead Police Department
- Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
- Juno Beach Police Department
- Jupiter Police Department
- Key West Police Department
- Lady Lake Police Department
- Kissimmee Police Department
- Lake City Police Department
- Lakeland Police Department
- Lake Worth Police Department
- Lantana Police Department
- Largo Police Department
- Lauderhill Police Department
- Lee County Sheriff's Office
- Madison County Sheriff's Office
- Maitland Police Department
- Manatee County Sheriff's Office
- Margate Police Department
- Marion County Sheriff's Office
- Martin County Sheriff's Office
- Medley Police Department
- Melbourne Police Department
- Miami Beach Police Department
- Miami Gardens Police Department
- Miami Police Department
- Miami Springs Police Department
- Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department
- Miami-Dade Police Department
- Miami-Dade Schools Police Department
- Miccosukee Police Department
- Miramar Police Department
- Monroe County Sheriff's Office
- Naples Police Department
- New College of Florida Police Department
- New Port Richey Police Department
- North Bay Village Police Department
- North Miami Beach Police Department
- North Port Police Department
- Ocala Police Department
- Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office
- Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
- Okeechobee Police Department
- Opa-Locka Police Department
- Orange County Department of Corrections
- Orange County Sheriff's Office
- Orlando Police Department
- Oviedo Police Department
- Palm Beach County School Police Department
- Palm Beach Shores Police Department
- Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
- Palmetto Police Department
- Pasco County Sheriff's Office
- PBA News
- Pensacola Police Department
- Pembroke Pines Police Department
- Perry Police Department
- Pinecrest Police Department
- Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
- Pinellas Park Police Department
- Plant City Police Department
- Plantation Police Department
- Polk County Sheriff's Office
- Port Canaveral Police Department
- Port Richey Police Department
- Port Saint Lucie Police Department
- Punta Gorda Police Department
- Riviera Beach Police Department
- Sanford Police Department
- Santa Fe Community College Police Department
- Sanibel Police Department
- Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office
- Sarasota County Sheriff's Office
- Sarasota Police Department
- Seminole Police Department
- Seminole County Sheriff's Office
- South Miami Police Department
- St. Johns County Sheriff's Office
- St. Pete Beach Police Department
- Sumter County Sheriff's Office
- St. Pete Police Department
- Sunny Isles Beach Police Department
- Sunrise Police Department
- Sweetwater Police Department
- S.W.F.I.I.N.
- Tallahassee Police Department
- Tampa International Airport Police Department
- Tampa Police Department
- Tavares Police Department
- Taylor County Sheriff's Department
- Temple Terrace Police Department
- University of Central Florida Police Department
- University of South Florida Police Department
- Venice Police Department
- Volusia County Sheriff's Office
- Wauchula Police Department
- Wakulla County Sheriff's Office
- Walton County Sheriff's Office
- West Palm Beach Police Department
- Wilton Manors Police Department
- Winter Garden Police Department
- Zephyrhills Police Department
- Zolfo Springs Police Department
- Georgia
- Atlanta Police Department
- Brooklet Police Department
- Cobb County Police Department
- Colquitt County Sheriff's Office
- Dekalb County Police Department
- Dekalb County Sheriff's Office
- Fulton County Police Department
- Georgia State Patrol
- Hall County Sheriff's Office
- Moultrie Police Department
- Muscogee County Sheriff's Office
- Peach County Board of Education Campus Safety
- Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department
- Woodstock Police Department
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Aberdeen Proving Ground Police
- Anne Arundel County Police Department
- Baltimore City Police Department
- Baltimore County Sheriff's Office
- Dorchester County Sheriff's Office
- Governor's Office of Homeland Security
- Harford County Sheriff's Office
- Maryland State Police
- Maryland Transportation Authority Police
- Montgomery County Detention Center
- Montgomery County Sheriff's Office
- Morningside Police Department
- New Carrollton Police Department
- Prince George's County Police Department
- Prince George's County Sheriff's Office
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- Atlantic County Department of Public Safety
- Bergen County Sheriff's Office
- Burlington City Police Department
- Deptford Township Police Department
- Elizabeth Police Department
- Garfield Police Department
- Kean University Police Department
- Livingston Police Department
- Long Branch Police Department
- Newark Police Department
- Rutgers University Police Department
- Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Police Department
- Pennsauken Police Department
- Salem County Sheriff's Office
- South Orange Village Police Department
- Summit Police Department
- Town of Clinton Police Department
- Wenonah Police Department
- Westampton Township Police Department
- New Mexico
- New York
- Department of Homeless Services Police
- New York Police Department
- New York Unified Court System
- Cazenovia College Campus Safety
- New York City Auxilary Police Department
- Town of Lloyd Police Department
- Elmsford Police Department
- Monroe County Sheriff's Office
- Orange County Sheriff's Office
- Suffolk Police Department
- Yonkers Police Department
- Geneva Police Department
- North Carolina
- Clay County Sheriff's Office
- Lee County Schools Special Police
- North Carolina State PBA
- High Point Police Department
- Cherokee County Sheriff's Office
- Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department
- Macon County Sheriff's Office
- Monroe Police Department
- Murphy Police Department
- Nash County Sheriff's Office
- North Carolina Highway Patrol
- Roanoke Rapids Police Department
- Salisbury Police Department
- Wayne County Sheriff's Office
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Baldwin Burough Police Department
- Bucks County Sheriff's Office
- Exeter Township Police Department
- Green Tree Police Department
- Harrisburg Police Department
- Lower Paxton Township Police Department
- Mount Joy Borough Police Department
- Northwest Lancaster County Regional Police Department
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Philadelphia Police Department
- Reading Police Department
- Scranton Police Department
- Swissvale Police Department
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Police Department
- Warrington Township Police Department
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Davidson County Sheriff's Office
- Nashville Metro Park Police Department
- Tennessee Highway Patrol
- Washington County Sheriff's Office
- Shelby County Sheriff's Office
- Johnson City Police Department
- Cookeville Police Department
- Putnam County Sheriff's Office
- White County Sheriff's Office
- Bristol Police Department
- Cocke County Sheriff's Office
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Arlington Police Department
- Alexandria Police Department
- Arlington County Sheriff's Office
- Virginia State Police
- Fairfax County Police Department
- Fairfax County Sheriff's Office
- Chesapeake Police Department
- Portsmouth Police Department
- Virginia Beach Police Department
- Norfolk Police Department
- Newport News Police Department
- ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement
- Police Emerald Society of Tidewater, VA
- Smithfield Police Department
- York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office
- Chesterfield County Police Department
- Henrico FOP
- Henrico Police Department
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- U.S. FEDERAL AGENCIES
- Air Force Military Police
- AFGE Federal Law Enforcement
- Amtrak Police Department
- Capitol Police
- Customs and Border Protection
- Department of the Army Civilain Police
- Department of the Army Military Police
- Dept. of Commerce/BIS/Export Enforcement
- Department of Corrections
- Department of Homeland Security
- DHS - Secret Service
- DHS-Transportaton Security Administration
- DHS-TSA-Federal Air Marshall Service
- Department of Justice (DOJ)
- DoD - Fort Belvoir Community Hospital Police Department
- DOJ - Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.)
- DOJ - Federal Bureau of Prisons
- DOJ - Security & Emergency Planning Staff
- DOJ - U.S. Marshals Service
- DT - The Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau
- DT - Bureau of Engraving and Printing
- DT - Financial Crimes Network (FinCEN)
- DT - Inspector General
- Department of Veteran Affairs
- District of Columbia Housing Authority Police Department
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- Housing Authority Police Department
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [DT]
- Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
- Metropolitan Police Department
- MPDC FOP Labor Committee
- National Capital Park Police
- National Navy Medical Center
- Naval Criminal Investigative Service
- Postal Police
- Treasury Department
- USDA FNS Retailer Investigative Branch
- US Army Criminal Investigation Command
- AUSTRALIA
- Law Enforcement Specialty and Support Units
- U.S. TERRITORIES
- BARBADOS
- CANADA
- COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA
- ENGLAND
- GERMANY
- GRENADA
- IRELAND
- ISRAEL
- KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS
- JAMAICA
- MEXICO
- ROYAL ST. CHRISTOPHER (ST KITTS) and NEVIS
- SPAIN
- TRINIDAD and TOBAGO
- UNITED NATIONS
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
Bookmarks