Time for a change

[Unregistered]

Why? What do our officers need to be on the interstate for? Patrol our neighborhoods and keep our children safe. That is what you are paid to do. There is no need to write tickets on the interstate for our city cops. Just another dumbass Vespia idea.

[Unregistered]

I’m pretty sure your children ride in cars on the interstate where other drivers drive like morons. The next time a child dies on the interstate you are going to know why the police weren’t doing more to prevent bad driving on the interstate. It’s a no win situation.

[Unregistered]

I’m pretty sure your children ride in cars on the interstate where other drivers drive like morons. The next time a child dies on the interstate you are going to know why the police weren’t doing more to prevent bad driving on the interstate. It’s a no win situation.

Very well said. 75 is a death zone. You always find the ones that complain about people not moving over so they can speed by are the culprits of the dearth zone. Get them safe lives please

[Unregistered]

I’m pretty sure your children ride in cars on the interstate where other drivers drive like morons. The next time a child dies on the interstate you are going to know why the police weren’t doing more to prevent bad driving on the interstate. It’s a no win situation.

It not about the speeders its all about the highway drug interdiction, looking for mules etc, lee and charlotte counties do it, Sarasota county also, if one were to remember the K9 units used to sit up on 75 at sumter, KV stopped that.. the sheriffs traffic unit is on 75 everyday, so do we waste resources in chasing speeders or does the SET team do what it was intended to do, chase druggies, bangers and other specialty criminals
75 at night is no joke, FHP will tell you, you have to be extra vigilante after dark because the criminals use the darkness to travel 75. Leave 75 to FHP and the county and put the resources where they are needed, protecting the citizens of NP, not chasing speeders on 75, need to start patrolling 41, that's where its most dangerous.

[Unregistered]

So the drugs traveling on the interstate don’t have any consequences for the citizens of this city? No crime comes from drugs here? No deaths as a result? Do we live in a drug free little bubble? The point is that no matter where the police resources are put people complain when something bad gappens. Drug crimes happen and people want to know why the police aren’t doing more to keep the drugs out of the city. Officers try to do more to keep the drugs out of the city and people call and are angry there are speeders on the road. The point being no matter what the police are viewed as not doing enough.

[Unregistered]

First of all, Terry Lewis stopped the I-75 ticket writing... he couldn't justify the overtime expenses to the city for what the city got in return (almost nothing). KV used to work that detail bc it may have been the only thing he knew how to do remotely correct. CM spent a lot of time there too, slamming motorists with hefty fines and bragging about who wrote the biggest one that night.

The problem isn't that units are up there, it's that they're there when the department is 18 positions light (give or take a few). Road squads are running on 2008/2009 staffing levels and overtime will soon become a problem for the budget again. KV will start raping the vacant funded salaries to fund the overtime bill instead of actually hiring people to ease the workload. This is common practice but not when you're running on a skeleton crew.

Not only that but now that his command staff is leaving in droves, he needs to promote more...which he'll do from within since his last effort to hire outsiders who didn't know how stupid he was failed miserably. He'll choose sgt's to be commanders and he'll fill those sgt's positions with line level offers per the union contract, which will leave the road even more short.

Then when his new commanders have to go to the FBI academy or some other ridiculous school, he'll make his new sgt's assume the temporary role of commander and make them sit in the pd and enter complaints on officers from citizens upset about getting a ticket. To fill that sgt's spot, he'll pull a road officer to be an OIC and that will short the road even more.

Perhaps if someone mentioned more specific details about just how and why the dept admin is so incompetent and bafoonish, someone may pay more attention. Start comparing current overtime costs to those of staffing levels from KV's first year as chief... you may find taxpayers paying the same amount of money or more to less officers than you could be paying to a fully staffed agency. It's OK though, it's only tax dollars. There will be more next year when he asks for another budget increase.

[Unregistered]

First of all, Terry Lewis stopped the I-75 ticket writing... he couldn't justify the overtime expenses to the city for what the city got in return (almost nothing). KV used to work that detail bc it may have been the only thing he knew how to do remotely correct. CM spent a lot of time there too, slamming motorists with hefty fines and bragging about who wrote the biggest one that night.

The problem isn't that units are up there, it's that they're there when the department is 18 positions light (give or take a few). Road squads are running on 2008/2009 staffing levels and overtime will soon become a problem for the budget again. KV will start raping the vacant funded salaries to fund the overtime bill instead of actually hiring people to ease the workload. This is common practice but not when you're running on a skeleton crew.

Not only that but now that his command staff is leaving in droves, he needs to promote more...which he'll do from within since his last effort to hire outsiders who didn't know how stupid he was failed miserably. He'll choose sgt's to be commanders and he'll fill those sgt's positions with line level offers per the union contract, which will leave the road even more short.

Then when his new commanders have to go to the FBI academy or some other ridiculous school, he'll make his new sgt's assume the temporary role of commander and make them sit in the pd and enter complaints on officers from citizens upset about getting a ticket. To fill that sgt's spot, he'll pull a road officer to be an OIC and that will short the road even more.

Perhaps if someone mentioned more specific details about just how and why the dept admin is so incompetent and bafoonish, someone may pay more attention. Start comparing current overtime costs to those of staffing levels from KV's first year as chief... you may find taxpayers paying the same amount of money or more to less officers than you could be paying to a fully staffed agency. It's OK though, it's only tax dollars. There will be more next year when he asks for another budget increase.

When the K9 was at full staffing what four yrs ago, they used to sit under the overpass on 75 by Sumter, this is way after terry lewis, 2 0r 3 at a time, even patrol did this up until what three years ago, then KV stopped it. FHP has the responsibility of 75, all the calls we get for accidents we turn over to them, This is FHP territory they handle the highway, we handle the city.

[Unregistered]

So the drugs traveling on the interstate don’t have any consequences for the citizens of this city? No crime comes from drugs here? No deaths as a result? Do we live in a drug free little bubble? The point is that no matter where the police resources are put people complain when something bad gappens. Drug crimes happen and people want to know why the police aren’t doing more to keep the drugs out of the city. Officers try to do more to keep the drugs out of the city and people call and are angry there are speeders on the road. The point being no matter what the police are viewed as not doing enough.

more drugs are transported via 41 and the backroads than 75, less chance of detection.

[Unregistered]

So the drugs traveling on the interstate don’t have any consequences for the citizens of this city? No crime comes from drugs here? No deaths as a result? Do we live in a drug free little bubble? The point is that no matter where the police resources are put people complain when something bad gappens. Drug crimes happen and people want to know why the police aren’t doing more to keep the drugs out of the city. Officers try to do more to keep the drugs out of the city and people call and are angry there are speeders on the road. The point being no matter what the police are viewed as not doing enough.

Old argument. Drugs are everywhere. Drug interdiction is something a police department does when it is fully staffed. First order of business is prevention of crimes to the citizens of the city. Drugs have been passing through NP on 75 for years. The percentage of those passing through our city having an impact on us are minimal. So you stop a person from Miami going to Tampa in a rent a car with 10 pounds of weed. How has that helped NP? Not at all. You just tied up resources that could be used to help the neighborhoods. When we are 18 people short working I-75 is the last thing we should be doing. That is what FHP has a budget for and that is what taxpayers pay them to do. Their job their road! SET team needs to be patrolling neighborhoods at night looking for suspicious people.

[Unregistered]

I know this is not a topic which directly impacts NPPD, but indirectly it will impact both the PD and the taxpayers. I was privy to a conversation recently which will, if true, will change the entire entity of North Port. As we know West Villages is building a lot of homes and of course the new dinosaur, the braves stadium There has been some discussion as to why the NP commissioners are pushing thru the necessary paperwork and monies to support and fund this project.
As you know, jONATHAN Lewis, former city manager and now top administrator for the county started the braves project, what is not commonly known he is bestie with the person running the show in west villages. If you are not familiar with west villages it is and will be a large self supporting community north of river rd to the city line. It will stretch from engelwood to 75, some 11 thousand homes and business are proposed, this includes the taxpayer supported braves stadium.
What is not commonly known is that within a ten year period or less, there are plans to annex west villages from north port, similar to the Lakewood ranch area of Sarasota county, a move supported by Lewis.
Annexation will mean, North Port will lose all control and interest and taxes,in this area. All those taxpayer monies we spent will be gone, this would include the Braves stadium interest. Can it be done, absolutely, will it be done, absolutely. North Port incorporated now stops at and around the Biscayne area, most areas north of Biscayne are titled North Port but are in the unincorporated area, controlled by the county. Any annexation will severely impact the city budget, meaning monies for programs, departments etc. This is a self serving move headed by Lewis and yes supported by some of our commissioners. Now some will disagree and say this is not going to happen, I personally hope it doesn't, but I know the wheels are turning and progress is being made to insure it does. I am sure the powers in charge will deny this, simply because they don't want us to know until its to late. We are being duped into spending our tax dollars into a stadium and area which does not want to be affiliated with NP. Most residents of west villages refer to Venice as there home. This will be a considerable loss of tax dollars and if true will impact all of us.