Brutal Sun-Sentinel Editorial SLAMS Jeff Bell and IUPA

[Unregistered]

Nothing but excuses. Bell is an idiot and in over his head. Writer pegged him dead to rights.

[Unregistered]

Nothing but excuses. Bell is an idiot and in over his head. Writer pegged him dead to rights.

Bullsh!t, Bell has put it all on the line for the membership. Never saw that from any other union. They all took care of themselves. Bell has real integrity. Also, thanks for the cold water at the range IUPA. I was always thirsty out there before you guys came along.

[Unregistered]

Yep. This author pegged SI dead to rights. Your celebrated op-ed was a 5th grade journal entry written by 4 children who just got back from a school field trip at the jail.



Union votes no-confidence in sheriff after school massacre
by terry spencer, associated press

PLANTATION, Fla. — Apr 26, 2018, 5:45 PM ET

The sheriff whose deputies responded to the Florida high school massacre received an overwhelming vote of no-confidence Thursday from the union that represents about half his sworn personnel, with the union's president calling him "a liar" for saying the poll was a union tactic to extort raises.

The Broward Sheriff's Office Deputies Association members voted 534-94 on a symbolic measure expressing no confidence in Sheriff Scott Israel, who denounced the vote and called it "inconsequential."

The union's leadership criticized Israel's handling of the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 14 students and three staff members dead, saying he should he should not have put the full blame on Deputy Scot Peterson, the school's resource officer.

The sheriff's office has been criticized for not arresting or getting a psychiatric commitment for suspect Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former Stoneman Douglas student. The office received nearly 20 calls about him in the years leading up to the shooting, mostly from his late mother about his behavior, but the sheriff's office said there was nothing he could be arrested for.

President Jeff Bell mocked Israel during a Thursday press conference, repeatedly using the same "amazing leadership" phrase that Israel used in a television interview days after the shooting to describe his handling of the shooting. His union represents about 1,300 deputies and sergeants. Unions representing jail guards and other employees support Israel.

"We no longer have confidence in your leadership, and it is time for change in Broward County," Bell said. "It is time now for the sheriff to listen to (the union's) membership and start listening to the citizens of Broward County and start changing your policies that are absolutely failing. We ask you to change your leadership to make it somewhat resemble amazing."

Israel, who easily won re-election to a second four-year term in 2016, said in a statement, "I will not be distracted from my duties by this inconsequential IUPA union vote, which was designed to extort a 6.5 percent pay raise from this agency. Those who purportedly voted in this straw ballot reflect only a small number of the 5,400 BSO employees. The unions representing the vast majority of our employees solidly support the leadership of this agency."

Bell said the union is asking for a 4.5 percent raise when its three-year contract expires in September and has never asked for a 6.5 percent increase.

"The sheriff is a complete liar, capital letters on that," Bell said. "This has never been about a contract. This has been about longstanding bad policies, his failure at leadership. ... He wants to blame everyone for his problems; the NRA (National Rifle Association), for the gun problems. He blames the school board; he blames us. It is everybody else's fault besides the sheriff. That is not an amazing leader."

Bell stopped just short of calling for Gov. Rick Scott to suspend Israel. Scott in his seven years in office has only suspended elected officials if they have been charged with a crime and rejected calls from some legislators to suspend Israel after the shooting.

"I cannot tell Gov. Scott how to do his job. I am asking him to do his job. I am asking him to re-evaluate the position of sheriff here in Broward County. If he feels that Sheriff Israel needs to be removed or suspended, we will fully support him in that decision," Bell said. But if Scott "leaves him in place, he agrees that Sheriff Israel is an amazing leader and if another incident happens that will be on the hands of Gov. Scott."

Scott spokesman John Tupps said the governor is waiting for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to complete its investigation of the Broward Sheriff's Office's handling of the shooting before making any decisions. He will then "hold people accountable."

Cruz's lawyers have conceded he is the shooter and say he will plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty.

[Unregistered]

colossal failure? yeah it was and people DO need to be held responsible. I was just reading between the lines on why the writer wrote what he wrote.

Has it ever occurred to you that the citizens of Broward do not want to live in a lawless community?
That's the same mentality as giving every kid a participation trophy. YES, arrest kids for weed. That way, maybe they wont spend their lives on the couch playing video games and draining the county of resources. That way, maybe they will learn that when you choose the behavior, you choose the consequences. You just assume that everyone supports stupid liberal thinking ? Other than the body cams, we DON'T support any of this nonsense. The massacre in parkland is EVIDENCE that the Runcie/Israel model has been a colossal failure.

[Unregistered]

Thanks Major

[Unregistered]

Oh my god how many lies were in this article? I counted at least 3. 90k a year what a joke. How much money did the Sheriff’s PR group pay the sun sentinel to write this article? This group is working major OT just look at the deleted post from Facebook and Instagram. I guess freedom of speech is only when you support this scum bag.

[Unregistered]

Holly crap, I can't believe Jeff Bell said this to a news paper Editorial Board.
For the last eight years Democrat voter have be less then supportive of the police.
His statement are going over like a turd in the punch bowl.

The deputies wanted to support the sheriff, Bell said, “but from that point forward, he’s been on a downward spiral. Policies that have come out have been detrimental to deputies. They cause unnecessary paperwork to protect them from civil liability in the future. And it further discourages deputies from going out and being proactive police officers in the street.

“You may say that crime is down, but look at how many arrests are lower than last year, as well. It’s because deputies don’t want to do anything out there because of the miserable policies that his staff has enacted.”

“The leadership of this agency is only there for political reasons … and if you lost the faith of the men and women on the streets, you’re going to have disaster on your hands. And this will turn into Chicago and Detroit and cities like that, where crime is completely out of control.

“If another incident happens, this will be on the hands of Governor Scott, not on the men and women of this agency.”

This is scary stuff. Bell’s language sounds more threatening, than cautionary. He insists BSO deputies will uphold their oath to protect and serve. But we hear a dangerous subtext.

It’s alarming to hear the union chief say the only path forward is for the governor to boot the sheriff. It’s also concerning to hear deputies don’t want to carry devices meant to de-escalate the use of force.

It sounds to us like Bell wants to call the shots. But that’s not how it works. The citizens of Broward County elected Sheriff Israel — twice. And the governor cannot remove him on a whim. It requires a finding of malfeasance.

And in the end, if Bell and some number of deputies cannot support the sheriff’s path, they should leave.

[Unregistered]

Good....I hope more deputies do leave bso.
Good luck trying to find replacements....already a nightmare....keep driving experienced deputies to find another department to work for....great move....idiot!

[Unregistered]

The scum sentinel writes an article and some of you start folding like cheap lawn chairs. If you believe them than you are the coward of Broward. Please go onto the sheriff.org's twitter feed and you will see what everyone thinks of the sheriff.

Scum sentinel has the grants guy stick up for the sheriff

[Unregistered]

Istupa is the place to be!!!!!!!!!LOL!!!!!!!!!!!