09-05-2007, 09:52 AM
Statement From Chief Timoney Reference F.O.P. Vote
Today, the Miami Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) issued a vote of no confidence against my administration. A vote of no confidence has been a ploy by police unions all across America since the late 1990?s. At times they result from an issue of discipline or in most cases from the implementation of a controversial policy (e.g. no shooting at vehicles, restricting vehicle pursuits, etc.) While these votes of no confidence are somewhat common occurrences, there is no case known to me where a city Mayor or Manager was swayed by such a vote. To do so would literally encourage such tactics and result in chaos in American policing.
In the case of the Miami FOP, it is not clear what the issue(s) are, since the leadership of the FOP has not once come into my office regarding any issues that affected their members (with the exception of recent contract negotiations, which I supported and added additional benefits for our officers). In fact, the only other time that FOP President Sgt. Armando Aguilar has come to my office was over a year ago, asking me not to fire a police officer who happened to be a close personal friend of his. When I did not honor his request, Sgt. Aguilar let it be known that he was very upset with me as well as the administration.
According to some, the leadership of the FOP believes that this administration is too tough on discipline. Well, when you examine the facts, the story is quite different. When reviewing the three years prior to my administration, you?ll find a total of 518 reprimands were issued. During my first three years as Police Chief, there were a total of 446 reprimands issued. This reduction in discipline has not happened by chance, but by design. This is due to a number of accountability measures and intervention programs implemented during my administration.
Let us not forget that over the past four and a half years, no officer has been involved in any controversial police shootings nor have there been any major scandals regarding our officers. In fact, for one 20-month period and another 12-month period, not a single bullet was discharged at a civilian by a Miami Police Officer. This record is unparalleled in big city police departments!
According to one press account, the union leadership was highly critical of our biweekly COMPSTAT meetings, where we analyze crime and deploy resources to address crime and quality of life issues. It is interesting that neither the FOP president nor his vice-president have EVER attended a COMPSTAT meeting. These meetings have been attended by the Mayor, City Manager, Commission members, community leaders, members from the State Attorney?s Office, representatives from law enforcement agencies from around the country, and the press. In fact, front line police officers have attended COMPSTAT and not once have they ever suggested it was anything but a professionally run meeting.
The FOP also alleges that the department is knowingly altering the crime statistics to indicate a reduction in crime. These allegations insult my professionalism and tarnish the entire department. Therefore, I have asked FDLE to conduct an audit our crime reporting and data collection processes. I want to reassure the public that I am confident that our crime reporting and classification system is fully compliant with the Federal Bureau of Investigation?s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting System (UCR).
So, it baffles the mind, when one tries to figure the rationale behind this vote of no confidence. However, what has become clear over the last couple of weeks is the intent of the FOP to dictate who the next Chief of the City of Miami Police will be.
In an effort to determine if there are any real issues, I will put together an outreach focus group, comprised of shift/unit officer representatives that will meet with me. This will provide an opportunity to address their concerns directly and without distortion or misinformation.
I am very proud of the men and women of the Miami Police Department who I have had the honor to lead over the last four and a half years. Together we have reduced police shootings, reduced crime and improved the quality of life for the citizens of this great city. We have also collectively developed this organization into a world class police department.
The Fraternal Order of Police has done a huge disservice to their members and the citizens we serve. The shenanigans of the last few weeks were merely an attempt at political assassination and therefore, more reflective of the lack of leadership of the FOP than of this administration. Ultimately, each police officer will have to look in the mirror and question whether the leaders of the FOP really have his or her best interest at heart.
In closing, although the FOP has attempted to destroy the positive reputation that our men and woman have worked so hard to achieve for this department, this will not dissuade us from continuing to provide professional and reliable service to our community.
Today, the Miami Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) issued a vote of no confidence against my administration. A vote of no confidence has been a ploy by police unions all across America since the late 1990?s. At times they result from an issue of discipline or in most cases from the implementation of a controversial policy (e.g. no shooting at vehicles, restricting vehicle pursuits, etc.) While these votes of no confidence are somewhat common occurrences, there is no case known to me where a city Mayor or Manager was swayed by such a vote. To do so would literally encourage such tactics and result in chaos in American policing.
In the case of the Miami FOP, it is not clear what the issue(s) are, since the leadership of the FOP has not once come into my office regarding any issues that affected their members (with the exception of recent contract negotiations, which I supported and added additional benefits for our officers). In fact, the only other time that FOP President Sgt. Armando Aguilar has come to my office was over a year ago, asking me not to fire a police officer who happened to be a close personal friend of his. When I did not honor his request, Sgt. Aguilar let it be known that he was very upset with me as well as the administration.
According to some, the leadership of the FOP believes that this administration is too tough on discipline. Well, when you examine the facts, the story is quite different. When reviewing the three years prior to my administration, you?ll find a total of 518 reprimands were issued. During my first three years as Police Chief, there were a total of 446 reprimands issued. This reduction in discipline has not happened by chance, but by design. This is due to a number of accountability measures and intervention programs implemented during my administration.
Let us not forget that over the past four and a half years, no officer has been involved in any controversial police shootings nor have there been any major scandals regarding our officers. In fact, for one 20-month period and another 12-month period, not a single bullet was discharged at a civilian by a Miami Police Officer. This record is unparalleled in big city police departments!
According to one press account, the union leadership was highly critical of our biweekly COMPSTAT meetings, where we analyze crime and deploy resources to address crime and quality of life issues. It is interesting that neither the FOP president nor his vice-president have EVER attended a COMPSTAT meeting. These meetings have been attended by the Mayor, City Manager, Commission members, community leaders, members from the State Attorney?s Office, representatives from law enforcement agencies from around the country, and the press. In fact, front line police officers have attended COMPSTAT and not once have they ever suggested it was anything but a professionally run meeting.
The FOP also alleges that the department is knowingly altering the crime statistics to indicate a reduction in crime. These allegations insult my professionalism and tarnish the entire department. Therefore, I have asked FDLE to conduct an audit our crime reporting and data collection processes. I want to reassure the public that I am confident that our crime reporting and classification system is fully compliant with the Federal Bureau of Investigation?s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting System (UCR).
So, it baffles the mind, when one tries to figure the rationale behind this vote of no confidence. However, what has become clear over the last couple of weeks is the intent of the FOP to dictate who the next Chief of the City of Miami Police will be.
In an effort to determine if there are any real issues, I will put together an outreach focus group, comprised of shift/unit officer representatives that will meet with me. This will provide an opportunity to address their concerns directly and without distortion or misinformation.
I am very proud of the men and women of the Miami Police Department who I have had the honor to lead over the last four and a half years. Together we have reduced police shootings, reduced crime and improved the quality of life for the citizens of this great city. We have also collectively developed this organization into a world class police department.
The Fraternal Order of Police has done a huge disservice to their members and the citizens we serve. The shenanigans of the last few weeks were merely an attempt at political assassination and therefore, more reflective of the lack of leadership of the FOP than of this administration. Ultimately, each police officer will have to look in the mirror and question whether the leaders of the FOP really have his or her best interest at heart.
In closing, although the FOP has attempted to destroy the positive reputation that our men and woman have worked so hard to achieve for this department, this will not dissuade us from continuing to provide professional and reliable service to our community.