10-22-2007, 03:51 AM
Well two murders in one day? But wait, crime is down. OK maybe not Murders or Robberies or Burglaries or Auto Theft or Assaults or Rapes. But we havent had a airplane hijacked all year! I know when the record breaking murder rate comes in at the end of the year their excuse will be that "murder has no pattern so we cannot target them" Well the oldest book in the Sergeants exam is "Broken Windows" which if they ever read will explain how the theory is that things start out small and the society escalates as a whole. WELL GUESS WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE CITY! "Chief" Herbert is quoted as saying "We can do more with less" Well this theory works better for the bad guys. THEY CAN DO MORE CRIME WITH LESS OFFICERS IN FT. LAUDERDALE! I`ve been on this dept. a long time and have seen alot of ups and downs. Without a doubt this is the farthest down i`ve ever seen it. This place can still be saved but it`s going to take several big changes. Bottom line is we need more "Quality Officers" not just bodies to make the number. This is dependant on the new contract. We need to have a realistic allotment of officers, not frozen positions or all that horseshit. We need 30% more officers than the citys fully staffed number. The second floor must get back to telling it like it is and stop with all the smoke and mirrors. It wont be long before the citizens figure out whats going on and we all know that shit flows right into the roof of the patrol car when mgmt gets there ****s in a ringer(See BSO). Its not rocket science, more quality officers with good benefits are going to be more apt to produce quality work and eliminate the "Dots" on the maps. This is the time we all need to stick together and be ready if/when we are needed by the FOP. Those guys cant do it alone and shouldnt have to. After the turn out at the budget meeting, Im begining to wonder if we will be able to organize for anything. A good contract is just the start of turning this place around and after we get one some people are going to lose an excuse for being a slug. Keep in mind we have to do this all again in three years so if we get a fair and equitable contract we all must step up to the plate and do our part so the city has no exuses and cant spin anything back on us. They will be the sole reason for any failures or deficencies. Sorry for the long vent. Thats what happens when you bring your laptop into the shitter. Please be safe and watch out for each other, No one else will.