Daniels Leaving

4 LOCAL LAWMEN APPLY FOR PORT ST. LUCIE POLICE CHIEF

By Christin Erazo
Updated Thursday, February 23, 2012
PORT ST. LUCIE — Two current and two former Treasure Coast law enforcement officers are among those hoping to be the city’s next chief of police, according to a complete list of 46 applicants released by the city.

Also among the list are law enforcement retirees, former federal agents, business owners and even some professors, according to applications made public on Thursday.

Michael Kurth, a former sergeant for the city’s Police Department, and James Nygaard, the former deputy chief of police for the Fort Pierce Police Department, join current Port St. Lucie Police Chief Brian Reuther and Maj. Scott Bartal as the only applicants with local law enforcement experience.

Reuther, who has served nearly a year as chief, will be forced to retire May 31 under a retirement program requiring him to do so. However, the program does allow Reuther to return to his former post after 30 days, if the city chooses to bring him back.

Reuther, 57, said because he’s not ready to hang up his badge just yet, he reapplied for the chief position.

Kurth, who left the city’s Police Department in 2001, also was not ready to give up on law enforcement. The former sergeant served the department for more than 11 years before he left to pursue a law degree, according to his application.

After leaving the Police Department, Kurth went to work as an associate attorney for the Fort Pierce law firm of Neil, Griffin, Tierney, Neil & Marquia. After leaving the law firm in May 2006, Kurth went on to own Riviera Beach company Fence Crafters Inc., where he still works.

Kurth did not list a reason for wanting to return to the Police Department.

Another familiar name is Nygaard, who left the Fort Pierce department in 2010. According to his application, Nygaard took a buyout from the city in February 2010 to avoid being laid off.

Since then, he has taught criminal justice as an adjunct professor and has returned to his native Lee County. He now serves as an officer for the Lee County Port Authority Police Department. Nygaard’s application states he is “underemployed” at his Lee County position, which he started in May 2010.

Neither Nygaard nor Kurth could be reached for comment late Thursday.

Reuther, who submitted his application last week, is joined by one other city employee, Bartal, bureau chief of the department’s Neighborhood Policing Unit. Bartal has served the department since 1986.

Reuther has served on the force for more than 31 years. He became chief Feb. 28, 2011 after serving as interim chief since December 2010, after former Police Chief Don Shinnamon was fired.

APPLICANTS FOR PORT ST. LUCIE CHIEF OF POLICE

Total: 46 applicants

Greg Anderson: Chief of Police for the City of Oak, Il., 1/4/2010 — present

Scott Bartal: Police Major Port St. Lucie Police Department, 1986 — present

Ryan Burchnell: Florida Highway Patrol Bureau Chief, 4/1997 — present

Kenneth Burnett: Deputy Police Chief of Village of River Grove, Il., 6/1985-6/2007

Danny Butler: Retired Police Major Henry County Police Department, Ga., 1/2005 — 9/2010

Thomas Carey: Police Chief Woonsocket Police Department, RI., 9/2008 — present; retired Police Major St. Petersburg Police Department 11/1982 — 9/2008

Robert Colbert: Retired Deputy Chief Panama City Police Department, 5/1995 — unknown

Kenneth Cox: Chief Deputy Orange County Sheriff's Office, 9/1982 — present

Robert Daniels: Chief of Police city of North Bay Village Police Department, 7/2010 — present

He don't stand a chance in heck. Everyone knows how he destroys PD's as his history points out. But, wish him well!

Just like Pan, spongebob is going to jump ship when the going gets tough. Bye bob

What is more alarming is that the snowball and snake knew spongebob has applied at other places, yet they continue to keep us out of the loop. They continue to get our support and protection, but we know they won't protect us. They are scum.

There's also an emergency commission meeting on Thursday to hire a special auditor to figure out what's happened with the money. Seems like NBV is running out of it.

Saw his pic on the Channel 7 News. He looks pretty Swishy to me. No wonder he hops from one PD to another while trying to show he's got muscle when he gets there; the heck with respect for his men.

There's also an emergency commission meeting on Thursday to hire a special auditor to figure out what's happened with the money. Seems like NBV is running out of it.

Wait till the legal stuff really gets rolling. The politically driven actions of spongeBob have been exposed. Maybe some people can hide behind a special needs kid, but no one can hide behind a special needs chief.... hardy har har!!!

Do you wonder why he wants to leave? How many resumes has he sent out that you don't even know about? He sees a storm coming and you know the old saying: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Sponge Bob has the meaning wrong though, he thinks it means you run away. No surprise to anyone who knows anything about him, you saw how he handled the last few jobs, when things started getting rough, he left.

Well, now, things are getting rough. SJ is back and got his check, now the big lawsuits are coming. Sponge Bob is misleading the city manager on many issues while The Snake and Snowball stand around. The city manager will discover their complicity when the truth comes out and he realizes they just stood there and didn't advise him for the good of the city. The city manager has already discovered that Sponge Bob misled him about the FOP contract in relation to how officers are required to take drug tests, physicals and lie detector tests. The FOP president and vice president are aware of the union contract violations concerning SJ, they take no action yet vent their unhappiness at their meetings.

Everyone sees what's coming down the pipeline with McV. He has an arbitration meeting this week and all who've been subpoened are miserable. They now know they're going to have to go on record with the hard questions and no more friendly Franklin interviews.

McV is smart enough to have that arbitration hearing to get the liars on record.

Sponge Bob has the ability to move, as he's proven in the past, in order to avoid his poor management skills. Everyone at the station who he has schmoozed into being less than truthful are now really worried because they are losing his protection. He will be gone and content as others stay behind to suffer the consequences of his actions.

Anytime now the NBV officers involved will do what they do best, stab each other in the back, hand each other up and try to push as much blame on others in order to save themselves.

It is funny how we now have the FOP as our bargaining agent and they have lost so many benefits, and otherwise backed Daniel's actions by not doing anything about anything. Then there are those few of us who kept our PBA memberships (and in some cases both) who have a real powerhouse still supporting us. The PBA continues to fight here and the FOP has come up with nothing but goose eggs. Now why does this matter? Daniel's is actively seeking to bail on the city after the BIG fights have been lost. He did not deliver what he promised. And with all the budgetary issues the city is facing, don't be surprised if the next round od bargaining goes even worse then the last. Also, if you want to make real changes, look at the LT's. Get them out of the union as they have NEVER done the right thing.

Post arbitration lawsuits are becoming common place in our business anymore. And to think that an officer would sue another officer for lying during an official proceeding which ended up causing damages is a good reason to sue. More than likely 2 NBV cops will be sued very shortly. The civil process is so nasty, with 3 hour depositions, video taped. Family members brought into the picture and all kinds of stuff. The fun is about to begin, and wher will Daniels be? Not watching out for you thats for sure.