SUPPORT YOUR OFFICERS

I would like to know who from the city staff authorized officers to post pictures on a web site without authorization.

Do you need permission to re-post pictures from a public site. UMMMM!

Better check with the legal adviser on that one.

I saw ALL the same pictures on Google without any copyright info. What is the big deal with using the pictures? I can't even tell what dept they are from. Unless you mean the BSO pictures. Those are very clear.

For those citizens against BSO-

Are you happy with the current staffing levels and service they provide? No traffic unit, No K9, no plain car/plain clothes units, no specialiazed units. All you have are 2 officers on the road to handle everything, along with an overworked detective bureau.

Are you aware that although there are 5 open positions for officers, the city website HR section shows no positions available?

Due to these staffing levels you are regularly having officers working overtime (double shifts). The officers that are doing this are overworked, tired, and being placed in danger due to this.

It appears the city would rather pay overtime than fill empty positions-why is that?
Lastly if you talk to the officers you will find that if changes aren't made several officers have plans to leave, further hurting the manpower issue.

I know the answer to that is - let them leave, we will replace them.

The city is having hiring issues. The candidates that do apply are unsuitable for police work. As stated above we no longer have steps. All other departments in the state work the same way. You get hired at base pay. Every year on your anniversary you get a raise to the next step until you reach top pay rate. Go and check, most departments start in the 40,000- 50,000 a year range and top out anywhere from 70,000 to 85,000. WMPD starts at 46,000 and there are no steps, so you stay at that rate. Who do you think applies at WMPD with this pay rate?- people who cannot get a job anywhere else. Is that who you want protecting you?

Please check out the website. The benefits there are for the citizens- Save Money, Better Service and a Safer Community.

We aren't saying GO BSO- at this point we are saying get a proposal and see what is available to you. Do you comparison shop when you buy a car? a house? any expensive item? why wouldn't you do it for this.

For those citizens against BSO-

Are you happy with the current staffing levels and service they provide? No traffic unit, No K9, no plain car/plain clothes units, no specialiazed units. All you have are 2 officers on the road to handle everything, along with an overworked detective bureau.

Are you aware that although there are 5 open positions for officers, the city website HR section shows no positions available?

Due to these staffing levels you are regularly having officers working overtime (double shifts). The officers that are doing this are overworked, tired, and being placed in danger due to this.

It appears the city would rather pay overtime than fill empty positions-why is that?
Lastly if you talk to the officers you will find that if changes aren't made several officers have plans to leave, further hurting the manpower issue.

I know the answer to that is - let them leave, we will replace them.

The city is having hiring issues. The candidates that do apply are unsuitable for police work. As stated above we no longer have steps. All other departments in the state work the same way. You get hired at base pay. Every year on your anniversary you get a raise to the next step until you reach top pay rate. Go and check, most departments start in the 40,000- 50,000 a year range and top out anywhere from 70,000 to 85,000. WMPD starts at 46,000 and there are no steps, so you stay at that rate. Who do you think applies at WMPD with this pay rate?- people who cannot get a job anywhere else. Is that who you want protecting you?

Please check out the website. The benefits there are for the citizens- Save Money, Better Service and a Safer Community.

We aren't saying GO BSO- at this point we are saying get a proposal and see what is available to you. Do you comparison shop when you buy a car? a house? any expensive item? why wouldn't you do it for this.

Thank you. Very well put.

This is what is on the web site for the City of Wilton Manors. It is at http://www.wiltonmanors.com/index.aspx?nid=148

"The City of Wilton Manors does not currently have any available positions. Please continue to check this page as future employment opportunities will be posted here."

How can the city claim that they are not hiring right now when the police department is missing 5 officers on road patrol? Four of those officer vacancies have not been filled for over a year. There are other vacancies in the department as well that have not been filled.

This was posted Thursday (10/25) on Facebook.

Guys just an update. We had a VERY PRODUCTIVE day today. The 6 of us hit Drive running (depite the rain) and made a lot of good contacts. Its surprising how much support we recevied and you will starting seeing it the windows of EVERY BUSINESS.

This was a separate entry on Facebook on the same day.

Shawn and Chuck had a homeowners association meeting (WMWA). They said it went well. The entire city commission was there (excluding Gilatis). It was very professional and ALOT of good feedback. The citizens are getting alot of the answers to their quesitons.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/WMPD-PBA ... 7255857210

Here are cities that contract with BSO for police services.These cities choose to stay with BSO despite any increase in costs for services. There must be a good reason for that.

COOPER CITY - merged in 2004. City population of 29,000 residents, $8.2 million police budget with 75 positions

DANIA BEACH – merged in 1988. City population of 28,000 residents, $10.2 million budget with 79 positions.

DEERFIELD BEACH – merged in 1990, Population 76,000, $17.1 million budget with 162 positions

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA – merged in 2001. City population of 6,000 residents, $3 million budget with 28 positions

LAUDERDALE LAKES – merged in 1978. City population of 32,000 residents, shares services with Central Broward with 72 positions

NORTH LAUDERDALE – merged in 2001. City population of 43,000 residents, $8.1 million police budget with 64 positions

OAKLAND PARK – merged in 2000. Population of 42,000 residents, $13 million budget with 97 positions

PARKLAND – merged in 2004. City population of 21,000 residents, $4 million police budget with 33 positions

PEMBROKE PARK / WEST PARK – population of 30,000 residents, both cities share services

POMPANO BEACH – merged in 1999. Population of 104,000 residents, $31.5 million budget with 295 positions

SOUTHWEST RANCHES – merged in 2000. Population of 7,000 residents, $1.7 million budget with 15 positions

TAMARAC – merged in 1989. Population of 60,000 residents, $11.6 million budget with 92 positions

WESTON - $8.2 million budget with 93 positions

Here is some food for thought: Weston could easily afford its own police department but chooses to use BSO and they have from the start. There must be a very good reason for it. Southwest Ranches and West Park have always used BSO and apparently there is no desire for anyone else.

This is what is on the web site for the City of Wilton Manors. It is at http://www.wiltonmanors.com/index.aspx?nid=148

"The City of Wilton Manors does not currently have any available positions. Please continue to check this page as future employment opportunities will be posted here."

How can the city claim that they are not hiring right now when the police department is missing 5 officers on road patrol? Four of those officer vacancies have not been filled for over a year. There are other vacancies in the department as well that have not been filled.

One of the problems is the HR head. Why hasn't an investigation into all the free vacation time been done. Her and her son wasted a detective's time and effort for nothing. That was invetigated because her son could not get to work on time. Taxpayer money wasted too. Problem two is the spineless city manager who refuses to look into these matters and gets bulllied by a subordinate HR director. The HR is inept and has stolen for her previous employed son, yet the police wont investigate that! Why would her son leave after 12 years if there was no problem? INVESTIGATE HER

If BSO takes over they will give us a low price in the beginning then jack it up in the next years. This will increase taxes. The few officers that want it don't care because they don't live in the city. BSO is bad move, ask other cities that are now stuck. Does anyone really think the big conglomeration that is BSO will provide more officers? PLEASE They will come in and all the officers we got will stay, just be wearing new uniforms and drive different colored cars that we pay for. They will not suddenly saturate the streets with more officers. The slugs we got will still be here doing nothing but writing tickets and hanging out at 7/11. This smells of some people trying to get some better pensions. Don't be fooled only the name and price for services will change nothing else. We still get the same officers already here. They are not going to come in and magically boost morale fill positions or fire the ones here and replace them. Ask the hard questions why does this select few REALLY want BSO. They certainly are not looking out for whats best for the residents. Youll find they are looking out for themselves. They are the ones that have been here to long anyway they slug their way through their shifts anyway.

So if you think the current officers are slugs and you are obviously unhappy with them why would you want to keep things staus quo?

As far as a better pension with BSO- Obviously you are misinformed. It is the same pension--- WMPD Officers are in FRS, the same pension as BSO.

You sound like you would be happy with new young high morale officers.
How do you plan on hiring these officers when you have nothing to offer them. WMPD currently has the worst contract for it's officers in Broward County.

The officers now here that are "go getters" are planning to leave if a merger does not take place. You will be left with the slugs. And you will hire more slugs. Any new young officer that does get hired will realize his mistake and leave as soon as you are done paying to train and equip him for a good long career with another agency- one that will pay him better, offer him better benefits, and give him a better carrer path with a department with specialized units and chances for promotion more than once every five years.

Get real and realize the problem is not the officers that want the change -its the city and the economy that is causing this.

Don't you think that if there was a better contract, sufficient manpower, and some more opportunites the officers would be happier and we wouldn't be in this situation.

As for manpower - people don't realize how much that hurts the agency- and how much it will hurt it in the near future. The department is currently short five sworn officers. By the end of 2013/beginning 2014 we will lose close to 6 more officers due to forced retirement the way the pension and DROP are set up. Since it seems to take 6 months to a year to hire one person (thats the best they've done so far) how do you think the department will be at that point. The city has a practice of not even starting to accept applications until a postion is empty, they don"t preapre for situations like this.

I suggest you get all the facts before you make your decision. If you need to, contact the Broward PBA and ask for a rep to contact you- or check out the website.

The other misconception is that this whole thing was started by a few officers.
Please check the website and flyers - The PBA members voted 28 to 0 in favor of this- again- get the FACTS before you comment or make your decsion.