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In the blink of an eye, five and a half years have passed since I first came to FLPD. During the holidays, I could not help but reflect on the fact that so much has been accomplished. This message is intended to share those accomplishments with all of the men and women of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. In the process, it is hoped that our friends and neighbors will continue to appreciate and support your efforts.

I continue to be impressed with the caliber of skills that every one of you brings to bear on your daily workloads. As I did in my previous letter, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight your achievements. In addition, once again, we must remind ourselves that all of us make up this organization. Working in a partnership with our residents, political leadership, businesses, and associations, I have no doubt that we will continue to succeed in providing a better quality of life for all parties.

The most important goal in the past few years has been to reduce the crime rate and, thereby, improve the quality of life for residents and visitors. In 1994, Fort Lauderdale had the dubious distinction of being ranked first in the nation in serious crime. From 1994 to 2000, Part I Crimes, as measured by the Uniform Crime Report, were reduced 54%. For the first time in recent memory, Fort Lauderdale fell from the infamous top ten crime cities, and, based on 1999 FBI reports, was ranked as 25th. These drastic reductions more than tripled the national average crime reduction.

Throughout 2000, this trend continued with an 11% crime reduction. We now enjoy the lowest Part I Crime rate since we began tracking this data in 1974. Each Bureau in this agency contributed to this enormous achievement.

Patrol enhanced the Compstat process through which operational analysis and activities are more closely united to identify and respond to trends in a more appropriate and timely manner. The Special Investigations Division and the Criminal Investigations Division became regular participants in the process. This process derives its success from the responsibility and accountability it places on all of us.

FLPD continued its leadership role in targeting truant students to suppress juvenile crime. Because of this aggressive enforcement, the number of truant juveniles taken into custody during any given school year has averaged approximately 400 elementary/middle/high school students. Truancy enforcement, along with the newly implemented or expanded teen programs, helped to reduce the opportunities for juveniles to commit crime.

As another effective resource to combat Part I crimes, the Department continued a "Probation and Parole Services Ride Program." Fort Lauderdale Officers teamed up with Officers from Probation and Parole to evaluate the status of subjects currently on probation/parole. Whenever a violation occurred, the Probation Officers either arrested the subject or applied for an arrest warrant. This was also done with juvenile offenders.

We implemented the TACAMO (Take Charge and Move Out) Program, which registered 19,584 Broward County residents on community control through the Department of Corrections. Combining TACAMO with our pawn computer Automated Property Recovery system, 458 possible parole/probation violations were noted, 155 arrests were made, and $157,941 in stolen property was recovered.

Operation Right TRAC has continued as a proven tactic in the reduction rate of stolen vehicles. From 1994 through 2000, auto theft was down over 60%. The theft deterrent devices (clubs) and VIN etching programs are examples of cooperative efforts with our community and the private business sector. Additionally, the Combat Auto Theft (CAT) program continues to assist in the reduction of auto theft crime within our City. Measures designed to prevent crime such as crime analysis and targeting the ten most stolen automobiles have proven to be very efficient.

We realize that criminal activity has a destructive effect on the community and its neighborhoods. Subsequently, we continue to pressure and disrupt open-air drug markets, while simultaneously conducting intense investigations to dismantle entire drug “families.” Prostitution is regularly targeted through various action plans and strategies.

For a sense of perspective, the development of this philosophy still bears repeating. We originally started our Community Policing Initiative (CPI) in 1995 with a total of 10 employees. We were selected as one of only 29 sites nationally to be awarded a $500,000 federal grant for a Community Policing Demonstration Center to develop and test strategies, as well as to instruct other agencies and community groups. Since those formative years, this Division has advanced beyond its “initiative” stage. Subsequently, we have more appropriately renamed it the Community Support Division (CSD), and now have 57 employees assigned. Each Patrol District has CSD Officers available to facilitate neighborhood problem solving. CSD expanded to include narcotics detection dogs, the Crime Analysis Unit (CAU), the Crime Prevention Unit, and assignment of our officers to Code Enforcement Teams. Additions that are more recent include the Youth Services Component, which addresses the responsibilities of School Resource Officers (SRO’s), DARE, and gang resistance education through GREAT. Furthermore, administrative positions, which were formerly part of the Federal Demonstration Grant, have become permanent full time positions within CSD.

Among the many ongoing CSD initiatives are:

• The hiring of a Creole speaking Community Relations Specialist to interact and serve as a liaison with the community
• Project Homesafe: a program which focuses upon safe and responsible firearm ownership/storage. It enabled us to distribute 5000 gunlocks to residents in the community
• Re-establishing a Crime Watch Program to involve the community in combating crime by becoming involved with issues that impact the quality of life in neighborhoods
• Joining the Florida Marlins in a youth anti-drug partnership using anti-drug posters and billboards
• Landlord Tenant training program
• Bicycle safety helmet distribution through MADD
• Halloween Haunted House - a community partnership/annual event with TAFL
• National Night Out Against Crime
• Developing training videos for the Haitian community and police officers to better understand and communicate with each other
• The summer COPJAM program for neighborhood youth at Stranahan High School, Fort Lauderdale High School, and Sunrise Middle School.
• Bicycle registration program
• Graffiti eradication program
• Youth crime watch in schools
• Youth motivation program for at-risk youths (AIM HIGH)
• Community walks/vigils, in concert with residents, to rid our neighborhoods of drugs
• Citizens on Patrol (COPS) volunteers
• Neighborhood cleanups
• "Hot spots" campaign with SID
• Targeting establishments for alcohol sales to minors
• Prostitution action plans
• Participation in combined action plans with Patrol and SID
• Children ID fingerprinting programs
• Alarm Reduction Program
• Community Action Team (CAT) meetings
• Community Forum meetings
• DRC reviews by Crime Prevention
• “Gunstoppers” in all schools within the City of Ft. Lauderdale
• Haitian Community Partnership Program
• License Plate Anti-Theft Program
• Middle River Terrace Bike Patrol support
• Operation “Big Chill” in partnership with the 7-11 Corporation
• Illegally installed and crime magnet payphone investigations
• Abandoned shopping carts project
• Citizens on Phone Patrol (COPP) a grant funded project in partnership with various homeowner associations and AT&T
• Shop With Cops Program designed to facilitate neighborhood/police communication and problem resolution
• School Resource Officer (SRO) Program expanded through a grant to include elementary schools
• Truancy Program
• Juvenile Alternative Motivation (JAM) has been in place for several years as a PAL-type program

Our Community Policing philosophy is now more readily accepted throughout the entire Department. Our partnership with the community has resulted in a “give and take” exchange, which has helped set neighborhood priorities and improve our services. In the most recent independent citizen/resident satisfaction survey, the Department continues to be rated well. An impressive 88% of the respondents believe we are doing a positive job while also performing in a professional manner. This Department has maintained that same level of public confidence since 1996, when the first survey resulted in only a 64% positive rating. As further evidence of this trend, Internal Affairs complaints and police related claims have declined. The Citizen Review Board (CRB) continues to participate in the disciplinary process.

As individuals, we participate in various mentoring programs including SAILS, Juvenile Alternative Motivation (JAM), DARE, Youth Empowerment Program (YEP), the Harris Chapel Life Enrichment Center, and the Explorer/Law Enforcement of Tomorrow (LET) program. This year’s United Way Campaign saw the Department’s employees increase their contributions by 37%.

The Community Services Division now sponsors the Citizen Police Academy (CPA). Through 2000, we have conducted 14 academies and graduated 570 citizens. CPA graduates staff our Citizen On Patrol (COP) Program. Personnel from the Special Investigations Division (SID) and CSD continue to instruct the landlord-tenant and hotel-motel training programs, which they developed.

Personnel throughout the Department accommodate and work over 100 annual special events in the City. These include some rather large-scale operations such as the annual Air and Sea Show, the Winterfest Boat Parade, July 4th Beach Celebrations, and the Millennium Celebration.

On May 27, 1998, we earned our Certificate of Accreditation from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation. In March of this year, we will renew our certification. This continual process requires us to perform an ongoing self-analysis, which in turn, helps to ensure that we adhere to standards of professionalism.

As a community policing philosophy tool, traffic enforcement can have a profound effect on quality of life issues. In addition to safety through accident reduction, traffic enforcement provides a very visible police presence. This visibility helps to reassure our friends and partners, while deterring illegal behavior. The efforts of motor officers and all patrol officers have resulted in a tremendous increase in the number of traffic citations issued since 1994. In fact, in both 1998 and 1999, the Department wrote over 70,000 citations. These numbers are approximately 149% above 1994 levels. During this past year, over 61,000 citations were written. These efforts included regular "lane squeezes" which emphasized violations from seat belt usage to DUI. We also relied on educational and informational resources such as the placement of Electronic Speed Zone signs in neighborhoods to attempt to reduce the overall vehicular accident rates citywide.

The Public Safety Aide (PSA) Program continues to expand from eight personnel in 1992 to the current level of 45. Most of the PSA’s are assigned to the Operations Bureau in the Patrol Division and CSD. The time PSA’s spend handling calls for service increases the problem-solving time for patrol officers by approximately 20%.

In order to fulfill our mission, we continually evaluate the allocation of resources, in particular, the assignment of personnel. When necessary, adjustments are made. While still attempting to “catch-up” and fill vacancies created by the first DROP, we have been able to maintain the positive trends in crime reduction and citizen confidence. As mentioned in the previous Sierra One, sworn management was decreased from 28 to the current level of 23. We have continued with that number and remain among the lowest in Florida. We have also maintained staffing levels with approximately 96% of our sworn resources involved in the direct delivery of services, or in first line supervision.

While calls for service have dropped approximately 5% during the last two years, Patrol officers continued to respond to over 180,000 calls for service while making 14,000 arrests. As mentioned earlier, the number of traffic citations issued continues to far exceed 1994 levels. This “extra” time not used in handling calls only enhances our ability to provide more effective “problem solving time.”

Our highly professional specialty units are well trained and equipped. The SWAT Team was involved in 29 assignments last year, including phased call outs, full call outs, high risk warrant service, interagency investigations/stakeouts, and dignitary protection. There have been no liability issues for at least the last 12 years as a result of SWAT operations. The Bomb Squad was involved in 41 call outs with seven real explosives.

Canine (K-9) significantly increased activity. Just last year alone, 674 area searches, 480 building searches, 248 tracks, 139 narcotics searches were conducted, and 234 apprehensions were made. This was accomplished with one of the lowest bite ratios (11.4%) in the country. As with most of our specialty units, K-9 conducts its training by using the vast experience of their own members. Canine developed a FDLE approved, 480-hour course for new K-9 officers.

The Marine Unit continued to extend itself by working waterway crimes while increasing its enforcement efforts. Citations issued rose from 483 in 1999 to 710 in 2000. During this same time period, boating accidents decreased from 54 to 47. The Marine Unit has also further developed closer working relationships with Federal and State agencies.

All of the above accomplishments could not have been attained without the behind the scenes support from administrative personnel. The Department has expanded its recruiting efforts by funding and staffing a dedicated Recruiting Unit to work in conjunction with an expanded Background Investigations Unit. The entire hiring process and standards were re-examined in an effort to identify areas that could be changed or modernized. These initiatives led to a streamlined process, which resulted in almost doubling the number of applicants processed for employment with the Department.

The entire ongoing process of self-assessment through Compstat and other accountability measures begins with data entry in our Records Division. Without this information, crime analysis would be impossible and the strategic planning for deployment of invaluable resources would not be as effective as it has been. With the implementation of a new RMS, the past year has tested these individuals. We have implemented a “student worker” program to hire 40 high school students part-time to assist in data entry.

Our community policing success in resolving “broken windows” problems could not have been achieved without our jail. Since we operate the only municipal detention facility in this state, it affords us the ability to minimize the impact of the illegal behavior of nuisance criminals that negatively affect the quality of life in our community. Additionally, inmate labor has provided over 21,000 hours of service in our compound and throughout the community annually.

An invaluable new adjunct to these more “traditional” police services has been the creation and implementation of the Police Homeless Outreach Team. The homeless outreach effort has resulted in the placement of nearly 1,000 homeless individuals in social service programs. We have established a Homeless Gateway on our Website containing several articles concerning our homeless initiatives. The Florida Coalition for the Homeless recognized these new efforts with an “Outstanding service” award presented to one of our officers.

So much of what we have accomplished could not have happened without the fiscal base to provide the requisite personnel, equipment and training. Since 1994, our Grants Office has secured and administered approximately $20 million in grant funds. During 2000, we had $6.7 million in grants supporting the following programs:

• Universal Hiring Program
• 2 Local Law Enforcement Block Grants
• COPSMORE ’98
• School Based Partnership
• Weed & Seed
• Bullet Proof Vest Program
• Family and Friends
• Youth Motivation Program
• Harris Chapel Life Enrichment
• Enhanced Marine Law Enforcement
• Tactical Auto Theft Operations
• Auto Theft Training
• Auto Theft Prevention – TRAC
• Cops in Schools

We have continued working with the Nuisance Abatement process for the entire City. We had aggressively used the Broward County process, resulting in the abatement of more properties than any other local jurisdiction, and one of the highest in Florida. When the County's process became mired in court challenges, we acknowledged that our citizens deserve the most aggressive assistance possible in insuring that their issues are represented. In the end, we developed a City-only process that has regained its initial momentum.

Our investigative personnel are highly active in a number of joint ventures, including: the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP) computer database, the FBI's Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force, the North Broward Drug Enforcement Unit, the Domestic Interdiction Unit, and the Southeast Florida Regional Task Force. Detectives are also involved in many other major programs such as:

• Fugitive Apprehension Initiative - Proactive identification, location, and arrest of more than 1,200 wanted individuals residing or committing crimes in our city
• Threat Abatement Group - Innovative approach to addressing crimes of domestic violence, stalking, and workplace violence. We gained both local and national recognition leading to grant funding for this project. Ours was one of only two such "TAG Teams" in the nation at the time it formed
• Cold Case Homicide Project - Review of 177 open and unsolved homicide cases. This resulted in 67 cases being re-opened and assigned to homicide detectives. Through aggressive re-investigation and full application of new technology, such as DNA analysis, this project has resulted in eight cases cleared
• Sex Predators - Close monitoring of predators and information dissemination to the community (Operation Safety Net) by attendance at community meetings bulletins to all civic groups and government offices, Internet access, and media releases. A critical element to this function is the proactive targeting of individuals violating their conditions of probation, thereby demonstrating a credible threat to our community
• Missing Persons via Internet -- Use of the Internet to communicate with relatives of missing persons resulting in numerous successful resolutions to date
• Drug Asset Seizures - Millions of drug crime dollars seized through upper-mid-street level investigations; these seizures contribute the majority of money to the Law Enforcement Trust Fund that provides for departmental, city, and community needs at no taxpayer expense
• Juvenile Crime Control - A 31-point plan to address the juvenile crime problem that includes 13 Prevention/Intervention components and 15 Enforcement/Investigation components
• Vice Unit - Successfully developed and implemented a Countywide SOAP (Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution) program
• Internet children pornography investigations by participating in a regional task force
• The TACAMO project mentioned above
• The Florida Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Authority awarded the Department a grant funded officer to proactively reduce auto thefts through crime prevention efforts such as providing steering wheel locking devices to the owners of the top ten most commonly stolen vehicles in the City
• AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) has identified hundreds of criminals within minutes by matching prints with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s five million-fingerprint database
• In just the year 2000 alone, the Latent Fingerprint Section handled 3,883 cases and identified 353 suspects or culprits. The Classification Section handled 12,482 probable cause affidavits with 7,940 identifications
• Weed & Seed Grant program
• Police Reaching Out Program (PROP) early referral partnership with “The Starting Place”
• Gang suppression efforts through the Gang Activity Prevention (GAP) program and enforcement through the Multi-Agency Gang Task Force (MGTAF) and MAGIC, which is a Countywide gang intelligence database system
• First Offender Program which dictates a detective visit the immediate families of all first time juvenile offenders
• Digital Crime Scene processing which will tie directly into AFIS mentioned above
• CCTV security and monitoring system currently being tested in the Birch Las Olas parking lot
• Computer Evidence Recovery Team (CERT) specially trained detectives to properly seize and evaluate computer equipment and evidence
• Identity Theft Investigations Program
• Victim Notification Program expedites follow-up contact with victims; over 10,000 contacts in 2000
• Video Hot Sheet program runs a continuous loop of wanted persons, alerts and other crime information on our in-house cable TV channel

Continuous, appropriate, and realistic training enables an organization’s personnel to safely, professionally and efficiently perform their assignments. In addition to maintaining job specific certifications, we have:

• Implemented increased firearms training (Handgun Concepts, Shotgun, etc.)
• Improved timeliness of training announcements
• Developed a system insuring mandatory retraining will be completed 1 year ahead of schedule
• Enhanced Less Lethal strategy with new policy, equipment and training
• Increased supervisory and management training opportunities
• Developing new High Liability training programs in the areas of Use of Force, Emergency Vehicle Operation and Ethics
• Expanding existing training programs using new technology such as the Computerized Driving Simulator and Firearms Training Simulator (pending).
• Developed a Fitness Program emphasizing proper diet and exercise through the use of the Department’s Fitness Center

Efforts to continue to improve our facilities have seen many enhancements that were long overdue. Painting and graphics inside and outside the building, prisoner transfer area improvements, new carpeting, new wallpaper and new furniture have all been accomplished. The Jail has started a $99,000 booking expansion program, which includes two new “LiveScan” computers to link with BSO. A City County Credit Union ATM is installed in the main lobby of the Department. The Court Liaison Office was moved at the County’s expense into the more hospitable 110 Tower office suite.

Since the last issue of Sierra One, many offices and work areas have been remodeled and modernized. This has provided more accommodating and efficient work areas for administrative personnel. The simultaneous addition of new furniture, fresh paint and wallpaper and carpeting only served to enhance these improvements.

In just a few weeks, the Department will be taking delivery of two new SWAT trucks, which had been purchased with grant funds. These trucks will replace 1980’s refurbished Public Services vehicles. In addition, we anticipate the delivery of a state-of-the-art mobile command vehicle in March. This vehicle, purchased with grant funds and law enforcement trust funds, will replace a mid-1980’s vintage confiscated recreational vehicle. Fleet has placed our website address, www.flpd.org, on the rear bumpers of over 100 marked vehicles.

We have completed our migration from the Unix-based applications into a more adaptable and user-friendly Microsoft NT environment.

After receiving invaluable input from Patrol Officers and PSA’s, we determined that the Forte' mobile reporting computers would not meet our specifications. Consequently, we have moved toward the laptop computer for mobile reporting. We are rapidly moving toward efficiency through automation in fields as wide ranging as AFIS, jail management, bar coding for evidence, CAD, Internet access, pawnshop monitoring, inventory control, Records Management System (RMS), multi-purpose employee identification cards, and enhanced communication. A major program will be on line soon to assist in maximizing the deployment of our patrol forces.

Our achievements continue to occur in an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual respect among individuals and between our unions and our management. This cooperation and understanding on critical issues between all members of this agency provides the basis for a healthy and dynamic relationship.

Our ability to work together in this relationship requires a continuous self-assessment by every one of us. We have just concluded successful negotiations and implemented new three-year contracts with both the FOP and AFSCME. A new DROP program is in place for both groups. We have continued the process of implementing a personally assigned patrol vehicle program. We continue to see a dramatic reduction in the need for labor arbitration for either individual or contract issues. The positive lines of communication remain open within the Department, as well as between the Chief's office and employee unions. As an organization, we have set the bar for high professional and moral standards, been devoid of institutional scandal, and have been absolutely nonpolitical in our role in the community. All of us need to continue to work together in a manner that enhances these positive relations.

In closing, I want to summarize and reinforce the theme of this message. I am very proud of the professionalism and accomplishments of this agency. Our organization consists of an outstanding group of dedicated and exceptional people. The current community perception of our Department is one of a well-respected, professional department that adheres to a high standard of excellence. Congratulations for a job well done!

Nevertheless, we all know our job is never really done. As we step forward into this new century, FLPD will encounter new challenges. I am confident we can meet those challenges. To be successful, we must continue to adhere to an ethical standard, which dictates that each and every one of us examine our daily approach to our assignments to do the right thing the right way at the right time for the right reason. It is important to keep our work focused in the context of our time tested Mission Statement:

“Provide a safe and orderly environment in our City through professionalism, dedication, an active partnership with the community and concern for individual dignity.”

Keep a positive attitude about yourself and your co-workers. Stay safe and take care of each other, and as importantly, take care of our community - they deserve our best.

Briefing Room

Go to the Chief's Office

E-Mail the Chief