Miami-Dade Police brass: We’re ‘optimistic’ so keep working

Miami-Dade Police brass: We’re ‘optimistic’ so keep working
  • Sumo

Call it the calming before the storm.

Miami-Dade Police Deputy Director Juan Perez sent a feel good memo to all department personnel Friday morning telling them juanperezthat he was going to do “everything necessary” to avoid “this worst case scenario” — the firing of 283 positions, including 228 officers.

The memo comes more than a week after Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez got his wish of a zero tax increase in the general millage, which means a shortfall that the mayor says can only be resolved through the extension of union concessions that he agreed three years ago would end in October.

Perez sounds a little like a coach rallying his team and could be meant as a morale booster in a department that is 300 short and losing about nine officers a month, according to sources. The numbers at Human Resource won’t jive because positions are being eliminated as people retire.

“As you are aware, the Department continues to face a budget shortfall, which leads us in a direction where many employees may potentially be laid off.  Although the budgetary gap has been reduced, we are still facing the possibility of losing approximately 228 sworn and 55 non-sworn personnel. On Tuesday, July 15, 2014, during the Board of County Commissioners meeting, the County  Commissioners voted on establishing the tax millage for the upcoming fiscal year.  Unfortunately, the established tax millage does not fill the gap for our Department.  Absent the increase of the tax millage, we still face the same budgetary challenge and potential layoffs.

Although, we did not have a positive outcome during the commission meeting, I remain optimistic that a resolution is policecarforthcoming.  Any layoffs will be detrimental to the Department, the community, and most of all, the individual employee.  We have been and will continue to work diligently with the administration and unions to resolve the issue.  Rest assured that we will do everything necessary to avoid this worst case scenario.

Be patient with this ongoing process.  I understand many of you are anxious about the future of the Department and your personal well being.  We will remain steadfast and continue to seek a solution.  In the meantime, continue to show the citizens that we are an essential part of this community. Thank you for your hard work and professionalism throughout this process.”

He sent it from his ipad at 9:02 a.m. Was he in Gimenez’s office, hence the mayor’s “worst case scenario” language?

And what, exactly, can he “work diligently” on to resolve the issue? There is not a lot of fat at the police department. People who complain about the overtime don’t realize that we are 250-300 officers short — and bleeding blue almost every week. Officers have said that they might think twice about risking their lives out there. Ladra doesn’t believe them, but even if they are just talking trash, it still reflects a general souring among the rank and file.

riveragimenez
Chances that John Rivera and Carlos Gimenez can come to an agreement? Zero to negative 12.

So does he mean that the brass will push the PBA to buckle and sign off on the “snap backs” on certain pay upgrades in order to save jobs? Maybe. Maybe not. Ladra has a call in to Deputy Director Perez and will let you know when I hear back.

But maybe he ought to be writing to the mayor and commissioners to let them know exactly how any further layoffs would be “detrimental to the department.”

Last time we spoke to PBA President John Rivera he said membership was unwilling to give back everything at a negotiation table where there was no use talking to a wall/with an administration that had no credibility left. Has the climate changed?

No, it has not, said Blanca Torrents Greenwood, the executive director of the PBA, who is taking a more public role lately and Ladra suspects it is because Rivera is a bit of a polarizing figure.

“Optimism is always a great thing. But I don’t know what has changed,” Torrents Greenwood told Ladra, adding that there have been no new bargaining sessions scheduled. “And we receive our marching orders from the membership.”

And word is that there will still be layoffs — or positions eliminated — even with the concessions extended. The mayor said that there would still be layoffs when he discussed the “best case scenario” budget and tax rate with commissioners last week. Ladra has asked if that is the case in the police and how many fired cops we are talking about in the “best case scenario.”

Gimenez spokesman Michael Hernandez told Ladra Friday afternoon that those rumors are not true. There will be “no layoffs by continuing concessions,” he said in an email.

Can we hear it directly from the mayor?

9 Responses to "Miami-Dade Police brass: We’re ‘optimistic’ so keep working"

  1. Daisy,

    The only lawsuit I saw by Tyrone White was about his termination by the department being improper and the investigation of his activities “Illegal”; for supposedly misappropriating funds to his charity flag football given to him by the Miami Dolphins. That done by “mistake” but they never asked for the money back. Is there another lawsuit I am missing because I don’t see this one having anything to do with what you said about double dipping on overtime or diverting money to, among others, Ms. Annette McCully.Yes you spelled her name wrong. I am no fan of “JP” but I don’t see any facts top back up your claim.

    • Of the opinion, maybe you are not aware of the POAT overtime double dipping fraud scheme committed by Loftus, Perez and McCully. It was Tyrone White who exposed the scheme and he was victimized by PCB Major Gary Schimminger (now deceased) for his honesty. Not surprised this is the way the MDPD administration deals with employees who expose their secrets. White has filed multiple lawsuits and soon those lawsuits will become public. You cannot separate McCully from Patterson or Perez. Their incestous relationship has destroyed the department. You may not realize it but you are as much of a victim as any other member of the MDPD.

  2. Guess this is the police department’s version of Chip Iglesias. His message is clear, keep the natives in line while he receives promotions and pay raises. What makes men sell themselves like this? This county is headed on downward spiral.

  3. That memo to the employees sounds like something an oncologist tells someone with terminal cancer. “Just keep working; eventually you’ll keel over and die, cause there’s nothing we can do.” Pathetic…

    Where is the director of he MDPD? He doesn’t send anything to the troops anyway. All his emails are sent on his behalf by McCully. Even the correspondence that should have a personal touch on days of certain observations (President’s Day, July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day). But I guess he can’t take a moment away from his planning for his Sunday sermons in order to personally address his MDPD flock. At least Perez knows how to send a department wide email.

    To the post by Santos, maybe the City of Miami’s system doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. A shake up in the command staff every 4 or 5 years isn’t such a bad thing. It avoids having the career administrators that get promoted through the fast track and are still green, then spend the next 15 to 20 years making decisions but never having actually been in the trenches. It keeps people in check because they know they can be up one day and down the next. Can you imagine some of the majors, chiefs, and assistant directors going from their current “appointed positions” back to their civil service ranks of lieutenant and captain? It would definitely keep them humble. It might even keep some from destroying the department from within by pushing their own agendas, like race and politics. Maybe the elected sheriff is a viable solution.

  4. Dear Daisy,

    I cannot disagree that people have benefited from Jimenez becoming mayor but I hate to tell you that someone will always benefit when they bet on the winning horse (even if the horse is the devil). Had Robaina won the election a different group was already waiting in the wings to accept promotions (just look at City of Miami and how their command staff is constantly changing). When Alvarez was mayor there was a different group and so on its human nature and will continue to happen. However, you don’t know the first thing about Juan Perez and have apparently never worked for the man who is passionate about police work and his people. Or perhaps you did work for him and were not much of a worker and then were subjected to his passion for serving the community. He is one of the first cops in MDPD management that did not take the administrative route which might explain his unrefined style. You accuse the guy of being a test taker (how else do you recommend promotions should work) he did as anyone else could have done. Juan Perez is doing his best to keep a department together as much as is possible under the current system. We do have a strong mayor making the Director impotent; although Patterson could show some balls in a time like this. By the way what is Directors Patterson’s message to his employees? We could sit here an go back and forth but I’ve wasted enough time. Fact checks: when serving the POAT neither Loftus nor Perez could make overtime because one was director the other captain (those ranks don’t make overtime).

    • Dear Santos,

      Obviously you must be one of those who have benefted by Gimenez’ s regime or you would not be talking so highly about the person in question. A leader is not one who talks loud or who yearns to appear in front of every camera in a room. A leader is someone who pays attention to the necessities of his employees and makes factual decisions- that is not Perez.A police department has to be apolitical and it’s commanding officers should not, I repeat should not, engage in political activities while on duty status. If you know the man so well, then you are fully aware that Perez and company knocked on many doors to push the Gimenez agenda in an opportunistic fashion. The results of his efforts is the destruction of the MDPD. As far as POAT is concerned check out the lawsuit filed by former Mayor Tyrone White and learn how both Loftus and Perez permitted the double dipping of overtime. As far as describing Perez as a man’s man you could not be any further from the truth. Never in the history of the MDPD have a pair of department leaders bent over in front of a corrupt mayor as as these two have. You are entitled to your opinion- as wrong as that may be.

  5. Based on the fact that the Mayor’s decisions impact public safety, can the drastic, violent repercussions of the dismantling of a police force have legal repercussions? Is the Mayor immune from the consequences of imploding the department. Not one of these rash decisions have had a basis in strategic planning. Since his decisions were a coverup to artificially keeping property taxes low, while shuffling supplemental tourism taxes and reserves into and out of the general fund, can this Mayor be sued for negligence, incompetence, or malpractice by the family of future crime victims?

  6. Dear Ladra, thank you for this article and for attaching a photograph of an opportunistic coward we all know as Deputy Juan Perez. Perhaps your readers will be interested in knowing how Juan Perez manipulated and double dipped overtime while running the Police Officers Assistace Trust (POAT) and diverted it to several well connected lackeys which include former Director Loftus’ secretary Annete McCauley. This of course was reported to PCB (Internal Affairs) but these high ranking officials are above any disciplinary action by the department.
    Back to Juan Perez- this individual is not a cop but a pencil necked administrator who cares little about the troops and more about his promotions, salary and benefits.He has spent his career at MDPD taking tests and kissing rear to get to the position he is in today. This Yes Man has destroyed the morale of the department by permitting Gimenez to play sheriff with dire results for our community.
    This undesirable character spent most of 2012 campaigning and holding political fundraisers for Gimenez while on duty status along with Jorge Mas Canosa’s godson Chief Hernan Organvidez, another Neanderthal with little education but with a thick personnel file made up with the sweat and blood of the subordinates they have climbed over to get to their positions.
    Juan Perez is uneducated, inarticulate and a sorry excuse of a man. He helped suppress any anti Gimenez sentiments in 2012 to safeguard his promotion to deputy director. Any form of dissent against Gimenez by the troops will be met by a quick referral to PCB by this coward. He was a principal player in covering up the largest absentee ballot fraud to ever occur in Florida which resulted in Gimenez’s coronation.
    Please know that the rank and file at MDPD will continue to work hard for this community regardless of what bloodsucking Gimenez, the opportunist Juan Perez, or that sorry excuse of a union called the PBA relates to the media.

  7. I don’t believe there will be an agreement with the divisive tyrant Gimenez. He can not be trusted. The commissioners didn’t do the right thing and only increased the millage for libraries and not for safer streets. Really!! Soon it will come back to hurt them. Then it will cost them even more to get the streets back. My suggestion to those that are facing layoffs is apply to other departments and don’t look back. Some of you this will be the second time in three years that your lives are on hold being threatened with losing your jobs. Go to another department we are lacking leadership in Miami-Dade County and not the top police department that it used to be.

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