Under pressure from the Mothers of Murdered Kids group that protested at her office, Miami-Dade 
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle sorta passed the buck on unsolved crimes the other day, placing most of the blame squarely where it belongs: in the lap of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
In a statement, KFR basically shed light on the simple fact that the cuts the mayor has made in the police department in the last five years have led to fewer follow up investigations on robberies and shootings which leads to fewer arrests which leads to an open invitation for criminals to come to Miami-Dade because nobody’s minding the store.
Read related story: Commissioners fight crime with meetings, rallies — not cops
“Today, only five of 100 shooting/homicide incidents (5 percent) in the Liberty City area result in an arrest. This means that in 95 out of 100 cases, parents have had no opportunity to engage in the criminal justice system or with my office,” Fernandez-Rundle wrote in her statement to WLRN after the group protested at her office Feb. 4.
“This also means that of the same 100 cases only five prosecutors will ever see a case come into their office or have a police officer bring them evidence,” she added.
“In the past, police allocated greater resources to community police projects which, while personnel-intensive, allowed residents to know and trust their neighborhood officers. Those staff-intensive programs no longer exist in high crime areas or have been modified to reduce officer demand.”
Now, you might be thinking she is talking about city of Miami, where Liberty City is. But no. She singles out Gimenez because the county department, like it or not, overlaps with all 34 municipalities within, including the city of Miami. And some of the units cut by Gimenez — including the gang unit and the Robbery Intervention Detail known as the “jump out boys” — have arguably had a direct impact on crime in Miami’s roughest neighborhoods as other units spread out to cover the holes.
That’s why she names him.
“I have previously reached out to Mayor Carlos Gimenez regarding allocating more officers to solve these crimes in the short run and to keep those additional officers in the community for the long run,” Fernandez-Rundle said, presenting four priorities for law enforcement in our community.
- Reinstitute a robust community policing program in our most vulnerable neighborhoods.
- Address the need to recruit and retain the most experienced homicide detectives as well as detectives that investigate contact shootings.
- More law enforcement presence and attention in our public housing.
- More police victim advocates to restore confidence in our community.
At least half or maybe three out of four of those are directed at the county. Miami Police, with about 1,300 officers are not as short staffed, having begun to address the shortage in 2012 and hired 40 officers last year.
Read related story: Miami-Dade Police cuts by Carlos Gimenez raise concern
However, the Miami-Dade Police has shrunk since Gimenez took over in 2011, when our force had 3,076 budgeted
sworn positions. Today, there are less than 2,500 filled positions with 72 expected to retire this year because of the DROP (Deferrred Retirement Option Plan). There were 123 “sworn separations” in 2014 and 119 last year.
Instead of filling vacant positions, Gimenez has taken officers from specialized units (some of which he has closed completely) and detectives for follow up investigations and put them on the street. That means a victim might get to file a report, but not much else after that. There’s just not enough manpower to investigate.
Closure rates in all crime categories countywide have suffered as a result, said PBA President John Rivera.
He says community policing, credited with declining crime in years past, is no longer possible because resources are spread so thin.
“Until public safety becomes the number one priority, as the government is mandated to provide, more kids will be killed, and more crimes will go unsolved. We call upon Mayor Gimenez to stop politicizing law enforcement, and provide a safe community for our residents, and visitors,” said Rivera.
Even Gimenez knows he’s soft on crime and hard on cops. Last month, he attended the “largest graduating class” of new recruits — but it was all a dog and pony show. More optics from a mayor more concerned with image than with doing his job. Because of the 95 officers, more than a third are going back for departmental specific training until February 17, when they will really graduate.
Because Gimenez is more concerned about the optics than about our children.
Maybe Mothers of Murdered Kids should take their protest to the 29th floor of County Hall.
Miami SAO blames Carlos Gimenez for unsolved crimes added by Ladra on
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Oye Woofie,
Not a chance I am a paid troll of anybody. Money is not that important to me. What is important is to believe and do the right thing. That is why I believe just because you have somebody run against Carlos Gimenez does not make the candidate viable by default. Especially if it is a scumbag with the last name Regalado. There are thousands of people who were mistreated by the Regalado clan and their political consultant Armando Gutierrez and his wife Maritza. Simply put, they are bad people.
I do like your bark and certainly will give you the benefit of the doubt. However, I too will continue my quest to cast a light on those people who have used their position of power to advance cronyism and nepotism at the expense of getting rid of good people serving the public.
I would love to run against Gimenez and Regalado. Unfortunately, I do not have a golden parachute of a retirement like Gimenez and I will not take any pimp money from lobbyist like Armando Gutierrez.
Perhaps you can come sniff me and see if you are interested on becoming my political consultant and campaign manager.
I hope your wagging your tail my little Woofie.
Passing the buck….again!
Still no justice for Dylan Page.
Justice for Dylan!!!
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Here is the most corrupt State Attorney in the state of Florida calling out the most corrupt mayor in the state of Florida for his destruction of the county’s police department.
The thing that binds these two corrupt officials together is that they were both candidates in 2012 and received the benefits of illegal absentee ballots collected by their mutual campaign manager. The MDPD is a total disaster as a result of Gimenez’s policies to get rid of experienced officers and bring in newbys who are not wise to his crimes. This is all lip service from Rundle and it falls on deaf ears on the other end. Vote these two misfits out of office if want to cleanse this county.
We Don’t have police in the Streets ,But Commissioner Diaz has a police driver to assist driving him around since his drunk driving in the Keys and Rebeca Sosa has a Police driver driving her to Lunches.
ONLY IN #OURCOUNTY !
Justice for Dylan!
Once again I must remind you all how much I despise Carlos Gimenez as our mayor, but this article is a paid political ad by Raquelita Regalado. The Regalados and Katherine Fernandez-Rundle are political allies. This is Fernandez-Rundle’s way to help Raquelita with the black vote in Miami-Dade.
Folks! I hate saying it, but if this continues with Ladra using this website as a political platform, I will be pick the least of two evils. This kind of disgusting and unethical behavior does not give me any hope. IF THIS CONTINUES I WILL VOTE FOR CARLOS GIMENEZ!
Katherine Fernandez-Rundle is a racist and is corrupt. Ladra, you yourself have said so.
Okay, Pointer, you’re going to have to stop this silliness or I and others are going to believe you are a paid troll on the other side.
As I have explained already, I am on Team Raquel, writing press releases and web content and emails and phone scripts and the like. My blog is another matter entirely. Raquel has nothing to do with this. She doesn’t pay for it. She doesn’t approve it. She doesn’t even see it until it’s published, just like you. (In fact, this morning, all she wanted to talk about was the South Miami election).
By the way, ditto with my social media posts. They are all mine. She doesn’t approve them. They are not part of my job. I don’t know if you are on twitter, but my tweets are on fire with love for Marco Rubio and NO LOVE for Carlos Gimenez. Raquel be damned. (By the way, she has already taken flack from other politicos who, um, don’t love me and she has told them, too, that she has no control on the blog and that she can’t stop me from embarrassing them or calling them out on their crap. Maybe she didn’t say it THAT way. But it says something that she didn’t even try… unlike you).
I have been a critic of Gimenez’s for years now. I am not going to stop simply because I am providing my talents to the only viable candidate that has challenged him. That would be ridiculous. That would mean anybody can silence me by simply hiring me. Or getting someone else to hire me. And that’s not going to happen. Ever. Ain’t enough money in the world to quiet me.
So, man up, will ya? Put your big boy pants on and accept the fact that there is someone in the world who is not for sale. Or give me the benefit of the doubt. The proof will be evident in the pudding in due time.
As for KFR. First you say she is pals with Gimenez. Then you say she is pals with Raquel. Make up your mind. But either way, none of that played into my decision to write the post. I thought it was relevant that someone in her position, for the first time, blamed the mayor for the consequences of his police cuts. Period. Not even sure how we might use it in Raquel’s campaign. Haven’t taken the thought that far. Probably won’t.
That said, I would love to work on the campaign of anyone who wants to run against our esteemed SAO. I have, indeed, had issues with her selective investigations. I do think she has been there far too long. I almost did get hired to do campaign communications for an attorney who flirted with the idea of challenging her. But he flaked out.
Soooo, run against her, Pointer. Run for something. Or would it be too hard real work, compared to bashing me for speaking the truth? It’s still truth, by the way. And that’s what’s important.
Love, Ladra