fop press release 7-9-13

7/28/2019 FOP Press Release 7-9-13

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Miami Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #20

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Who: All media, prospective police officer candidates, and current Miami PoliceOfficers are strongly encouraged to attend

What: FOP Police Recruitment Drive & Information On Red Light Enforcement

Where: 3500 Pan American Drive (Miami City Hall)

When: July 11, 2013 9:00 A.M. - NOON

This Thursday, July 11th at 9:00 A.M., the Miami Fraternal Order of Police will hold a police

recruitment drive for our Miami Police Officers as well as prospective candidates to educate

themselves about better employment opportunities in South Florida. Miami police officershave received pay cuts and other significant reductions in benefits. The FOP will stage multiple

recruitment drives to inform their current police officers the possibility of resigning from the

Miami Police Department and seek better employment opportunities with departments that

value their employees.

While the city has tried various methods to recruit and retain officers, there is one underlying

factor impeding the process. The City of Miami is one of the lowest paid police departments in

South Florida. They have imposed contracts on their officers that eliminate education

incentives, hazardous pay, and annual performance raises. Of course, they dont mentionthese facts to potential new-hires. The FOP will also be shadowing the Miami Police

Department's current recruitment drive in order to educate potential candidates the facts of

employment in a city that doesn't support its police force. A group of residents who like to cal

themselves the "Miami Residents for Public Safety" are assisting in disseminating educationa

information to the public in support of our police officers.

To further support our claim that the Miami Commission has no plans to move forward

making police service a priority, Commissioner Carollo and Commissioner Suarez are pushing

to remove the red light camera system that may cost taxpayers over $21 million dollars in


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fines for breaking a contract with the operator of the system. We have attached a letter from

our legal counsel in regards to this matter.

Unfortunately, in the next few years, hundreds of experienced officers, including the majority

of the command ranks are scheduled to retire. With the majority of our active sworn members

looking for employment elsewhere, these shortages will have a serious impact on both officer

and public safety, and the ability to deliver adequate emergency services to the citizens of

Miami. The City of Miami Police Department will not be able to provide the proper support totheir existing workforce on the tactical and training deficiencies the U.S. Department of Justice

has concerns over because we wont have the staffing for the street while these officers are in

training. We will also not be able to have the proper amount of supervisors overseeing patrol

operations due to the lack of police officers that wont be able to get promoted, due to

staffing shortages. You cant promote cops to a supervisory position when there is no one to

replace him/her.

All municipalities are faced with decreased revenues to some degree. Some may ask why the

Fraternal Order of Police is taking such a tough position. Our commissioners have declared

financial urgencies to break union contracts year after year. We have been promised that they

will not declare it anymore in agreeing to our current contract. Now the commission is not

only breaking contracts with their workforce, but plans to break contracts with private

companies. Some of our commissioners this Thursday will show once again that getting a vote

in an election is more important than ensuring public safety and risking an added $21 million

dollar shortfall for breaking a contract. The City of Miami is the only city we have seen with no

strategy to improve benefits in order to be competitive with other police departments in

South Florida.

The Fraternal Order of Police will not stand by as the city attempts to recruit unsuspecting

candidates into a system that does not allow for career advancement. We cannot allow them

to make choices that will affect their families quality of life for years to come. We have started

our own education drive to show potential candidates the facts of employment in the City of

Miami Police Department. We hope that the citizens and politicians of the city take notice.

Broken contracts.

Brokenpromises.

Brokenemployees.

Welcome to the City of Miami.

For more information, contact Sergeant Javier Ortiz, FOP President at (305) 854-5019 or email

[email protected]


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fop press release 7-9-13

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