Police call for "No Confidence" vote on City Manager Gretsas
In a move that could further deteriorate the relationship between the Fort Lauderdale Police Union and the City Management/City Commission, the Union has called for a vote of "No Confidence" in Manager George Gretsas. The vote is expected to be taken at an upcoming meeting. The Union is also including Assistant City Manager David Hebert, who oversees Public Safety for Gretsas, in the "No Confidence" vote, though the Police Chief has apparently been spared.
Gretsas and Department brass
The drastic action follows unsuccessful efforts to negotiate a Police contract. Police Union officials report that the failure to negotiate a satisfactory contract have led to poor morale and an exodus of experienced Police Officers from the force. These are some of the numbers that they state to make their case:
33 less Officers now than 2003, when the City had less residents
58 Police Officers left the force in 2007
94% of the force claim poor or very poor morale
72% of the Officers are looking to move to other agencies
Union officials complain that though they rated near the top in pay among other Departments in 2003, they currently rank last. They point to Gretsas's
21 % increase in pay, while their standing among other Departments has fallen.
The Mayor and Commissioners are responsible for approving a contract, and leaks suggest that there is wide disagreement among the Commission on a solution. Early reports had Mayor Naugle and Commissioner Hutchinson in favor of accepting the Police demands, Commissioners Moore and Teel opposing, and Commissioner Rodstrom on the fence. The latest development has Teel ready to deal, but Naugle and Rodstrom at odds over the length of the contract to offer.
One thing is for sure. A "No Confidence " vote next week on the City Manager is sure to cause new riffs and further instability. Stay tuned!
Gretsas and Department brass
The drastic action follows unsuccessful efforts to negotiate a Police contract. Police Union officials report that the failure to negotiate a satisfactory contract have led to poor morale and an exodus of experienced Police Officers from the force. These are some of the numbers that they state to make their case:
33 less Officers now than 2003, when the City had less residents
58 Police Officers left the force in 2007
94% of the force claim poor or very poor morale
72% of the Officers are looking to move to other agencies
Union officials complain that though they rated near the top in pay among other Departments in 2003, they currently rank last. They point to Gretsas's
21 % increase in pay, while their standing among other Departments has fallen.
The Mayor and Commissioners are responsible for approving a contract, and leaks suggest that there is wide disagreement among the Commission on a solution. Early reports had Mayor Naugle and Commissioner Hutchinson in favor of accepting the Police demands, Commissioners Moore and Teel opposing, and Commissioner Rodstrom on the fence. The latest development has Teel ready to deal, but Naugle and Rodstrom at odds over the length of the contract to offer.
One thing is for sure. A "No Confidence " vote next week on the City Manager is sure to cause new riffs and further instability. Stay tuned!
The members of the police department have never asked to be rich. They have only asked to be brought up to par with other area departments in regards to pay and benefits. What is killing our police department is the constant meddling by Gretsas and Hebert, two people without any law enforcement experience or knowledge of the police subculture. For the past 3 or 4 years Gretsas and Hebert have moved around police officers like they were little toy soldiers, without regard for what the experts tell them. For example right now over twenty police officers a day are being reassigned to the beach to combat a problem that hasn't existed since 1988, Spring Break. While this colossal waste of resources is being placed on the beach the district the MRT sits in had 24 armed robberies. How many Spring Break arrests were made? Zero.
The city took a big risk when they hired the lowest scoring city manager in the group and going with the "low bid" manager has not paid off. Every city department has morale that is swirling down the drain and Gretsas created this problem and is now over his head.
Has anyone looked in to the corruption that surrounded Hebert when he was in White Plains, NY. Google Jeanine F. Pirro, Hebert is one of her cronies and she is surrounded by corruption allegations. Did the apple fall far from this tree or did it just flee (or prance) to Florida to escape the heat?
George Gretsas and David Hebert do not care about the employees or the residents of our city. They are only here to serve themselves.
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Police officers deserve respect and proper compensation for what they are hired to do, neither of these conditions are being met in this city. A leader leads by example, and should be giving those he is in charge of all the tools to be successful. Gretsas has done NONE of the above, while he has taken the taxpayers' money for himself. Why does the commission and the people of the city stand for it? Are we all going to just lay down and take, because George is in charge? The Spring Break shift is a joke, and an excuse for someone to meddle in police business who should not be involved in it. It's sad that the city is coming to this, really is. I hope things can change, and change quickly, as we do not want our cops to be demoralized while out on the streets protecting us. Do you think they can do a good job like that?? I don't...
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What's just as bad about the springbreak shift is that some of the man power being shifted to the beach from their normal assignments are Vice detectives who have no less than half a dozen Child Porn cases they are working on. They are pulled away from those important investigations to drive around in circles on the beach and go after real criminals........... the ever dangerous wine drinking middle aged vacationing Canadian. It's ridiculous. In fact it's nearly criminal because if another child is victimized by one of these predators due to the fact that the detectives were delayed in completing their investigations and making the arrest because they had to spend their shift on the beach Grestas, Hebert and the Dept. administration should be held responsible.
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Marty..I reminded the city manager along time ago that spring break was a thing of the past! I also asked what qualifications he had to run the police dept? I am upset for the police as to whats happening to them, we are loosing good cops! When is the city commission going to finally take a stand and get rid of Gretsas and Hebert..and where is Chief Roberts thru all this????
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Gretsas does not allow his department heads to speak. The other day Gretsas ordered Bruce to go in to the police briefing and intimidate the officers in to taking another substandard contract.
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It is about Time. The City Commission has let me down we have less Police Patrolling our streets and we are paying more Taxes. I vote to Fire all of Them. The City manager with is Micro manage and closing out Public input is not the City I wish to live in.Public Safety is First.
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To Commissioner Hutchinson so what are you going to do ? are you a leader or a do nothing Commissioner for a long time there has been concern with less police on the streets and a City Manager that has avoided the questions of residents about less police on the street. You want to be Mayor well this is your chance to show you can Lead.
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The city has not supported our police officers for a few years now. No wonder the morale is low within the FLPD!
The FLPD should be one of the highest paid departments within the city, they are the ones that are out there within the city 24/7 protecting us, the residents of this ****** up city. Our city manager is the blame for many problems that the city has & our commission should be ashame for allowing him to continue to hold his position within the city. But they don't have any balls either!
Hopefully, with a new commission & Mayor soon to be elected we can have a PD that we once had. The #1 throughout the country! How are we going to get this back? The new Mayor & commission will "FIRE" Gretsas & his sidekick!
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Thank goodness Jack Seiler filed to run for Mayor. A change from the top down is needed and Jack is the guy to do it. Cindi was a part of the problem and is certainly not part of the solution.
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Yes, Thank God Jack Seiler opened his campaign to run for Mayor. Knew he was going to, just did not know when.
I know he will have my vote!
Cindi helped this city get where it is today (****** up)could not imagine her holding the seat as Mayor ~ She could be another Naugle.
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I said reduce cronies that work for the City Manager like that Professional standards department. I hear they do the behind the curtain dirty work.
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Mayor Naugle will you lead the City thru this Police Safety Issue the Rumor is that your own Neighborhood you live in has had many Crime Problems (Rio Vista) and the Rio Vista Civic Association group is thinking of Hiring there own Security/Police Patrol ??
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A persistent rumor is that Gretsas has told the police department brass to make this vote of no confidence go-away (not happen)...seems he is pissed because he and his assistant were singled out. Seems he believes it is only about the union contract which couldn't possibly be his fault since he just does what the commission tells him (oh sure - sarcasm). Well guess what Mr. Manager and assistant - it is not the contract - it is the continued meddling in department affairs, tactical operatations, promotions, assignments, and everything else in the world....you are not a cop nor is your assistant.....what makes you think you are qualified to tell professional police officers and managers how to best use their force, who to promote and threaten unless you get your way....its long overdue to get this vote - guess they hoped you would relax and let them do their jobs. Our department can't even keep the good officers we have must less recruit new ones as long as you are there....time to go.
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I agree with you ~ we have lost great officers!
Yes, by all means it is time for Gretsas to go (actually the day he arrived in our city was the time to go)
However, his day is coming ~ I shall celebrate that night for sure.
Hey Gretsas where is your hang out? I will be more than happy to cheer to you a nice farewell drink (out of my pocket)
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So whats the solution??? He (Gretsas)has our motorcops on the beach until April because of Spring break! Thats a big laugh..there are hardly any spring breakers here now.
How do we wake up Chief Roberts to speak up and how do we convince the commissioners that they need to wake up also and get another City Manager????????
the vote of no confidence needs to stay put until all is resolved..
I am sure that I lost my district major due to departmental meddling...when is this going to STOP??????
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I feel in someways he has done some of the same tactics to Private Residents and I would Fire Him Tommorrow in my view He makes his own Policy and one reason I believe is because of the weak Commission. He needs to be put in His Place or Fired.
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February 29, 2008
Concerned Citizens,
Several months ago I sent you a letter detailing the harsh reality that officers were leaving the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department at an alarming rate. For many of you who voiced your concerns to city hall, a letter which was signed by the city manager, stated that the information I provided was incorrect. This denial by city manager Gretsas has been the underlying reason that after 12 months of negotiations the city has yet to propose a contract that would help retain these officers. The truth is that from January 2004 through December 2007 (4 years), the city has hired 208 officers. Of the 208 officers that were hired 82 have already left.
I realize that taxes being paid by you are and should be a major concern. It costs approximately $300,000 for each officer that you have to replace (this includes pay, pension, health insurance, academy and recruiting costs as well as the overtime needed while the new officer is in training). So you have to ask yourself if it is prudent to spend an average of $6,140,000 per year, (that’s right over 6 million dollars) instead of proposing a contract of a significantly lower cost, that would address the retention issue. More alarming than the waste of your tax dollars is the fact that the city has had to hire over 200 officers in the past 4 years. With your safety as our number one mission I find it hard to believe that citizens would accept the fact that over half of the officers who are assigned to the patrol division have less than 5 years experience. This is not only unsafe for you, but unsafe for the members I represent.
Here is small example of how our manpower crises have affected you:
Our marine unit which is responsible for patrolling all of our waterways has been reduced from 14 officers down to 7
When there were previously 14 officers assigned to our north district (not including the executive airport) we now have had as few as 6, with three of those officers on overtime.
Our community policing unit has been shut down.
I no longer have confidence in the city manager’s ability to manage this city. I say this because I am certain that if the elected officials were advised by the city manager that this information was the truth, there would be no way that they would allow the safety of the citizens to be at risk and the waste of your tax dollars to continue. The City’s reserve fund has grown from $800,000 to $67,000,000. The city manager will respond to you and attempt to again discredit these alarming facts, but these facts were obtained from the police department and this information is available to anyone who requests it. This city needs to stop running like a public relations firm, masking the truth and spinning the numbers and make public safety a priority.
Sincerely,
Jack Lokeinsky, President
954-527-2606
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As a Resident, this Matter should be discussed by the City Commission ASAP ....the sides are so far apart.... this is a Crisis and Public Safety is being affected .....do we have a Commissioner that will bring this to a end ???
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So disappointed with this City Government. We often allow denial to go on too long until the issue gets too hot and the leaders are forced to talk. Why does this happen so often? Is it again because the lack of leader ship with the Mayor and the other Commissioners ? I believe it is.
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Is there anyone that would do a Citizens Presentation to the commission am talking about the 3 minutes that the Commission allows at any General Meeting to speak to the commission has a resident. Concerning the stalmate between Police and the Commission. I Hope Tim Smith Volunteers
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Residents of Fort Lauderdale please be advised that over 80% of the police department management (captains and lieutenants) decided to join the vote of no confidence on Hebert and Gretsas. Obviously this is not about pay, but poor management.
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