The Police Chief That Would Be Commissioner
His name is Bruce Roberts. He is our former Police Chief.
Police Chief Roberts
He was a Cop for a long time, some 35 years. Here is a picture of him in his early Cop days, with his Special Undercover Squad back in 1979.
If you can't pick him out, he's the guy in the middle, with the long hair and beard, (the last thirty years has not been especially kind to him, follicly speaking!)
Now, after a successful career in law enforcement, starting as a Patrolman and ending up the Chief of Police, he's got a new goal, Fort Lauderdale District I City Commissioner.
I interviewed him recently, and here are the results. He was quite candid.
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Tim - So Chief, did you ever have to shoot anyone?
Bruce - I did! My partner and I were tailing a couple of guys that had just robbed someone at a night depository at a bank on Sunrise Boulevard. We made a felony stop, and before we could do much, they came out of the car with a blazing shotgun. One of their bullets went through my legs and flattened the tire on the squad car. Pretty scary!. We had to shoot them.
Tim - So now that I know you can shoot the bad guys, why have decided to try and replace Commissioner Christine Teel as Commissioner ?
Bruce - I think she's abdicated her responsibility as Commissioner. She's let the City Manager set policy, and hasn't been listening to her constituents. Also, she was initially in favor of the grotesque pay raises at the City. Also, I think I will bring more energy to the position.
Tim - When you resigned as Police Chief, you were pretty pissed! You said some tough things about City Manager Gretsas. Do you think you will keep him on as Manager if you're elected?
Bruce - I think you know me well enough to know I'm not going to make personnel decisions without all the information and without due process.
Tim - Ok, fair enough, but you said at the time that the Manager's office had held back important Police Safety equipment, what was that about?
Bruce - Actually, that was Assistant City Manager David Hebert. We had new important AR-15 rifles scheduled for purchase and Hebert said if the Police Union wouldn't bargain, "maybe the rifles don't get ordered." ..... (Tim note - Hebert denies this claim)
Tim - So what are your plans if elected?
Bruce - It's going to be a tough budget year, the first year, but I know what needs to be done and have done it. I'll fall back on the primary purpose of government; Police, Fire, EMS, Water. Sewer, and Trash. And as a Commissioner, with my colleagues, and the citizens, I'll set the direction and policy for the City to meet the challenges we'll face together.
Police Chief Roberts
He was a Cop for a long time, some 35 years. Here is a picture of him in his early Cop days, with his Special Undercover Squad back in 1979.
If you can't pick him out, he's the guy in the middle, with the long hair and beard, (the last thirty years has not been especially kind to him, follicly speaking!)
Now, after a successful career in law enforcement, starting as a Patrolman and ending up the Chief of Police, he's got a new goal, Fort Lauderdale District I City Commissioner.
I interviewed him recently, and here are the results. He was quite candid.
....................................................................
Tim - So Chief, did you ever have to shoot anyone?
Bruce - I did! My partner and I were tailing a couple of guys that had just robbed someone at a night depository at a bank on Sunrise Boulevard. We made a felony stop, and before we could do much, they came out of the car with a blazing shotgun. One of their bullets went through my legs and flattened the tire on the squad car. Pretty scary!. We had to shoot them.
Tim - So now that I know you can shoot the bad guys, why have decided to try and replace Commissioner Christine Teel as Commissioner ?
Bruce - I think she's abdicated her responsibility as Commissioner. She's let the City Manager set policy, and hasn't been listening to her constituents. Also, she was initially in favor of the grotesque pay raises at the City. Also, I think I will bring more energy to the position.
Tim - When you resigned as Police Chief, you were pretty pissed! You said some tough things about City Manager Gretsas. Do you think you will keep him on as Manager if you're elected?
Bruce - I think you know me well enough to know I'm not going to make personnel decisions without all the information and without due process.
Tim - Ok, fair enough, but you said at the time that the Manager's office had held back important Police Safety equipment, what was that about?
Bruce - Actually, that was Assistant City Manager David Hebert. We had new important AR-15 rifles scheduled for purchase and Hebert said if the Police Union wouldn't bargain, "maybe the rifles don't get ordered." ..... (Tim note - Hebert denies this claim)
Tim - So what are your plans if elected?
Bruce - It's going to be a tough budget year, the first year, but I know what needs to be done and have done it. I'll fall back on the primary purpose of government; Police, Fire, EMS, Water. Sewer, and Trash. And as a Commissioner, with my colleagues, and the citizens, I'll set the direction and policy for the City to meet the challenges we'll face together.
Now let's see...exactly how has Commissioner Teel "abdicated" her responsibilities? Merely supporting a city manager (albeit a real dud of one) doesn't equate to wholesale abdication of responsibilities. If I am going to vote for the ex-cop I want to know more about his policies and plans for his district not just that he has an ax to grind with the city manager! And Tim, what kind of a juvenile question is "have you ever shot anyone?" Gremlin expects more from you.
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First. Roberts is a "retired" cop who was fired by overpaid city manager Gretsas. His motivation is to fire Gretsas.
Second. Roberts is taking one-hundred grand in retirement from me and the other tax-payers. Now he wants to take another $30,000 from me? NO WAY!
Go raise roses or count your investments, Brucie. We don't want another political hack on the City Commission.
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Tim,
Bruce Robert’s treatment of the folks in District One is the best predictor of how he will treat us if he were to be elected to the City Commission.
Three year ago, in February 2005, a group of Southpoint Condominium Owners hired attorney Inger Garcia and served a 35-page complaint on Bob Rozema, Marty Glazer, and the rest of the Southpoint Condominium Board. The complaint documented illegal payments estimated to be $500,000 to $1,000,000, or more, to Rozema and others.
The following month, March 2005, Rozema resigned as President, but the allegations went unanswered. Thirty-five pages of allegations, and not one denial from Marty Glazer, the Southpoint Board, or Southpoint’s lawyer.
The next month, April 2005, the same group of Southpoint Condominium Owners and attorney Inger Garcia, delivered the same complaint to the Fort Lauderdale police. They met with two police detectives. These were the FLPD’s experts on Condominium Crime, and they were shocked at what they heard.
The detectives told the Owners and Attorney Garcia there was probable cause, and that they believed a number of crimes had been committed against Southpoint’s Owners. They planned to get a search warrant, and to sieze Southpoint’s computers, files, and other documents. However, they needed permission from their Chief to move forward. Chief Roberts stopped the investigation, saying there was no money for condominium crime.
No money for condominium crime. Fort Lauderdale’s budget is at least twice that of any comparable city in the United States. Fort Lauderdale’s police department receives the lion’s share of that massive budget, making the Fort Lauderdale police department the best funded and best paid police department of its kind. Yet, Chief Roberts told his police detectives there was no money for condominium crime.
Now, three years have passed. Roberts had major disagreements with City Manager Gretsas, and resigned. Despite his employment contract prohibiting a separation payment, Roberts received one from the City.
Today, Roberts is drawing a fat retirement income, at our expense, of nearly $100,000. Three years after stopping a criminal investigation at Southpoint, he wants us to elect him to represent us on the City Commission, and pay him an additional $30,000.
Fort Lauderdale and District One deserves someone who will be our advocate, not someone who told us to DROP DEAD.
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