Stabbing, Blood, Thugs, and 911
While the new City Commission wrestles with forecasted budget woes, some areas in the City are feeling the effects already, in blood on the streets!
Yesterday, horrified neighbors and business owners watched as a 30 year-old crackhead was stabbed in broad daylight by a group of drug dealing thugs at the busy intersection of Dixie Hwy. and NE 13th Street. And as the onlookers feverishly tried to call 911, no one answered, (more about that in a minute).
Things had been greatly improving in the area, with new Police Chief Frank Adderley's special Street Crimes Unit, but the City Administration has reportedly ordered reductions in the Police Departments budgeted overtime, and the Special Unit has been ordered back into Patrol duties. Crime in the area is quickly getting worse.
Chief Adderley and former Chief Roberts
Here's how yesterday's mayhem played out:
............. the bloodied man's screams got everybody's attention. The area business owners darted outside to see what the fracas was all about. " He was covered with blood, staggering around the intersection yelling - I've been stabbed", said Katherine Barry, Director of the non-profit, Home's Inc., which builds and maintains homes and apartments for aged out foster kids and other needy folks. "Cars were slamming on their breaks to dodge him, it's a wonder no one ran him down".
Many of those watching began to call 911. But nobody was home! " I let it ring at least 30 times", said one bystander, who asked not to be identified. Others reported the same problems as they called 911. [ The 911 Call Center is not run by the Fort Lauderdale Police, but by the Broward Sheriff's Office.]
"And the stabbing thugs just hung around and went into the Super Duper Liquors to get a bottle like they weren't the slightest bit worried", said 13th Street Alliance V.P. Randall Klett.
Still awaiting a Police response, Barry, a woman small in stature, but big in chutzpah, decided to follow the thugs as they left the area. "I didn't want them to get away" explained Barry, "so followed them into the park, but my high heels were slowing me down".
Neighbors finally got through to Fort Lauderdale Police by calling them directly at the Police Station, but by then, the thugs had made their get-a-way. The crackhead was transported to the hospital.
Police Administration officials say they are frustrated. They say that everyone "likes to say Public Safety is priority one", but do they really mean it?
Yesterday, horrified neighbors and business owners watched as a 30 year-old crackhead was stabbed in broad daylight by a group of drug dealing thugs at the busy intersection of Dixie Hwy. and NE 13th Street. And as the onlookers feverishly tried to call 911, no one answered, (more about that in a minute). Things had been greatly improving in the area, with new Police Chief Frank Adderley's special Street Crimes Unit, but the City Administration has reportedly ordered reductions in the Police Departments budgeted overtime, and the Special Unit has been ordered back into Patrol duties. Crime in the area is quickly getting worse.
Chief Adderley and former Chief Roberts
Here's how yesterday's mayhem played out:
............. the bloodied man's screams got everybody's attention. The area business owners darted outside to see what the fracas was all about. " He was covered with blood, staggering around the intersection yelling - I've been stabbed", said Katherine Barry, Director of the non-profit, Home's Inc., which builds and maintains homes and apartments for aged out foster kids and other needy folks. "Cars were slamming on their breaks to dodge him, it's a wonder no one ran him down".
Many of those watching began to call 911. But nobody was home! " I let it ring at least 30 times", said one bystander, who asked not to be identified. Others reported the same problems as they called 911. [ The 911 Call Center is not run by the Fort Lauderdale Police, but by the Broward Sheriff's Office.]
"And the stabbing thugs just hung around and went into the Super Duper Liquors to get a bottle like they weren't the slightest bit worried", said 13th Street Alliance V.P. Randall Klett.
Still awaiting a Police response, Barry, a woman small in stature, but big in chutzpah, decided to follow the thugs as they left the area. "I didn't want them to get away" explained Barry, "so followed them into the park, but my high heels were slowing me down".
Neighbors finally got through to Fort Lauderdale Police by calling them directly at the Police Station, but by then, the thugs had made their get-a-way. The crackhead was transported to the hospital.
Police Administration officials say they are frustrated. They say that everyone "likes to say Public Safety is priority one", but do they really mean it?
Dial 911 and Die by Richard W. Stevens
OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK: Do the police owe a duty to protect you from criminal attack? In most of the United States, the answer is "no." In fact, in most cases the police do not even have to respond to your emergency 911 call.
Don't believe it? Read the true stories from all across America about citizens who depended solely upon their telephone and police response for emergency help against a violent criminal. Not only did those crime victims not get help, the local government and police escaped legal responsibility for failing to help those victims.
Statutes and court decisions consistently hold that the police generally have "no duty" to protect individual citizens. When it comes to personal self-defense, citizens are on their own.
Check the law of your state, and of the states where your loved ones live. If you are interested in public policy questions about government liability, gun control or victims' rights, or if protecting yourself and your family is your worry, this book tells you what you need to know about whether you have any "right" to police protection.
Certainly you will never look at your telephone the same way again.
You cannot sue the government or the police for failing to protect you from crime.
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HELL, WHAT A DAY ON 13TH STREET.
WAS THE CRACKHEAD ONE OF MY "BUDDIES"?
I HATE TO SAY IT BUT IF THE POLICE CAN'T BE THERE FOR THE LAW ABIDING TAXPAYERS THEN I SUPPOSE SOME LAW ABIDERS WILL TAKE THE LAW INTO THEIR OWN HANDS.
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Tim You once told me the reason we do not get anywhere with Drug Dealers and Prostitution is because the Rich Neighborhoods do not want to pay anymore taxes and without the funding we will not have a effective Police Department and I fully agree.
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You know Mr. Dettman, I think I have had all of you I can stand..I have never ran into a person who is more hungry to take the food out of his neighbors mouth than you are. I have read your post, read them again and always am left shaking me head...how about this concept, which may be foreign to you, but I'll give it a shot..How about we as a community demand the services promised to us exclusive of whatever neighborhoods we may live in. "Rich Neighborhhoods" whats that? a Joke? Arent you in property management or some such thing? I see your signs all over if thats you? Isnt that kinda like biting the hand that feeds you? Ahh gotta love guys like you, keep wanting to run back to a well thats going dry, instead plugging up the leaks...
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I agree with STEVE STICHT. I think everybody knows where we stand
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So, a bunch of drug dealers stab a crackhead.....sounds like the law of the jungle to me.
Personally, I'd much rather see the police responding to the needs of a business, or a child, or an elderly person that has been victimized than wasting their time trying to rescue someone that has opted to be a drug user and probably has little regard for their life to begin with.
As far as nobody answering 911, this situation has been a nightmare ever since BSO took over the handling of these calls from the City of Fort Lauderdale's Police Department, and it needs to be addressed by the County, as a priority, since it has been handled ineffectively by BSO for a very long time. The last time I called 911, a couple of years ago, over what had the potential to become a very dangerous situation, I was told, ver batim "look lady, it's 8 o'clock on a Friday night" If I wanted the time or the date, I could have looked at my watch, and I would be the first to say that the dispatchers are in dire need of retraining, and it would also help if they spoke articulate English, but back to the stabbed crackhead....
when you enter the world of criminal behavior, you are not hanging out with people that will offer you a cup of coffee and a slice of homemade apple pie; they will more likely try to rob you, shoot you, stab you, or steal your car, so if you opt to be a drug addicted scumbag, just remember that when you lie down with dogs, you are more than likely going to wake up with fleas.
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I also had 911 tell me that, after 3 phone calls and 45 minute wait while singlehandedly trying not to let the criminal get away: "Look, it's 7:00 at night and it's a busy time". I found that to be an odd response.
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Just another day on 13th !! From our offices we watch stuff go on all day. Just watch how the kids themselves behave. And yet Ms. Rodstrom cotinues to raise our taxes. For what I say ?!!!!!!!! The area looks more blighted than ever.
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As we all said at the 13th St. Alliance meeting, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. And we MUST care, even if drug users are attacked, since the attackers could easily turn on nearby innocent bystanders.
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Marge ....Lets ask Mayor Seiler to have a meeting with all the concern Neighborhoods that have issues like Drug Dealers and Hookers in their areas and find out why we cannot keep the street level crime unit..... for this to work we would need to show a good turn out of concern neighborhoods to get the funding back.
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Good grief! Let's ask Smilin' Jack Seiler to have a meeting with the Drug Dealers and Hookers, and ask them to find a new line of work. Perhaps he can offer them some nice guvmint jobs and end the crime in Crack Town.
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Chief Adderley shut down the vice unit today. At least we can add prostitution back on our list of neighborhood problems now. Also, maybe we can get some massage parlors to move in to the boarded up businesses.
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The more I think about the Street Crime unit being discontinue the more I feel we Civic Activist need to raise some hell it is not fair we pay Taxes Too and we deserve to have Safe Neighborhoods that do not have Hookers and Drug Dealer Thugs
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word is that adderly did not disband the street level crime unit. i think he is putting a few of those officers on duty(uniformed) when needed. i may be wrong, we'll see soon enough.
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But Ray your friend Earl wants to cut all cit y services so its kinda hard to ask for more when you want to spend less.
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Rang 30 times? This is the departments preliminary, customary, true to form preface before asking for more money.
Its textbook...next you will see signs put up by various police departments warning tourist and locals to protect themselves...
Just like those electronic signs "Do not leave valuables in sight in your car"..
What it is really saying is "your own your own out there"
At some point the general public is going to have to demand more for themselves than what they are recieving. If you don't..."you wont get it"
Our police Departments are more in the news for misconduct than the criminals are, Police Unions have effectively shoved the "Officers Bill of Rights" so far down the publics throat, there is virtually no accountability for any of them. Yet, we continue to get "played" by the various departments like we are idiots.
Seems to me, we have New Sheriff's, New Police Chief's who ran on campaign premise's that they were better qualified and more suited to handle the task before them than the other guy..What happened?
If it takes 30 rings for police dispatch to answer, you have bigger problems than you even realize..
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Maybe they ran on the hope and change platform too? You can hope your 911 call is answered when you call, and if the bad guy keeps coming at you, change your under wear! Or you can be a Republican about it and take of the the problem yourself and not rely on the government to take care of you.
By the way, Police Chiefs don't run for office, only the Sheriff. Furthermore, the Police Officer Bill of rights has nothing to do with this. The POBR simply keeps officers from being treated like second class citizens. There is still plenty of accountability.
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All of this whining and whinging from people who are clueless. The police have no responsibility to protect you - they write up reports AFTER THE CRIME has been committed. It is YOUR responsibility to protect yourself and your family. The police will not do it.
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