Yolanne Almanzar reported in the April 6th Miami Herald that "An unresolved contract dispute between Pinecrest Police Department officers and the village has sparked an exodus of officers to other police agencies in South Florida. Since September, when the contract expired, 20 officers have left. Mayor Gary Matzner said the village wants to work out an agreement with the officers," Almanzar wrote.

According to I.U.P.A. General Counsel Aaron Nisenson, "The Pinecrest Village Police Department is in a staffing crisis. In one week, ten police officers and sergeants, or almost one quarter of the Pinecrest Police Department, I.U.P.A. Local 6001, submitted their resignations. When combined with earlier resignations, there will be only 26 active officers and sergeants out of 49 allocated positions."

These resignations, and the perpetually short staffed department, leave the citizens of Pinecrest and the officers of the department in serious danger. While the Village has projected an increase in calls for service for this fiscal year, the number of street level police has plummeted.

The short staffing is made worse because many experienced officers are leaving the department. Of the remaining officers, over one third have less than two years of experience with the force, and the streets are patrolled increasingly by very junior and inexperienced officers. Further, there are few senior officers left to train new recruits, and the Village has been forced to seek training assistance from other departments.

One Pinecrest business owner told CBS-TV Channel 4's Liv Davalos that he doesn't feel secure anymore, especially when he keeps his business open late. "I feel short changed in the security here with the lack of police officers. I feel like a sitting duck," he said. Another Pinecrest resident and mother of two told Davalos she is planning on putting new security cameras not only on her house, but on the front gate as well. She said, "I don't see police anymore, and at night, you're lucky to find one."

Unfortunately, these resignations are not a one time event. Pinecrest has had one of the highest turnover rates in the entire state. Officers generally come to Pinecrest, get trained, and then leave for other departments with better pensions and fairer treatment.

Juan Portela, President of I.U.P.A. Local 6011, agrees that residents' safety is a primary concern, since fewer patrol officers can result in slower response time, and officers may not get the backup they need. "Right now, we have 19 officers out and about half the staff has resigned," he told Almanzar; "it will be about a year before we can normalize the situation."

The issue came to a head in September 2007 when the contract between the village and the International Union of Police Associations ended. Negotiations for the new contract were delayed until December because of scheduling conflicts, said President Portela.

"We have been telling [the Council] for years this is coming," said Portela; "The main problem is the benefits package."

Although Pinecrest offers a 401K and a starting salary of $46,800, which is commeasurate with other departments, failure to provide a pension plan and other benefits for working families has become a sticking point.

The officers are requesting a municipal police pension, a state retirement plan that includes disability benefits.

Nearby police departments such as Doral have lured some Pinecrest officers with state pension plans -- Doral recently hired 18 officers away from Pinecrest.

"It's hard to leave, but I had no choice," said one relocated officer; "I had to look after my family. It's peace of mind to know that you dedicate yourself to a department and you get rewarded for those years of service," he added.

President Portela predicts that more officers will leave if the department does not offer a pension plan.

Local 6011 has been studying the issues and has proposed resolutions to the Village of Pinecrest for several years with almost no constructive response from Village management. Therefore, the POA was compelled to schedule a vote of no confidence in the Village Manager on March 27th.

The no-confidence vote passed unanimously.

Posted April 11, 2008