Reso 2002-502 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

'\ Il CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE .~ Of~o/~Ca September 18, 2000 Mr. Carroll Buracker Carroll Buracker and Associates, Inc. 101 North Main Street Harrisonburg, Virginia 22802 Dear Mr. Buracker, I just had an opportunity to catch up on some professional journals and noticed your material in the July edition of Public Management Magazine. That prompted me to bring you up to speed on some relevant information that has taken place in the City of Fort Lauderdale since your 1995 study of our Police Department. Often times there is a tendency of governmental officials or the general public to feel that professional consultant studies are never really utilized, or the recommendations seldom implemented. When your firm completed a very thorough and professional review of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in the spring of 1995, Fort Lauderdale had the highest number of reported Part I crimes (cities with a population greater than 100.000) in the United States. In addition, the local press described the Department as "one of the most problem-plagued and controversial police forces around" and quoted what your study called the "contentious and disrespectful" relations between the union and city officials. Although I was retired from the Seattle Police Department at the time, I was hired as the Fort Lauderdale Police Chief several months after your study was completed. One of the very first things that I did was to review the material and some 120 very specific recommendations contained in your study. Within the first 2 years. we implemented well over 85% of those recommendations. The results have been outstanding. Our city has dropped from # 1 in VCR crimes nationwide to #25. There has been an overall drop of nearly 50% in Part I crimes (1999 compared to 1994). That has continued this year with a 16% drop for the first half of this year compared with the first half of last year. Although crime has been dropping throughout the U.S., Fort Lauderdale's drop has been at nearly twice the rate of reduction of the national rate during the same time period. We have dropped from #1. to #25 in the nation. \.". POL.ICE DEPARTMENT 1300 WEST BROWARO BOULEVARD, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA 33312 TELEPHONE (9541 761-5700, FAX (954) 759-6001 EOUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER ,. PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER \a"