After months of study, Pompano Beach City Manager Dennis Beach made his recommendation Monday regarding the future of the Broward Sheriff's Office in his city.
wrote in a five-page memo to the City Commission that he doesn't want BSO to have a future in the city at all. The city manager wants to oust BSO and bring back a Pompano PD, saying the city stands to save at least $3 million a year with such a move.
The recommendation, according to one emailed account, came as a "total shock" to Sheriff Al Lamberti.
"It is my recommendation to the City Commission that you re-establish the Pompano Beach Police Department," Beach wrote in his January 29 memo. "It is understood that this recommendation will be challenged... The City Commission should anticipate extensive lobbying efforts from sources that disagree with re-establishing the Pompano Beach Police Department."
That last part may be an understatement. Sources say that BSO is mobilizing its forces to show en masse at the
February 9 City Commission meeting, when the issue will be discussed by elected officials. Sources say that BSO commanders and Lamberti himself have urged deputies at roll calls throughout the county to flood the meeting and urge the city to keep BSO. Part of their instructions: Wear your "Class A" uniforms, and drive your patrol cars.
Sheriff's spokesman Jim Leljedal didn't dispute that account. "The sheriff at times does appear at roll calls," he said. "We're trying to figure out how to respond [to the city manager's recommendation] now."
One email circulating through BSO apparently came from Pat Hanrahan, the head of the Police Benevolence Association:
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Sent: Monday, February 1, 2010 9:12:22 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: FW: Pompano Beach / BSO
Attached is a part (I don't have the entire one yet) of a memorandum from the new PB City Manager his recommendation that the City Commission "re-establish the Pompano Beach Police Department". He also recommends that this be brought up at the City Commission meeting on Tuesday, 2/9/10, at 7 pm for "discussion and direction". The Sheriff advised me of this at 5 pm, today. He stated it was a total shock because he had met twice with the new city manager and thought all was going well. It is important for people to show up at this commission meeting. At this time, I'm not sure if the public will be allowed to speak on this or if the commission is going to vote on this. I'll try to get that information. But we need to be there.
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You'll be hearing a lot more about this.
