Fort Myers Police Reiview Website and Forums (Cape Coral, Naples: 2009, crime rates)

[mike810]

Hello,

I am a male web developer and designer living in Fort Myers..

I have lived in fort Myers for several years now. I have no pass charges or any convictions. However, I keep having bad brush ins with the law. I never get any tickets I have never disrespected a police officer however they treat me and most everyone with little or no respect.

Now I am not going to get into preaching about how they should act like human beings (which most don't), or how the badge doesn't make them above the citizens (It definitely does not.).. I just want to bridge the community and the police force together because they are part of the community. All I personally want is for the police force to do their job while respecting those who respect them.

I dont want to be surrounded and searched because I am going for a morning walk (which happened).

I don't want to be harrased and searched because im sitting at a lake watching the water with my girl friend (which happened).

I don't want to be yelled at and and treated like scum (which happened many times)..

The list goes on..

Most of you probably think I have it coming to me or I must be doing soothing wrong, there is no other reason they would do things like this...

I have never been caught with any drugs or anything illegal (besides a bb gun one time in Illinois when i was 14). I have never disrespected a police officer. I have never given them any reason to disrespect me..

These experienced are not unique to me.. There are thousands of you out there who have very similar happenings and have also had enough as well.
For those that haven't, lucky for you, but chances are yours will come.

------------------------------------------------

After my last brush in (yesterday), I sat and thought of what I was going to do about it.. I couldn't just let it go this time.
After a few hours and a nights sleep I thought about making a website and forum where other citizens can explain their situations and voice their opinion.

I have bought the domain name, fortmyerspolice.org , And I will have the website up and running in the next couple days..

Hopefully in the end this forums can accomplish a couple of things.

One, make people who are not aware of the majority of the fort myers police officer's behaviours, aware.

And Two, hopefully in the end, help bridge the gap between the fort myers police and the citizens of Fort Myers, young and old. If we could all get along and treat each other with respect it can go a long way.

[yachtcare]

Not a bad idea, cant say how effective it would be, but I would certainly pay the site a visit.

However, some constructive criticism....any such site should be divided into four segments, as such.....

Ft Myers police

Cape Coral police

Lee County Sheriff's Office

Other(Highway patrol, code enforcement, park rangers, FDLE, FWC, etc. also occasionally make a citizen's life a living hell for no purpose other than attempting to generate revenue as well)

All of them are utilizing draconian measures in their policing lately. Persons participating in said site should be encouraged to always post the officer's name and badge number as well.
If the site is a hit with the locals, you could possibly end up selling advertising space to some local attorneys

[JBMallory]

two great ideas! sign me up!

[TannerBoyle]

If you're going to have forums set up to talk about the activities of your local law enforcement agencies, make sure that the good things they do get posted about as well.

It probably won't happen...since it's easier to simply ***** about the mistakes cops make--no matter how minor or inconsequential or even imagined.

But, I thought I'd throw that dead monkey out onto the table, anyways.

[yachtcare]

Originally Posted by TannerBoyle

If you're going to have forums set up to talk about the activities of your local law enforcement agencies, make sure that the good things they do get posted about as well.

I concur. Balance is a necessary element in this type of endeavor.

LEO's provide an absolutley essential service to society as a whole. And the fact that the good done far outweighs the bad, is a given.

Nonetheless, there are bad apples in every barrel, if it be LEO's or school teachers, politicians or boat detailers, the less than stellar performers should be taken note of, and constructive criticism administered. It helps to improve their performance, as well as the experience of the those they interact with.

[MrsTommy]

Having worked in Law Enforcement in Collier County, I think I may be able to throw in a couple of cents too.

I have noticed that there seems to be a heavy-handed kind of mentality that exists in Lee County that doesn't really extend into the surrounding areas. Lee S.O. and FMPD seem to cross the line quite frequently. I'm sure they feel they can justify it because of their higher crime rates, etc. but I have never seen the kind of complaints leveled at Lee law enforcement charged against agencies in surrounding counties.

When I left L.E. and went into a related field in Naples, I ran into a former FMPD officer in the workplace. He was a "Muscle Boy", appeared to be using 'roids and seemed particularly proud of his physical prowess and ability to subdue citizens with little effort. Just an example of what I believe may be the mentality present in Lee County.

My dealings with other agencies in the workplace were all positive: CCSO, GCSO, FHP, State Corrections, Wildlife, etc. They were all great.

I also agree with yachtcare. They have a tough job and the good should also be showcased along with the bad.

[Samiamnh]

Just curious......do you act or dress in a way that draws attention to yourself?Gangbanger baggie clothes,tatoo's on your neck,maybe?......dreadlocks or a mohawk? I can't imagine cops rushing up and surrounding you and a girlfriend unless you were acting suspiously or in an area known for drugs.I'm not crazy about police,myself....I think they enjoy being bullies.....but never seen them act the way you discribe without some kind of reason.

[MrsTommy]

Sam: take it from an insider-no matter how much they deny that they profile, they most certainly do! If you're white in a "black neighborhood", you're there to buy drugs. If you're DWB (driving while black) you're in the white neighborhood to commit some crime. Some times, their instincts are correct but a majority of the time, they're just pulling over and harrassing every day citizens. People who wear baggy clothes, tattoos, dreads or mohawks do not deserve to be singled out any more than "Joe sixpack". I've met quite a few really nice kids that hang out with my daughter that may fit your profile but they're in no way hoodlums...slaves to fashion-yes...hoodlums no!

[hiknapster]

I was brought up in a cop family. In fact, my mother retired from the CT Department of Corrections.

I will always be sad that I never became a cop and ultimately a detective. I honor and respect the men and women that serve our public. It is a tough job. And I've worked with the public in Lee County. I'd rather work with the public anywhere else.

I also have ten years experience working with the cops and covering the court house up in MA. These people were my friends.

Having said that, I was constantly harassed by the Lee County cops. It got to the point where I became terrified to drive. It took months of living in TN before I ever calmed down.

What do I look like? I am and was a white, boring, midlle-class mom in her 40s.

Look, I've heard the horror stories over and over again from friends and family. They harass everyone. An older lady once told me of an elderly couple that complained to the town about the Cape Coral police. She said that they were attacked in their home. I have no proof of any of that. She did look very credible.

For the longest time they won prizes for the most tickets written. One was a hunting trip. Yet, you almost never see any big drug busts in Lee County. You know, like where kilos are found and big drug dealers are taken down. Lots of lots of users but the dealers are protected.

Recently, it finally came to light that there has been severe corruption in the department.

Everyone knows my laundry list of why I left, but that was a huge reason. I got sick of them riding my bumper while tears poured down my face.

http://www.news-press.com/article/20...NTPAGECAROUSEL

[Dreamy46]

I would offer you this advice: When you put a website up on the Internet, anyone can find the owner's name and address very easily by a simple whois search unless you use a registrant that shields your personal identity. I suggest you do the latter, or you're going to get some more harassment once the cops figure out who you are and put the word out.

Another safe and free option is just to use Google's Blogger service and run it as a blog instead. On the same token, I would use free email account from Yahoo, Google etc to communicate from that website. And both of the fore-mentioned better have some incredible passwords on them to prevent hacking.