Cape Coral Police (Fort Myers, Lee: crime, credit, homes) - Fort Myers - Cape Coral area - Florida (FL) -Lee County - City-Data Forum

Izmack · 12-11-2010, 08:25 AM

As much as I am hesistant to ask this question, I will anyway. Frank can always lock the thread if it gets out of control. Here goes:

I am a newcomer here in CC so I don't really know where to go to voice my opinion. I am asking for advice.

Fraud is rampant in government - always has been, always will be. It's certainly not a function of Cape Coral alone, but widespread throughout the globe. I would just like to understand the following:

This thing with the 11 police who have been collecting extra salary commensurate with educational credits they never had in the first place really bothers me. I understand it was a clerical error - at least that's what the news is reporting. However, why is the only penalty that the cops need to pay the money back on an installment plan? It just seems to me that if I was collecting extra money for something I did not earn, particularly if I was in law enforcement, 1) I would know about it and 2) if I did, I would understand that what I was doing was fraud.

At the very least, I don't understand why these people are not even getting written up. Maybe there is something more to the story of which I m not aware so that is why I am posing the question here.

Please, let's try to keep this as an intelligent discussion without devolving into a rant. It seems to me that someone should be yelling about this, but it's even reported very calmly as a simple mistake. I think I would rabble rouse if I know the story. Does anyone have more light to shed? Is it that no one is willing to speak up for fear of retaliation?

nhkev · 12-11-2010, 09:38 AM

If I had to pick one thing about the area that needs to change it would be law enforcement. I almost wonder if the Cape Would be better firing them all, using lee county sherrif's and the state police. for law enforcement temporarily as they hire a new chief and restructure the entire payroll/ benefits/ pensions.... just totally crush the self serving unions. You could get new officers and rehire some of the willing, at a reasonable pay rate with a benefits package that is similar to what the normal person gets, set up a 401k style pension plan that is based off matching contributions that is funded every year to avoid crazy legacy costs in the future. You would also avoid the overtime because the officers wouldn't have the incentive to Pad their last 3 yrs pay for pension purposes or have officers retiring at age 45-50 collecting full pensions. Same thing with the fire dept and then lee county needs to then deal with the sherriffs dept. sometimes things need to be demolished and start over with brick #1 and built right with the ability to sustain.

obviously i would do most of the backround work before firing them.

Izmack · 12-11-2010, 09:51 AM

And I'd hire you for that background work, NHKev.

Out of all the wacky things in the news today, I would like to address this specific issue and create some noise around it. Just don't know how to do it, but I can't believe I read nothing about it anywhere. It's not like I've ever been any sort of activist, but this really is on my radar for some reason. It's just so....blatant. Of course, I'd like to avoid becoming a statistic like Karen Silkwood, too, which I suspect is the reason we don't hear more of a public outcry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhkev

If I had to pick one thing about the area that needs to change it would be law enforcement. I almost wonder if the Cape Would be better firing them all, using lee county sherrif's and the state police. for law enforcement temporarily as they hire a new chief and restructure the entire payroll/ benefits/ pensions.... just totally crush the self serving unions. You could get new officers and rehire some of the willing, at a reasonable pay rate with a benefits package that is similar to what the normal person gets, set up a 401k style pension plan that is based off matching contributions that is funded every year to avoid crazy legacy costs in the future. You would also avoid the overtime because the officers wouldn't have the incentive to Pad their last 3 yrs pay for pension purposes or have officers retiring at age 45-50 collecting full pensions. Same thing with the fire dept and then lee county needs to then deal with the sherriffs dept. sometimes things need to be demolished and start over with brick #1 and built right with the ability to sustain.

obviously i would do most of the backround work before firing them.

fiege1224 · 12-11-2010, 10:33 AM

All we have to worry about in this town really is crime from the government not the streets. They are robbing the tax payer blind in this town.If you think the cops just took that small amount. Think again. The chief was into fraud in housing. Missing gas? Who knows what went missing in the back room after busts on drugs ect. People that steal like this don't take just one thing. This is organized crime not a police force.This goes on a lot in Brazil's police force and but they don't make 64,ooo or more a year. That is crazy pay for a cop in this small town. I agree that they should all be fired like anyone else that steals from there company. But there job contract has many loop holes to save them from losing there job. I still say if a lot of people show up at town hall steps when they have a meeting it could produce a change here. I think town government rely on the fact that most of the towns citizens are never here being that they are mostly second home owners. But something needs to change here fast before the town goes broke taxing us to death for things we don't really need.

Izmack · 12-11-2010, 10:39 AM

Fiege, I totally appreciate what you are saying. I just would like to concentrate this thread on this one issue, please. If we start fracturing about everything that is wrong in CC, it naturally goes to everything in FL, then in the US, and then in the world. Before you know it, people get overwhelmed and nothing gets done. I am serious here - I want answers to this one question. IMO, any resident in CC should be SCREAMING for this answer. I'm a second homeowner here myself and still feel strongly this should be news that doesn't go away until it's "made right."

How the hell can anyone expect to be protected by a police force that is stealing from the city themselves? The irony of this really pisses me off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiege1224

All we have to worry about in this town really is crime from the government not the streets. They are robbing the tax payer blind in this town.If you think the cops just took that small amount. Think again. The chief was into fraud in housing. Missing gas? Who knows what went missing in the back room after busts on drugs ect. People that steal like this don't take just one thing. This is organized crime not a police force.This goes on a lot in Brazil's police force and but they don't make 64,ooo or more a year. That is crazy pay for a cop in this small town. I agree that they should all be fired like anyone else that steals from there company. But there job contract has many loop holes to save them from losing there job. I still say if a lot of people show up at town hall steps when they have a meeting it could produce a change here. I think town government rely on the fact that most of the towns citizens are never here being that they are mostly second home owners. But something needs to change here fast before the town goes broke taxing us to death for things we don't really need.

fiege1224 · 12-11-2010, 11:21 AM

I am sorry but I own 4 homes and this is going on in 3 out of 4 places at the same time. I agree with you. That makes me another pissed off tax payer. I wish I had an answer. I don't. No one seems to.

hiknapster · 12-11-2010, 11:59 AM

It's nice to finally discuss issues without it devolving into cut and paste posts that go in circles. It is difficult to move forward.

I agree with Kev, but I firmly believe that Lee County's police department is probably more corrupt than Cape Coral. I think Fort Myers' department is excellent.

I firmly believe that the new group of people moving in are going to be less transient than many that have moved in and out of the area over the past several decades. I can even see it on this forum.

The bottom line is local government relied on transient apathy and the local newspaper isn't worth the paper it is written on. I rarely say that about a paper.

Anyway, if the people start standing up to these folks they are rapidly going to realize who is actually voting them in and paying for their salaries.

fiege1224 · 12-11-2010, 12:07 PM

I agree with you on that 100%.

freddyCF · 12-11-2010, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izmack

As much as I am hesistant to ask this question, I will anyway. Frank can always lock the thread if it gets out of control. Here goes:

I am a newcomer here in CC so I don't really know where to go to voice my opinion. I am asking for advice.

Fraud is rampant in government - always has been, always will be. It's certainly not a function of Cape Coral alone, but widespread throughout the globe. I would just like to understand the following:

This thing with the 11 police who have been collecting extra salary commensurate with educational credits they never had in the first place really bothers me. I understand it was a clerical error - at least that's what the news is reporting. However, why is the only penalty that the cops need to pay the money back on an installment plan? It just seems to me that if I was collecting extra money for something I did not earn, particularly if I was in law enforcement, 1) I would know about it and 2) if I did, I would understand that what I was doing was fraud.

At the very least, I don't understand why these people are not even getting written up. Maybe there is something more to the story of which I m not aware so that is why I am posing the question here.

Please, let's try to keep this as an intelligent discussion without devolving into a rant. It seems to me that someone should be yelling about this, but it's even reported very calmly as a simple mistake. I think I would rabble rouse if I know the story. Does anyone have more light to shed? Is it that no one is willing to speak up for fear of retaliation?

If your current employer offered you "X" amount of dollars payable immediately, with the promise that you would complete 60 college credit hours in 4 years, would you take it or turn it down?

equalrightsforeveryone · 12-11-2010, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izmack

Fiege, I totally appreciate what you are saying. I just would like to concentrate this thread on this one issue, please. If we start fracturing about everything that is wrong in CC, it naturally goes to everything in FL, then in the US, and then in the world. Before you know it, people get overwhelmed and nothing gets done. I am serious here - I want answers to this one question. IMO, any resident in CC should be SCREAMING for this answer. I'm a second homeowner here myself and still feel strongly this should be news that doesn't go away until it's "made right."

How the hell can anyone expect to be protected by a police force that is stealing from the city themselves? The irony of this really pisses me off.

The reason they get away with it is because they police themselves. A normal individual would be in jail.
The people involved should be fired and prosecuted, and held to the same standard as a normal citizen.