By: Sharon Aron Baron
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel spoke at the Tamarac City Commission meeting on Wednesday night to give an update on his ten months in office and thank the commission for allowing BSO to continue serving the city.
It seemed ironic how much support the Sheriff was getting at the meeting because, with the exception of Michelle Gomez who was not a commissioner at the time, the Mayor and commissioners were noticeably the only Broward County city that were absent from Sheriff Scott Israel’s swearing-in back in January.
Since Israel’s swearing-in, changes have taken place in Tamarac. Chief Marc Duguay has been replaced by Captain Neal Glassman. Glassman who was Executive Officer in the Deerfield Beach District was very well-liked, and was recommended to the city manager by Scott Israel as a replacement for Duguay, who was offered a leave during Israel’s transition. Since Glassman’s appointment as Captain, morale has gone up considerably in Tamarac and deputies say they enjoy working under him.
Israel told the commission that he wanted to do everything in their power to keep Tamarac happy and to continue to be their provider. “We realize our job is two-fold: one is to reduce crime, and another is to enhance lives of citizens in the community we serve.”
He discussed the civil citation program, which is a collaborative partnership between law enforcement officials, community stakeholders, and the County’s Human Services Department. Through the program, first-time juvenile offenders can avoid a criminal record that would potentially prevent future employment, military service or scholarship opportunities. In 2012, 68 civil citations were issued. This year they anticipate issuing 300. “That’s 300 kids with the opportunity to not go to jail,” said Israel.
Israel said that most crime is committed by six percent of habitual offenders. In the past eight months, BSO has been targeting these criminals and confiscating their dangerous weapons. Israel claims BSO has reduced crime 12 percent in the 10 months he’s been in office.
He discussed the city of Southwest Ranches and how they will contracting with the Davie Police for services.
“We wish them luck and good will. I think they’re going to a fine police department, but they’re going away from the greatest public safety provider in the state of Florida, and that’s proven over and over. In Deerfield Beach the other day, there was a heinous murder of a married couple. Just 70 hours later two men were in custody. BSO is the finest policing agency in the state.”
He said that their job isn’t to save money, it was to save lives. He thanked the City of Tamarac for allowing him to continue serving the city.
“I want to be your partner, I want to do anything the city of Tamarac needs, and we understand you are a major stakeholder in this county and thank you for allowing us to continue to do this, and we hope we can do this for many years to come.”
