Under pressure from the Mothers of Murdered Kids group that protested at her office, Miami-Dade 
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle sorta passed the buck on unsolved crimes the other day, placing most of the blame squarely where it belongs: in the lap of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
In a statement, KFR basically shed light on the simple fact that the cuts the mayor has made in the police department in the last five years have led to fewer follow up investigations on robberies and shootings which leads to fewer arrests which leads to an open invitation for criminals to come to Miami-Dade because nobody’s minding the store.
Read related story: Commissioners fight crime with meetings, rallies — not cops
“Today, only five of 100 shooting/homicide incidents (5 percent) in the Liberty City area result in an arrest. This means that in 95 out of 100 cases, parents have had no opportunity to engage in the criminal justice system or with my office,” Fernandez-Rundle wrote in her statement to WLRN after the group protested at her office Feb. 4.
“This also means that of the same 100 cases only five prosecutors will ever see a case come into their office or have a police officer bring them evidence,” she added.
“In the past, police allocated greater resources to community police projects which, while personnel-intensive, allowed residents to know and trust their neighborhood officers. Those staff-intensive programs no longer exist in high crime areas or have been modified to reduce officer demand.”
Now, you might be thinking she is talking about city of Miami, where Liberty City is. But no. She singles out Gimenez because the county department, like it or not, overlaps with all 34 municipalities within, including the city of Miami. And some of the units cut by Gimenez — including the gang unit and the Robbery Intervention Detail known as the “jump out boys” — have arguably had a direct impact on crime in Miami’s roughest neighborhoods as other units spread out to cover the holes.
That’s why she names him.
“I have previously reached out to Mayor Carlos Gimenez regarding allocating more officers to solve these crimes in the short run and to keep those additional officers in the community for the long run,” Fernandez-Rundle said, presenting four priorities for law enforcement in our community.
- Reinstitute a robust community policing program in our most vulnerable neighborhoods.
- Address the need to recruit and retain the most experienced homicide detectives as well as detectives that investigate contact shootings.
- More law enforcement presence and attention in our public housing.
- More police victim advocates to restore confidence in our community.
At least half or maybe three out of four of those are directed at the county. Miami Police, with about 1,300 officers are not as short staffed, having begun to address the shortage in 2012 and hired 40 officers last year.
Read related story: Miami-Dade Police cuts by Carlos Gimenez raise concern
However, the Miami-Dade Police has shrunk since Gimenez took over in 2011, when our force had 3,076 budgeted
sworn positions. Today, there are less than 2,500 filled positions with 72 expected to retire this year because of the DROP (Deferrred Retirement Option Plan). There were 123 “sworn separations” in 2014 and 119 last year.
Instead of filling vacant positions, Gimenez has taken officers from specialized units (some of which he has closed completely) and detectives for follow up investigations and put them on the street. That means a victim might get to file a report, but not much else after that. There’s just not enough manpower to investigate.
Closure rates in all crime categories countywide have suffered as a result, said PBA President John Rivera.
He says community policing, credited with declining crime in years past, is no longer possible because resources are spread so thin.
“Until public safety becomes the number one priority, as the government is mandated to provide, more kids will be killed, and more crimes will go unsolved. We call upon Mayor Gimenez to stop politicizing law enforcement, and provide a safe community for our residents, and visitors,” said Rivera.
Even Gimenez knows he’s soft on crime and hard on cops. Last month, he attended the “largest graduating class” of new recruits — but it was all a dog and pony show. More optics from a mayor more concerned with image than with doing his job. Because of the 95 officers, more than a third are going back for departmental specific training until February 17, when they will really graduate.
Because Gimenez is more concerned about the optics than about our children.
Maybe Mothers of Murdered Kids should take their protest to the 29th floor of County Hall.
Miami SAO blames Carlos Gimenez for unsolved crimes added by Ladra on
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