Mar 11, 2008 7:57 pm US/Eastern
Study: Morale Is Low At Miami Police
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Miami Police Chief John Timoney
CBS
The results of an extensive study of the Miami Police Department are in. A private consultant was hired by the City to look into how officers feel about their bosses, including Police Chief John Timoney. The results, some would say, are not pretty.
The findings are built around the "Preliminary Executive Summary, provided by Consultant James Champion of Champion Services Group. The report was commissioned by the City last October at a cost of $49,500.
"I want you to know that you've done a great job for Miami."
But John Timoney gets some dismal marks in the survey of his police department, conducted by the outside consultant. The preliminary findings, obtained by
CBS4 News, reveal police officers disenchanted with the chief and his style. The consultant interviewed 242 sworn officers for their take on the chief and found that only 45% of them believe they are treated with respect by Timoney.
Only 33% believe they are treated fairly by the chief, and just 24% believe the department metes out discipline evenly.
A quarter believes management cares or wants to hear what they think. The consultant found a majority of his officers see Timoney as an "autocrat", an absolute ruler whose management style, is "intimidating, creates fear and contributes to low morale."
"The first ballot is no and no. No, no. no." Those were the sounds at a police union vote held September 4, 2007.
The consultant's report comes after the vote of no confidence in the police chief by the police officers' union last year.
"These votes of no confidence are common ploys by police unions all across America," Timoney was quoted after reacting to the vote of no confidence last year.
Timoney called the no confidence vote nothing more than union politics, but the union sees this independent consultant's report now as corroboration.
"This vindicates us with the vote of no confidence," said Detective Carlos Avila. "We've known this all along. We've tried to tell the administration, they haven't listened, and this is the result."
"It does show areas of concerns," said City Manager Pete Hernandez.
Hernandez is Timoney's boss, and says he thinks the chief can survive the consultant's findings.
"There are areas that do require improvement, but over all, when you look at it, it's not that detrimental," said Hernandez.
That's an assessment that leaves at least one city commissioner disappointed.
"This is all the manager's responsibility, and I don't think, talking to him, that he is going to take any action to remedy the situation," said Miami Commissioner Tomas Regalado.
Regalado believes the answer might lie in finding a new chief.
Miami's top cop faces a list of woes:
-After a
CBS4 investigation revealed he was driving a luxury Lexus SUV, free of charge from a local dealership
-He was fined and reprimanded by the ethics commission.
-At least two agencies continue to investigate "Lexus-gate"
-And the FBI and FDLE are probing charges that Timoney's department doctored crime statistics to artificially lower the City's crime rate.
-And now an independent consultant finds a police department unhappy with its chief.
CBS4 News wanted to speak with John Timoney for this report, and get his reaction to the consultant's findings, but, through a spokesperson, he declined our repeated requests for comment.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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