Broward Sheriff Accuses Deputies Of Politicizing Massacre

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Two months after the worst school shooting since Sandy Hook, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel accused his deputies of politicizing the Parkland tragedy to "extort a 6.5 percent pay increase." Union officials scheduled a no-confidence vote in part over Israel's handling of the Valentine's Day massacre that claimed 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The anonymous vote of the Broward chapter of The International Union of Police Associations runs from April 23-26.

"It is unfortunate and appalling that the IUPA union boss — in the midst of ongoing labor contract salary negotiations — is trying to use the Parkland tragedy as a bargaining tactic to extort a 6.5 percent pay raise from BSO through this 'vote of no confidence' ploy," Israel said in a statement late Friday.

Union President Jeff Bell of the Broward Sheriff's Office Deputies Association told reporters that Israel's handling of the school shooting was "basically the catalyst" for the vote. "There is no responsibility and no leadership," said Bell of the sheriff, who added that Israel unfairly singled out former deputy Scot Peterson for his alleged inaction before the investigation was even complete.

Israel countered that he had a recent telephone conversation with Bell in which the union president allegedly told him that "with all the Parkland stories in the news, this would be a good time for him to settle the contract issues."

The Broward Sheriff's Office Deputies Association said on the organization's Facebook page that its membership has "expressed a sense of abandonment" since the Parkland massacre and that Israel had also criticized the NRA before all the facts were known.

"There have been too many complaints from co-worker[s] of feeling ashamed of the uniform and not feeling a sense of pride in the agency anymore," the Facebook post said. "The Parkland incident and how it was handled was simply the catalyst for this vote."

The vote is open to all deputies and sergeants in the collective bargaining unit.

"Distrust between the union and the administration has recently triggered a union audit of the Sheriff’s Office," according to the Facebook post. "Last year alone, the Sheriff’s Office did not use $100 million dollars from a revised budget of $887 million dollars and the Sheriff’s Office has already projected that they will not use a minimum of $103 million this year. In 2016 and 2015, the audit revealed $84 million and $65 million not used respectively."

Union officials said that the money could have been used for raises, healthcare, life-saving equipment, a gun range, unused sick time at retirement age or to fund the county's crime lab. Officials claimed that the crime lab was at risk of losing accreditation and can no longer afford to test certain illegal drugs and paraphernalia.

"Additional wasteful spending has been identified in giving community leaders take-home cars and allowing private businesses such as NAPA Auto the ability to use our gas pumps for free taxpayer-paid gasoline which totaled almost 6,000 gallons in just over one year alone. While the Sheriff’s Office tells you there is no money, NAPA is still getting free gas at our pumps."

Moreover, the union claimed that there is a disparity in the discipline administered to rank and file members of the union compared to that of the command staff.

"Deputies receive suspensions for unintentional body camera violations while members of the command staff receive counseling forms for untruthfulness and other more serious misconduct," the union said.

Moreover, the union blamed poor policies for what it described as low morale. Union officials cited the PROMISE program, Civil Citation program, De-Escalation training, politeness in policing and training with plastic toy guns for real life scenarios in particular.

Photo of Sheriff Scottt Israel courtesy Broward Sheriff's Office