MCSO-Fleet additions
5-31-12
Madison County Sheriff Ben Stewart announces the latest addition to the Sheriff’s Office fleet of patrol vehicles. The Sheriff’s Office, utilizing forfeiture funds from drug dealers, purchased two 2012 Police Package Ford Explorers. The new 2012 Police Package Ford Explorer not only comes with the standard equipment of a police package unit but also comes equipped with an “Economy-Boost” motor to promote better fuel mileage while offering comparative horse power. The Ford Explorer is equipped with an enhanced suspension benefit for operating and handling on the many unpaved roads in Madison. This feature will further reduce maintenance cost and extend the operating period of the unit. The purchase price of the 2012 Police Package Ford Explorer in comparison with the historical Ford Crown Vic, which ended production by Ford in 2011, comes at a lower cost as well.
Sheriff Stewart reports that this is another opportunity to save tax payer dollars and continue to provide proficient services to the citizens of Madison County.
& somebody driving one of these new SUV’s pulled out in front of me and a school bus a while back.
As I understand it, there are only 2 to 4 city officers on duty per shift, they are providing law enforcement for the city. All the police cars are at the station when not being used (there are only 5 or 6 I think) and some of them go 24 hours without a rest. Chief Calhoun, to my knowledge retired from Maitland, FL PD (bigger than Madison PD) and applied for the chief position here in Madison and was hired. Former police chief Rick Davis made the same amount of money, to my knowledge, as Calhoun does now. If you downsize MPD, it seems to me like MCSO would just get bigger to help cover the city better, and vice versa.
Mr. Nice Guy…well, you could start with the fact that they really don’t do very much. To be fair, they don’t have much to do. If they are looking for trouble to get involved with, everyone knows where to go. Then you have the same loser people in the same revolving court system, all of which costs way more than it used to. Drive by the cop shop at any given time and there are half a dozen police cars parked there. The city really can not afford them and there are just too many of them. Not that they are bad men and women, or bad police officers. But what do they really do? Chief Daniel seems a good man – but did we really need to import someone from Orlando and pay them $60,000 a year to run the Madison Police Force? We didn’t have any local officer with experience that would have worked for much less? And been glad to get it? If elimination was not feasible, and it probably isn’t, a drastic reduction in force through attrition would seem to be in order. If the FS that dictates money the Sheriffs office takes went to the county instead of to more goodies for the MCSO you might see a reduction in that force also. One big difference is that the MCSO would once again fall under the thumb of the County Commissioners, something that has not been the case for years. That might well be a good thing.
Actually, to me, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea to spread the seized drug money around to various county departments. But like you said there are probably laws saying you can’t. Perhaps the seized money has strings attached. Trapper what specifically makes you thing the PD should be eliminated?
It would be nice to see one of the folks running for County Commissioner say that one of their platforms is to petition one of the folks that are running for the House from District 7 change the law that mandates that money usurped from the interstate be county money and not police money.
Be a different mantra from the usual pablum like ” I’m running because I want to give back to the community.” The way things are now, next the MCSO will buy a tank and the next time they catch a couple kids growing an insignificant amount of pot they can level the house and leave a smoldering ruin. Which, essentially, is what they did anyway.
The Chief didn’t change the speed limit on US 90 to 40mph. FDOT did that when they repaved and restriped it. He does have the power to change speed limits on city roads, but so far he hasn’t. None of em really need fixing that bad. If he did, people would just whine about that too. Also-Typically when the city cops pull someone over in the county, the traffic offense was committed within city limits or whatever they were doing was being continued outside city limits and by the time they caught up and ran the tag, they were in the county. But its really not that big of deal when the county has so much ground to cover. Hope that makes sense!
The ordinance probably is referring to the city maintained streets some of which are Lake Shore Drive, Horry Street (which is like a wagon trail down past the Fire Station), and the section of Range north of Millinor. Not the state roads like 90 or 53.
Thankfully I don’t speed. – Just go to Tallahassee and tell anybody you are from Madison… They will very quickly tell you that the “police are crazy” there. (Had 3 people tell me this thus far).
There is an ordinance on the city books giving the Chief control of speed limits. you are likely right about FDOT maintained roads for all I know. Thankfully our officers do not speed trap very often. I think my main concern has been and will be 1). traffic stops regularly occurring outside the city limits and 2). the hill in front of the chiropractors office / oneals heading westbound got dropped to a 40 and in every vehicle I drive in I can be completely off the throttle and achieve about 46mph from a steady 40 at the top of the hill – this is a potential speed trap and needs rectification. Also on Hwy 53 S. just past harvey greene on the east side of the road when heading northbound the hill you are coming down speeds you up in the same manner and the sign was in fact moved at least 100 feet to several hundred feet south as referenced by the white arrow I described. (Someone hit the sign then they moved it further up the hill…) so that when you coast down the hill to save fuel you are speeding…
And besides if you don’t like the speed traps go to Northern Georgia and the Carolinas. The officers there use their imaginations and get very creative with their speed traps. You would have to give them credit for brainstorming and thinking outside the box.
Speed limit signs on hwy 90 and on s.r. 53, are controlled by the state not the chief. A speed trap only works if you are speeding.
@ Think before you speak,
I don’t recall any speed limit signs being moved on FL SR-53 South.
The speed limit I know was lowered on US 90 from 45 to 40 near Winn-Dixie. The 35 speed limit on 90 was raised to 40. The only other major changes made there (that I know of) was creating the painted traffic median to reduce the head on encounters in the turning lane in front of NFCC & Winn Dixie. And to my knowledge the PD does not have the authority to change the speed limits on FDOT maintained roads. The speed limits are usually set using what is called the “85th percentile” method, and of course there are state statutes and the Federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices to follow as well. I personally do not see any problems with their speed traps. I don’t get the “OMG I’m scared” feeling when I see a police car on the side of the road or behind me with lights on, they just look like normal people to me so all I can say is wooptydoodledoo.
More like both agencies are intertwined and share resources (same dispatch / communications center, abuse of the “inter-agency mutual aid” agreement (This has city officers conducting traffic stops regularly outside of the defined city limits and is probably illegal.) (perhaps someone should bring this up to the state attorney). MPD is known for speed trapping inside the city limits (speed limit signs being moved because the Chief has the authority to set the speed limits) which then cause ordinary people who were not criminals before to coast down hills in the area (hwy 90 west in the area of oneals / kens), hwy 53 S heading northbound into the city limits (sign was moved northward, (see white paint arrow on pavement) also traffic stops by city officers in this area are illegal). Things like this bug me!
I support our law enforcement but I do not support my constitutional rights and freedoms being trampled!
@ The Trapper
I don’t think eliminating the Police Dept. would be a bright idea. For one, over a dozen (if not two dozen or more people would lose their jobs), and number two, MCSO would have to spend even more money to provide law enforcement for the city. It is also my understanding that MPD is having to sometimes respond to calls in MCSO jurisdiction (just outside city limits) because there are no available MCSO deputies left (they are all on other county calls at the same time another county call comes in).
Additionally, MCSO is a county agency. MPD is a city agency and is therefore a budget line item on the city’s expenses each fiscal year.
It is not just the sheriff’s office, it is the city police department as well, with their fleet of vehicles. It is the county co-ordinator and his new 4×4 truck. Does anyone think the county co ordinator could fill up a yellow legal pad and account for 8 hours a day? We could live with half the sheriff’s department and eliminate the city police altogether. They are not bad people, just people with unceccessary tax funded jobs. There is a difference between what you want and what you need. Most of us have had to deal with it, maybe it is time these agencies did also.
why did you need a new car. its a simple question with a simple answer. you didn’t need a new car for the pd. i don’t give a crud who’s life you had to ruin to pay for it. just un-needed waste
If the Sheriffs office was half the current size it would still be bloated. They probably have 1.3 vehicles per officer now, and they are all new. Certainly plenty of them parked in yards wherever you look. Guess they all take them home. Should last for the next ten years. I think what most people are suggesting is that the money they get from the interstate – which appears to be 90% of what they do – might be better spent elsewhere. And if Florida Statues prohibit this, maybe it is time for some brave soul to try and change that stipulation.
@ Mr Norway. Why don’t you go the county commission with your great idea. You may not know, but during the last 4 years the County has purchased exactly 1 …… Yep 1 vehicle for the Sheriff’s Dept. . Ben & the boys have utilized seized funds for not only vehicles but other necessities that i
s funded by the County Commission in other Florida Counties. I suggest you approach the Commissioners as They should have a excess of $$$ due not having to fund MCSO……
Sorry man statute limits what the money can be used for.
Im not impressed with all the new vehicles .. I wouldn’t mind seeing some of that money put back in the community where the drug dealers got it from.. Build something for our kids to do with all that money seized over the last couple years all Ive seen is New Tahoes which is great for our officers but I wanna see that money help out the community build a new Recreational Center or something for these kids!!
We should get some of the politicians funnin and gunning for service at the public trough this November to change the rules and allow siezed money to go into the county general fund where local pols could then squander it. Have to be done now because after November you won’t hear from them again for a few years.
They should purchase some more z-28 camaros like joe peavy special-ordered back in the day…for funnin’ and gunnin’ on I-10
I hope brad Johnson gets this his old crown vic reminds me of smokey an the bandit