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28 September, 2016 2 2 Comments

Heroin: It’s On The Locals

September 28, 2016 By Jeff Perlman 2 Comments

America is experiencing a horrendous opiate addiction crisis.

But aside from a few brief mentions at the conventions, the presidential race is almost devoid of any discussion of the issue. And this week’s debate mentioned nothing about the crisis.

Meanwhile, cities across the country are being stressed to the max by heroin and opiate addiction. Delray Beach is one of those cities.

And aside from municipal budgets being strained, there’s the human side of the issue, with lives being ruined and or lost and front line personnel in law enforcement, EMS and health professions feeling the daily pressure as they try desperately to save people and make an impact.

Before we can “Make America Great Again” or be “Better Together” we had better take a long, hard look at what’s happening on the streets of our cities and towns. It is clear that solutions are not coming from Washington—which blew a promised deadline for a joint letter from HUD and the Justice Department—the political class seems more focused on fighting than fixing. So any solutions or even chance of making things better will have to come from local government. Addiction is a helluva problem and it’s getting worse.

You don’t have to look much further than Delray Beach, which continues to report record numbers of overdoses and heroin related calls for service.

As of two weeks ago, there have been over 1,000 doses of Narcan (a drug that reverses overdoses) administered by our Fire Department. The Police Department has given out another 83 doses of the costly drug. Grants for Narcan have dried up and prices are soaring. In fact, there is a price-gouging investigation that has been launched, according to officials.

The Delray PD has responded to 360 drug related calls as of a few weeks ago, more than West Palm Beach, which is a bigger city (290 calls). You can bet those numbers have gone up.

Boca is not immune either, no city is. In the first 7 months of 2016, Boca Fire administered 77 doses of Narcan.

So folks, we have a problem.

We are not alone.

We are not unique.

But this is a huge issue and according to city officials tasked with following the crisis, the number of homes being used to house people with addictions are growing. Sadly, while there are many excellent providers doing great and much needed work, there is a virtual cottage industry of bad operators in our community who are exploiting people for profits and doing far more harm than good.

Code Enforcement, our police department and the Fire Department are on the case—but the problem is complex, growing and multi-layered. We are nowhere near turning the tide.

Fortunately, there are some bright spots.

Our Police Department, led by Chief Jeff Goldman, is aggressively working on the issue from a holistic perspective. Aside from deploying investigative and enforcement resources, Chief Goldman is hiring a licensed clinical social worker to help the department understand and work more effectively with an increasingly challenging population; those in the throes of addiction. He is also closing in on a memorandum of understanding between the department and FAU, which would give the department an intern that would work on these issues.

Another bright spot is the work of the Delray Drug Task Force under the leadership of Suzanne Spencer.

The Task Force has become a valuable clearinghouse for information and collaboration. At the table: local law enforcement, fire officials, local prosecutors, representatives from Congresswoman Lois Frankel’s office, responsible providers and business leaders ranging from Plastridge Insurance to Ocean Properties. It’s impressive.

On the pro-active side of the challenge, Spencer is taking the message of sobriety into local schools. The effort, called “Living Skills in the Schools” should touch 18,000-20,000 children this year.

Another bright spot is the passionate work being done by retired police Lt. Marc Woods, who now works for the city on enforcement issues relating to housing. A bright and resourceful guy, Mr. Woods brings a ton of experience to the issue.

The long-awaited joint letter from the Justice Department and HUD is also imminent, but sadly past its deadline which is typical of Washington dysfunction these days.

Speaking of dysfunction, while Congress “approved” a plan to fight heroin recently it has failed to fund the effort—and you wonder why people are angry at the establishment politicians in D.C. Ugh…

Meanwhile, while prescriptions for opiates have quadrupled nationally in the past four years, we learn that manufacturers of the drugs have spent nearly $900 million on lobbying efforts to keep the pills pumping.

Nine.

Hundred.

Million. Dollars.

Wow.

So clearly, this will be on the locals, unless of course Washington wakes up, which isn’t likely.

We can tell you one thing for sure; nobody on the front lines can afford to wait. They are knee deep in dealing with the crisis.

It would sure be nice if they had a little help.

25 July, 2016 3 3 Comments

What We Often Don’t See Is What Matters

July 25, 2016 By Jeff Perlman 3 Comments

I saw a great graphic the other day. (Look above).

The picture depicts success as an iceberg with only the good stuff visible on the surface.

But just below is what it took to achieve success. The trials, tribulations, setbacks, false starts, hard work, good habits and more that few see. But it’s the struggle that is essential for achieving success.

While the graphic is probably aimed at individuals, I think it also holds true for cities and other things we strive to build.

There are so many things that don’t appear on the surface. So many hurdles that few get to see.

And so it has been with Delray Beach and Boca Raton.

First Boca.

I moved here in 1987 and I remember the old mall on US 1. It wasn’t a very nice mall, but it had a bookstore and so I went there often.

I worked for a newspaper at the time headquartered on East Rogers Circle and it was a fairly desolate place back then. There were few places to eat, we had to drive to Tom Sawyer’s or into Delray where there was a restaurant sort of underground at Linton Towers. We sometimes went to Rosie’s Raw Bar, Dirty Moe’s or to a barbecue joint on Linton and Congress.

Boca was always pretty with beautiful parks. But there was really no downtown. The best restaurant may have been La Vielle Maison. West Boca began to boom and often we would venture to Wilt’s or Pete Rose’s Ballpark Cafe and yes we saw Wilt a few times and Pete a whole lot. He did his radio show from the cafe which was attached to a Holiday Inn on west Glades.

Boca was a pretty nice place back then but at the risk of offending some folks, I like it now too.

Although I knew many of the city folks and elected officials through the years I wasn’t privy to the struggles they most surely dealt with.

I was too absorbed with Delray’s journey first as a reporter and later as an elected official.

And dear reader, there were some titanic struggles and make or break decisions to make.

When I think of the 80s, the first thought that comes to mind is crime. The town felt dangerous.

I remember walking into the old Phoenix at Atlantic and A1A as a naive 22 year old new to town hoping to shoot some pool and grab a beer. I actually wondered whether I would make it out intact.

Then there was the time I was assigned a “man on the street” interview and when I stopped a guy on Atlantic Avenue he turned around and ripped the sleeve of my shirt clean off. We both stood there shocked. It was a perfect tear, not sure how he did it and I guess he surprised too, because he ran off. I can’t remember whether he answered my question. Probably not.

I went to police briefings and neighborhood crime watch meetings and heard a litany of horror stories.

Back then, there was a major drug dealer in town named Deniz Fernandez. His network of dealers were brazen and actually hung a pig’s head off a street sign as a warning to cops. When he finally went down as a result of a task force consisting of Delray police and federal agents, the scope of his astonishing empire was revealed: 10 homes, acres and acres of property, a few businesses and duffel bags full of drugs were seized.

Fernandez owned a place locals called “The Hole,“ a notorious crack house on Southwest Ninth Avenue in Delray Beach.

During the summer of 1987, the group`s business reaped an estimated $50,000 a day in gross profits by selling individual doses of crack cocaine for $10 a rock, according to federal agents and police who worked on the investigation.

Check out that number, $50,000 a day in $10 increments.

When undercover Delray officers closed in on him on a dirt road wear of town, he brandished a blue steel revolver and pointed it at them before ditching the weapon. Germantown Road, steps from a popular Ford dealership, was Fernandez’ turf and drivers were brazenly hailed to pull over and buy crack rocks. When officers showed up the dealers dispersed in seconds disappearing into the darkness. Our city was literally an open air drug market.

Once a month, the Sheriff’s fugitive task force came to town and teamed up with our officers to round up literally scores of felons who failed to show up in court or were on the run.

We rode with Charlie Comfort of PBSO, Lt. Jeff Rancour and the late Johnny Pun in an effort to find as many of the worst offenders before word spread on the street that the warrant task force was out and about.

Augmenting those efforts, was the legendary or infamous–depending on what side of the law you were on–tact team also known as the jump out crew. They were tasked with fighting and disturbing street level drug sales which was rampant in parts of Delray. This is where I first met a young Jeff Goldman, now our chief and really amazing officers such as Mike Swigert, Don West, Eddie Robinson, Chuck Jeroloman, Toby Rubin and John Battiloro.

Mad Dads was active back then. They were citizens determined to reclaim their streets from drug dealers.

I saw K-9 officers like Skip Brown and Geoff Williams deploy their dogs in pursuit of dangerous criminals and a slew of incredible detectives solving one horrific crime after another. Legends like Bob Brand, Robert Stevens, Tom Whatley, Craig Hartmann, Dwayne Fernandes, Casey Thume, Brian Bollan were only a few of the people who labored long hours below the success iceberg.

John Evans, Terrance Scott, Robyn Smith, Tom Judge, Shirley Palmer, Randy Wilson, Marc Woods and Jeff Miller were road patrol cops who made a big difference. Vinny Mintus was a fixture in Pineapple Grove which was far from gentrified in those days. Very far. Tom Quinlan and Glenn Rashkind kept our beach safe and everybody knew their names. There were more. So many more.

While police and fire lived most dangerously, in every department at City Hall there were people toiling below the success iceberg struggling with financial issues, code enforcement challenges and even zoning problems–all trying to find a formula to unlock success. They found it. And that should give us comfort as we read about today’s challenges, which include a crushing heroin epidemic.

Our community has risen to challenges before, they will again.

Meanwhile, I appreciate the present because I saw the hungry years. And that’s what gives me and others civic pride.

2 June, 2016 2 2 Comments

Why Wait for Valentine’s Day?

June 2, 2016 By Jeff Perlman 2 Comments

Assets.
When we think of Boca and Delray’s assets we might think of beaches, Atlantic Avenue, Old School Square, maybe the Boca Resort and universities.
Assets all.

Valuable– in some cases historic– and of course cherished and appreciated.
But people are also assets and we are certainly blessed in that regard as well.

I just think that sometimes we lose sight of the special people, because– let’s face it– the whiners, complainers, haters, bullies, nitwits and nasties can eat up a lot of our time and energy. That’s why it’s important to pause and remind ourselves that indeed there are good people in our lives and communities quietly doing yeoman’s work not because it’s a photo op, or they are getting rich or because they are self-serving but simply because they are good people who care. We’ve done this before on the blog with a group of people and we will do it again. Luckily, we have an endless list of people to love, cherish and appreciate. So if your name isn’t below, it’s not because we don’t appreciate and love you. We do. Just give us a little time to catch up.
Here’s a look at a few human assets that make our community sing.
Gary Eliopoulos–architect, dad, savior of historic homes, former city commissioner and the funniest man I know (and I know funny people). Gary and I grew up together in Delray. We were in the same Leadership Delray class way back when and I’m a proud member of his occasional happy hour group at The Sail Inn (a Yankee bar) where Gary, a Red Sox fan, holds court and keeps us laughing. And you can’t put a price on that. He’s also an amazing architect who adores Delray Beach and we love him back.
Bob Barcinski-Mr. B as he is affectionately known served as assistant city manager during a golden age of Delray retiring a few years back before an adoring crowd at the golf club. Bob was never comfortable with attention, deflected credit and was loyal to his boss, his employees and his community. He’s a happy grandpa these days who can still be found at the counter of the Green Owl. If you worked with Bob, you realized how great he was. He got it done. And done well. Without fail. Every single time. If you want to pick a guy to be in a foxhole with look no further than Mr. B.
Evelyn Dobson-director of the Community Land Trust and past Northwest Neighborhood leader, Evelyn is a passionate crusader for homeownership and neighborhood revitalization. She quietly gets it done. Take a drive through the neighborhoods where the Land Trust has built homes and you will see success and families transformed through the pride of homeownership. Evelyn is one my heroes.
Pame Williams–Pame works for the City of Delray and has also been active in the community for decades. Whether it’s volunteering at events or working to improve her neighborhood you can always count on Pame and she’ll always make you smile. She will also put you in line if you misbehave. I like that. Little known fact: she secretly likes Neil Diamond.
Gary Ferreri-a detective and union leader, Gary has a reputation for always going the extra mile. Whether it’s helping a neighborhood or speaking out on behalf of his fellow officers Det. Ferreri is a leader. He has a lot of fans in Delray. He has unlimited potential because he’s smart and has a heart and feel for the community he protects and serves.
Linda Ripps -founder of Golden Retrievals, a Boca based rescue organization for my favorite breed. Linda has a heart of gold too. She’s rescued retrievers locally and from far flung places like Korea too. Her work not only saves great dogs but it enriches families beyond measure. I’m reminded of her big heart every day when I’m greeted by 90 pounds of love and hair named Teddy.
Kevin Ross–the visionary president of Lynn University, Dr. Ross has never been afraid to shake up his curriculum and look outside for inspiration which he then brings back to Lynn so his students can benefit. I admire that ethos and it ensures that Lynn will disrupt not be disrupted. I love working with Kevin. He inspires because he aspires: for his students, his faculty, his friends, his alumni and his community.
Mike Covelli–a talented land planner and designer, Mike always makes his projects stronger. One of the smartest people I know. Every time I speak to Mike I learn something I never knew before. He has insights and sees things in a very unique way. He makes every project he touches infinitely better and he’s a good guy too.
Tony Allerton–I’ve known Tony for close to 30 years and he’s always been a leader and a gentleman. The founder of The Crossroads, Tony’s leadership has helped people for decades and his organization serves almost 1,000 people a day. Think about that times 35 years. Tony’s passion for people in recovery who are trying to reclaim their lives knows no bounds. He has quietly made a profound impact on countless families.
Tim Snow-Tim is just one of the good guys. As head of the Boca-based George Snow Scholarship Fund (named after his father) Tim leads a 34 year old fund that has awarded more than $8 million in scholarships to deserving students in our community. He has changed so many lives through the gift of education.
It’s all about the people. We hope to spotlight many more in the future columns.

2 May, 2016 0 Comments

Delray’s Finest

May 2, 2016 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

From left: David Weatherspoon, Thomas Mitchell and Javaro Sims have a combined 75 years of service in Delray.

We attended the 13th annual Delray Citizens for Delray Police Awards Dinner Friday and I have to tell you about it.
I have gone to several of these banquets over the years and Celsius, a company I’m involved with is a proud sponsor.
The event honors officers and employees with more than 20 years of service to our city. This year’s honorees; Assistant Chief Javaro Sims, Captain Tommy Mitchell and Lt. David Weatherspoon combined have over 75 years of service to Delray. All three are exceptional officers who have made a deep and lasting impact in our city. The event also honors the department’s Officer of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Supervisor of the Year and recognizes monthly award winners for the previous year.
The event serves as a fundraiser for the non profit Delray Citizens for Delray Police which, under the leadership of Perry Don Francisco, has supported the officers and their families for 30 years providing scholarships to the children of officers and purchasing equipment not covered by the department’s budget. It’s good to see Perry, an all time Delray great, remain involved in a city he helped put on the map 10 years after selling the land mark Boston’s on the Beach.
It’s also nice to see retirees from near and far return to honor colleagues and connect with the next generation of officers.
I’ve long contended that our Police Department is the unsung hero of Delray’s remarkable renaissance. The hard work and innovative policing strategies employed by the department made it safe for families and investment. It’s a debt we need to remember and their task doesn’t seem to get easier. This is a challenging city to protect and serve.
We had an opportunity to reconnect with some legendary officers from the past: Chuck Jeroloman, Scott Lunsford, Marc Woods, Tom Judge, Ed Flynn among many others and its really special to see that some of those officers have sons who are now serving with distinction at the department. The Police Department took this city back and the new generation of officers are tasked with fresh challenges. Their jobs are not only essential, but one could argue that our very viability as a community relies on their work and their ability to partner with the community.
The three officers honored all came to the department in the early 90s, a time when Delray was beginning to make the turn. In 1993, Delray won its first All America City Award and soon after Florida Trend would name Delray the “best run town in Florida.”
Civic pride was building, people were working together, the political leadership was aligned and city hall was stable after a very rocky prior decade. We were on our way, but much more work remained to be done.
Javaro Sims was a local guy who was passionate about service and the community, especially the youth. A former pro football player, teacher and Olympic caliber sprinter, Javaro was a great fit for Delray. He raced up the ranks becoming Assistant Chief in 2014.
Captain Mitchell has been an officer for 30 years, 26 in Delray. A former NYPD officer, Tommy has worked in a variety of roles from patrol and investigations to vice, intelligence and narcotics. A passionate Yankee fan, Tommy urges young officers to train hard, be safe and back each other up.
Lt. Weatherspoon is a home grown officer born and raised right here.
He was also the department’s first African American K-9 officer who started at the department in 1993 after a stint in the Army. After leaving K-9 he returned to community patrol. In 2006, he led the creation of the Problem Oriented Policing unit which requires officers to approach issues at their root and find innovative ways to solve problems. The program has been a great success.
David is a charismatic guy, with a warm smile and a wonderful family. His relationships in the community are strong, genuine and hugely valuable.
He’s just a solid guy. The kind you want to build around.
Chief Jeff Goldman also honored Officer Joseph Grammatico as “Officer of the Year.”
Known for his productivity, Grammatico racked up 136 arrests in 2015 and Chief Goldman gives him lots of credit for reducing Part One crimes by 8.5% in 2015.
An adherent of “intelligence led policing” Grammatico focuses on active offenders in the community who were committing a disproportionate amount of crime. By removing these prolific criminals from neighborhoods, Officer Grammatico was able to significantly improve quality of life for citizens and business owners.
The department’s employee of the year is Dawn Terrizzi who won an award named after long time employee and standout Patricia Taylor. Dawn is a support services secretary and has worked for the department for 12 years. But that hardly tells her story.
After her family was touched by a homicide, Dawn became a passionate advocate for people in similar circumstances. She volunteers for a slew of victim services agencies and causes including the Palm Beach chapter of Parents of Murdered Children Support Group. She is also active in local food pantries and food drives. Chief Goldman describes her as “an amazing woman”. Indeed.
Just a small taste of what our department and indeed our city has to offer.
#gratitude.

31 March, 2016 2 2 Comments

Remembering A Special Friend

March 31, 2016 By Jeff Perlman 2 Comments

Former Chief Overman, the late, great Officer Johnny Pun and Skip Brown.

“The most beautiful people I have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness and a deep, loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” Elizabeth Kubler Ross.

That has to be one of my very favorite quotes.

If you consider those you love and admire, the beautiful people in your life, you will find that quote to be true. As much as we wish nothing but wine and roses for our loved ones, the reality is in every life there will be challenges and heartbreaks.

Those who manage to find their way out of the depths and look out for others are special indeed.

I know more than a few of these people and they have been a blessing to me and my family and a gift to our community.

About two weeks ago, one of the prime examples of the quote above reached out to me with a wonderful message of friendship. Skip Brown is a retired Delray Beach Police Officer who is living in Alabama these days with his lovely wife, Cheryl.

Skip was challenged by Cheryl to reach out to important people in his life and let them know how much they have meant to his life. The contents of that conversation are private and personal, but I wanted to share the concept of reaching out to five key people in your life while you still can and while they are still around. And I wanted to share some thoughts about Skip and his generation of police officers who meant so much to Delray Beach.

First, what a powerful idea it is to think about the key people in your life and how and why they made such an impact.

To share those feelings with those cherished people is a powerful act; it enriches both the messenger and the recipient. I got Skip’s call during a particularly stressful week, the funny part is I know longer remember what I was so stressed about, which is a lesson in itself. This too shall pass, they say; and most of the time that’s right. But Skip’s phone call instantly lifted my spirits and his “gift” (and that’s what it was) has stayed with me and will stay with me.

It’s nice to know you matter to people you care about. It’s nice to know that your friendship has made a difference in a great man’s life.

I met Skip when I was a kid in my early 20s. He was a big, very big and burly cop and I was a very young and naïve reporter. Skip was gruff, but always fair and honest and I appreciated his willingness to take some time and teach me about Delray and about life.

He had a world of experience when I met him. Years on road patrol and time in the jungles of Vietnam. I came from suburban Long Island from a very stable household and had seen very little, he had driven a truck before becoming a police officer and seen an awful lot, emphasis on awful.

On the surface we didn’t have much in common. But I was fascinated by Delray and Skip was a big part of an effort to make the city safer. The people who were involved at that time were in the midst of building something very special.

When I met him, Skip was a K-9 officer. He had a huge German Shepherd named Rambo who was a local legend. Later, he would have a wonderful K-9 named Olk, who died too soon, in front of Skip one day before work. Skip loved his dogs and his birds and my new puppy Magnum, a goofy golden retriever who reminded him of the dog on the Bush’s Baked Beans commercial.

I lived around the block from Skip and we spent time at each other’s homes—well driveways mostly– talking into the wee hours of the night about everything Delray.

Skip and several other K-9 officers at the time, including Phil Dorfman, Will McCollum and Geoff Williams, did a lot of community outreach in those days taking the dogs to schools and events. Those kind of efforts along with D.A.R.E. programs and community policing did much to change the perception of the Delray Beach Police Department.

I’ve said often and will continue to emphasize that Delray’s revitalization was made possible by the Delray Beach Police Department. Skip and many other officers are the unsung heroes of Delray and their efforts were tireless, authentic and in-depth.

Skip was at the forefront of many of these efforts, leaving K-9 and becoming the department’s Volunteer Coordinator which at the time had well over 1,000 volunteers –an astounding number for a city our size. The program won international recognition with news stories on CNN and other national outlets, chapters in scholarly books and even a visit from President Bush, Governor Bush and Rudy Guiliani after 9-11. Former Massachusetts Governor and 1988 Democratic Presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, who used to spend winters in Delray, became a huge fan of the department, riding along with officers and gathering information for courses he taught at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

I can go on. But the most important takeaways are the relationships that were built as a result of these efforts. They made the whole difference: instead of being fearful of police, people in troubled neighborhoods opened up about their problems and worked with officers to solve issues. On a personal level, I saw a lot of friendships develop. Skip was particularly good at this. Many of his volunteers were senior citizens, members of the “greatest generation” who fought in World War II. Skip respected them and they returned his loyalty with service and devotion to the department and the city. When they got sick, he was there by their side. He spent many a sleepless night in a hospital or hospice and always tended to family members in their time of need and beyond.

The department also reached out to the Haitian community, starting Citizens Police Academies for Creole speaking residents in a successful effort to break down barriers. Skip taught at the academy and recruited volunteers forming a nationally recognized Haitian Roving Patrol, which was part of an All America City effort.

The volunteer program served as the department’s eyes and ears and the volunteers were committed to the department and the city giving hours of their time to training and patrols.

The chief at the time, Rick Overman, was the architect and quite simply a transformational leader. But while Overman was a master strategist, his greatest strength was recognizing and empowering talented employees and letting them soar. Skip was one of those guys. And he soared. So did the city.

The officers I met during that era, the late 80s, were a very interesting group of characters. Some were larger than life personalities. There was talent at just about every position; magnificent detectives, experts on community policing, brave undercover officers, tough as nails Tact Team officers, a stellar K-9 unit and officers who specialized in what is called problem oriented policing; using a variety of resources to get at the root of issues.

But Chief Overman knew he could not tackle the city’s challenges on his own. His department and his officers needed the community and he became a magnet for involvement. Skip and many others were extensions of that philosophy—they challenged residents to get involved and to take ownership of their streets, neighborhood and city. What resulted was a partnership, relationships and trust.

Skip was a builder of those ideals. Every day he sought to partner, promote and build relationships.

They were special times and Skip was made for the job.

I’m pleased to see another product of that era, Chief Jeff Goldman, take a new generation of officers and have them focus on community and relationships. It works. It truly does.

With headlines all across America questioning the relationship between police and communities, it’s comforting to know that we have the right philosophy in place. Yes, it costs money to attract and retain talent, but it will cost you a whole lot more if you fail to build a department that protects and serves with integrity and distinction.

I hope you’ll “do like Skip” and call those special people in your life. It’s all about paying it forward. And I hope we invest in the men and women who protect and serve us. If we don’t, we risk it all.

22 February, 2016 0 Comments

A Reminder Of Who We Are

February 22, 2016 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

One of my favorite definitions of leadership is that a leader constantly reminds us of who we are.
By that definition, negativity cannot be leadership because most people, most communities and most businesses are not malevolent.

We have to appeal to our better angels if we are going to solve problems and progress.
Last Thursday, there were three shootings within an hour during the middle of the day in Delray Beach. The shootings happened a few blocks from an international tennis tournament and prompted the closing of a park and the lockdown of a neighborhood. A 19 year old man was injured and a 30 year old man– a father and a recently hired city employee was killed.
When this level of violence strikes a community it exacts a toll: I live across the street from the park that was closed. Granted that street is Lake Ida Road, a heavily travelled four lane road so it doesn’t feel quite so close… but it is–we are all knit together in Delray and my neighbors reacted with expressions of fear.
“Are we safe?”, they asked.
“I have kids, this was the middle of the day, what’s going on here?”
What’s going on here is real life.
We have a wonderful city and it has come a long way but we have challenges and issues far greater than traffic or whether putting an IPic and 400 plus jobs downtown is good or bad.

We have serious problems that far surpass whether “Uptown Delray”– a huge investment slated for West Atlantic Avenue– is a few parking spaces deficient under the old rules. The Beach Area Master Plan is an opportunity not a problem and so is the Arts Warehouse and the revitalization of Old School Square Park.
So what are the problems?
There’s a bad batch of heroin going around the city as we speak and a whopping 55 people have overdosed on heroin in 2016 and it’s early in the year folks.
Three shootings in a day is a problem, even if it is traced to a Hatfield McCoy like family feud. You may not be a Hatfield and you may not be a McCoy but if bullets are flying you could be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
So leadership has to remind us who we really are.
We have achieved great things in this town. Once unsafe neighborhoods have been made safe, a once dormant downtown is now a national attraction (Florida’s new ‘sweet spot’ says the Wall Street Journal) and less high profile efforts including the Campaign for Grade Level Reading are working–test scores are up.
So we know how to solve problems in this city. We know how to get things done.
We know how to make our streets safer and fortunately we are blessed with a very solid police department.
We also know how to work together.
We are a caring and compassionate community when it counts.
Leadership reminds us who we are.
There’s a lot of talk about what makes a village a village. And I believe it’s how we treat each other. Not during the good times, but during the trying times.
This is a trying time for our Police Department and for many families struggling with violence, loss and addiction.
What’s needed is leadership, compassion, understanding, dialogue, smart strategy and execution.
What’s also needed is perspective and prioritization.
Your biggest problem is not that $700 million wants to be invested in your city. Sure getting it right is important. Make sure the projects follow the rules and are well designed and that the uses make sense. Work with people, if they refuse kick them to the curb. But the good ones will work with you. The good ones will listen and adjust and if it improves their projects it’s what we call “win win”. Seek win win wherever possible and it’s almost always possible.
We have to get to the truly big stuff. People are dying out there.
They need our help to stop the violence and overcome addiction.

1 February, 2016 15 15 Comments

Unsung Heroes Took Back the Village

February 1, 2016 By Jeff Perlman 15 Comments

“This is my badge. There are many like it but this one is mine. This badge is special. It represents justice. It represents commitment. It represents service. It represents pride and it represents sacrifice. I have worn this badge for many years. Today, I will wear this badge, my badge for the last time. I will receive a new badge. My new badge will have the word “Retired” engraved on it. I will carry my new badge with pride, but it will never fully replace this badge, my badge. God bless the men and women of the Delray Beach Police Department. I will miss you all.” Lt. Toby Rubin on his Facebook page.

Last Friday, my friend Toby Rubin retired from the Delray Beach Police Department.

My guess is that many of you don’t know his name. But you should. Because he and others like him are important contributors to Delray Beach.

Toby rose through the ranks from officer to lieutenant in a stellar 30 year career, but when history books are written most likely Toby’s name won’t be included.

That’s a shame, because men and women like Toby who serve in our Police Department and elsewhere in city government don’t get the credit they deserve for what they do day in and day out. They built this town.

Lt. Rubin didn’t get rich serving our city. He does have a decent pension to go along with aches and pains that come from a hard life spent protecting and serving our city.

Delray Beach is not an easy place to be a police officer. Or a firefighter. Or these days—a planner or a parks maintenance employee—pick your job.

You pick up a newspaper and you read about public pensions destroying municipal budgets. You open your email or visit social media to share good news and find a diatribe about government and government workers.

But I know a different story.

I saw a different side to the argument.

Oh, I won’t pretend that bad government employees don’t exist—they do. A few exist in the upper echelons—suits who manage to whine about problems but offer no fixes other than cut, cut, cut. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. They always look down, backwards and elsewhere when they ought to be looking in a mirror to see waste up close.

But I saw the other side. I worked alongside people who got things done.

Delray Beach didn’t happen by accident. The downtown didn’t magically transform from blight and grime to vibrant and safe.

Neighborhoods didn’t just miraculously clean themselves up and your $120,000 house didn’t increase to $500,000 or in some cases to over $1 million because some self-important politician or self-anointed citizen watchdog remade your crime and drug infested village into a place where you can take a golf cart and visit 130 restaurants, attend festivals and see free Friday night concerts at Old School Square.

It took vision. And it took money.

It took guts. And it took years.

It took hard work. And it required collaboration, dialogue, passion, patience, optimism and team work.

And it took guys like Toby Rubin.

I used to ride with Toby in the late 80s and early 90s when he was a member the “Tact Team.”

The drug dealers called them the “jump out” crew because they rode in big black SUV’s through drug and crime infested neighborhoods and jumped out to arrest people selling narcotics on almost every corner.

We were mere blocks from the beach and the downtown, which was mostly dead back in those days. I rode with some legendary cops: Mike Swigert, Chuck Jeroloman, Don West, Alan Thompson, Jeff Rancour, the late Johnny Pun and a very young Jeff Goldman, who is now our chief.

I saw Delray through their eyes and many others in the department: Skip Brown, Will McCollum, Craig Hartmann, Michael Coleman, Ed Flynn, Dwayne Fernandes, Robyn Smith, John Evans, Robert Stevens, Tamijo Kayworth, Terrance Scott, John Battiloro, Bob Brand, Tom Whatley, Paul Pitti, Mark Woods, Paul Shersty, Rick Wentz, Jimmy Horrell, Casey Thume, Russ Mager, Geoff Williams, Scott Lunsford, Bobby Musco, Nicole Guerrero, Jeff Messer, John Palermo, Dave Eberhart, Brian Bollan, Scott Privitera, Vinny Mintus—the list goes on and on and on and it continues with excellent officers today.

Most of these names, the general public will never know. But they make the city safe. And without safety there is no community. There would be nothing to argue about, because iPic wouldn’t want to be here and neither would anybody else.

There is no investment, there is no appreciation of property values and there is no quality of life without people like Toby Rubin.

All of those people I mentioned and hundreds more cared about Delray and took great pride in what they were building here. They knew they working on something special—as does the parks worker, the planner, the people in utility billing and the really nice people in the City Clerk’s Office and throughout city government.

We have done a lot in this country to denigrate public servants and public service. It’s pathetic and it’s wrong.

We fixate on what it costs to have a Police Department and a Fire Department, to have a cultural center and a library. We begrudge our public workers when they get a pension and when they get a raise. We send angry emails when they screw up and they do. We all do. Want to see dysfunction? Spend some time in the private sector.

Yes, we need to demand good services delivered efficiently and professionally. Accountability is a good thing, but we also need to make room for gratitude and we ought to take some time to consider the benefits, not just their costs.

That’s actually a good approach to everything.

As Toby spends his first week in retirement, I’d like to wish him a long and healthy life. And I want to thank him and so many others for sticking a young reporter in his SUV and showing me and so many others what needed to be done to transform Delray into a place we can all take pride in.

6 January, 2015 2 2 Comments

To Be An Officer

January 6, 2015 By Jeff Perlman 2 Comments

Often not credited, but invaluable.

There’s been a lot written and said about policing in America over the past few weeks.

Everyday 780,000 police officers across our country put a badge on and go to work knowing they may face extremely dangerous situations. There is no such thing as a routine stop or a routine call.

Yet, they go to work anyway. In most cases, the pay is low, the hours can be terrible, and there is sometimes little appreciation for what officers really do. Yet, they do it anyway.

There’s a toll to the job: every year officers are killed in the line of duty. Usually between 100 and 200 officers a year, according to C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors) a non-profit.

Another 50,000 officers are assaulted, 14,000 are injured and over 300 officers commit suicide each year. There is no other profession in the world, except the military, where you will find these kinds of statistics.

I’d never claim to be an expert on policing, but the one department that I feel I know fairly well is the Delray Beach Police Department.

I’ve seen the department transform from arguably one of the city’s biggest weaknesses in the 1980s to arguably one of its best assets.

When I moved to Delray in the mid-80s, the department was suffering from a major image problem. There were plenty of outstanding officers but the department had a fraught relationship with key neighborhoods and crime was a huge deterrent for businesses and residents.

I spent many nights in cruisers and vans as dedicated officers wrestled with the crack cocaine epidemic. I was a young reporter at the time and the crime story in Delray Beach was a big one. Entire neighborhoods were open air drug markets. At all hours of the night, you could find dealers on corners selling crack while sitting on milk crates. The dealers employed small children on bicycles—some as young as 7—to zip around the streets looking for the “jump out” crew, which was formally known as the Tact Team, a group of officers who travelled in a Black SUV and were tasked with fighting street level drug dealing.

There were major dealers who were eventually brought down. One king pin actually used to impale the heads of pigs on street signs as a warning to cops.

I accompanied officers and detectives on raids, sweeps, stings, reverse stings etc., and saw sights that became seared in my brain. A teary and broken old man held hostage in his own home by dealers who were using it as a crash pad, a former high school football star who now weighed 100 pounds– his body ravaged by crack and AIDS– people whose fingertips were burnt from cooking crack on roach infested stoves.

Thankfully, we have come a long way since then. Back then it would have been hard to imagine that the biggest debate in town would be whether or not a building should be 60 feet or 54 feet. Nobody was building anything in those days.

We have the luxury of these discussions about growth, investment and development because the men and women of the Delray Beach Police Department made it safe for people to invest in Delray Beach.

That is not to say that we don’t have serious problems with crime, drugs and violence in our community. We do.

A feud between families in Delray and Boynton has led to over 40 shootings in the past year or so, drugs and addiction continue to bedevil our city and we still log our fair share of serious crime.

But the neighborhoods are much safer and quieter than they were in the 80s and downtown feels much safer than those days. It took a village to bring about some positive changes, residents who spoke out, neighborhood associations, city and CRA investment, a land trust, churches, non-profits, schools and the police department all working together.

Over the holidays, there was a lot of press about a confrontation between police and 60-70 people who were gathered at a party.

For some of the retired cops that I still keep in touch with, the response was interesting. That sort of thing used to be routine and hardly ever made the news, they said. Yes, times have changed.

But the recent local incidents and the national conversation ought to remind us that we still have lots of work to do when it comes to crime, race relations, and the role of policing. Not to mention the importance of having great officers who can protect and serve in a world that is often violent, angry and dysfunctional.

22 September, 2014 0 Comments

Three Things to Know This Week

September 22, 2014 By David Reeves Leave a Comment

Start your week right

4th Annual “Stand Down”

Benefits Veterans in Need

The 4th Annual “Stand Down”, an effort dedicated to providing support for our veterans in need, will be held on Saturday, September 27, from 12pm – 5pm, at Pompey Park, 1101 NW 2nd Street. Hosted by Faith*Hope*Love*Charity, Inc. in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor and West Palm Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), the event is free and open to the public.

Over fifty organizations will be onsite to assist at risk and homeless veterans offering free food, clothing, health screenings, employment opportunities, VA enrollment, haircuts and much more. Services will also be available for the general public. In addition, children will enjoy fun activities that are planned throughout the day including music, live entertainment and a kids zone.

For more information, contact Joshua Maddock at (561) 968-1612 or E-mail jmaddock@standown.org.

The Blue Print Gallery

When: Sept. 26 at 6:30pm

Where: The Milagro Center, 695 Auburn Ave

The Blue Print Gallery is the first gallery opening at The Milagro Center. Come out and support this amazing organization.

For more information: contact Anna Girgis 561-279-2970.

Issues Watch

The Delray Beach Police Benevolent Association ratcheted up some pressure last week with an email that went to HOA leaders, business owners and residents outlining concerns about losing officers due to concerns with wages and benefits.

The email was widely circulated and asked for people to get involved and pressure the city commission to raise salaries for officers or risk losing them to other agencies.

We’ll keep you posted on the issue.

9 June, 2014 0 Comments

June 9, 2014 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Jeff Goldman has been named Delray’s new chief.

Delray Beach has a new police chief.

Jeff Goldman has been selected Chief and will assume the position September 1.

The position became available upon the retirement announcement of Police Chief Anthony Strianese. Chief Strianese will be retiring effective August 31, 2014, after twenty-five years of dedicated service.

Assistant Chief Goldman has served in his current position since 2011. He is a seasoned and educated law enforcement executive with over twenty-five years of progressive urban policing experience. Hired by the City in 1989, he rose through the ranks of the command staff and has led several divisions including Community Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Support Services and SWAT. Assistant Chief Goldman’s diverse experience in these divisions, combined with 2,000+ hours of law enforcement leadership and managerial training/education, have provided him with an extensive working knowledge of current policing techniques in addition to a deep knowledge of the community and the department.

Assistant Chief Goldman attended Florida International University where he earned a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia Southern University. In addition, he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Senior Management Institute for Police (sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum in conjunction with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University).

Assistant Chief Goldman’s professional affiliations include the FBI National Academy Association, Police Executive Research Forum, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Florida Police Chiefs Association and Palm Beach County Association of Chiefs of Police. He is also a board member of Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse (AVDA) and is a past president and current member of the Delray Beach Sunrise Kiwanis Club.

I first met Assistant Chief Goldman during his rookie year at the department. I was a reporter for the Delray Times and covered local government and the police beat. A year or so later, I rode along with Jeff when he was a member of the department’s tactical team.

Delray Beach was a very different city back in the late 80s and early 90s. The city was swept up in the crack cocaine epidemic and certain neighborhoods in Delray were particularly hard hit. In fact, some were open air drug markets with young kids sitting on milk crates or riding bikes through the streets serving as look outs for drug dealers. The tact team was formed to combat street level drugs and the officers assigned to the team were often thrust into very dangerous situations.

Back in those days, West Atlantic Avenue just east of the Interstate was marred by shuttered businesses and lots of loitering.
The Delray Beach Police Department had its share of issues in those days, but considerable reform was accomplished in the 90s under the leadership of then Chief Rick Overman, who came from Orlando and ushered in an era of community policing, volunteering, citizen engagement and outreach. The department’s success helped to make it safe for private investment to occur downtown (which now stretches from I-95 to the A1A) and in neighborhoods once written off. It was a remarkable turnaround that we shouldn’t forget, marked by literally a few thousand volunteers, citizen police academies, lots of dialogue, and strategic investments in not only the neighborhood but in the Police Department itself.

Soon to be chief Goldman is a product of that culture and saw first hand what a strong department working alongside citizens can accomplish.
Here’s hoping we’re entering another golden era. We have challenges galore, but it all begins and ends with people. Put the right ones in place and magic happens.

https://yourdelrayboca.com/chief/