In anticipation of New Year’s Eve, Police Chiefs all over Miami-Dade County have been on the news warning against “celebratory” gunfire and reminding the public about gun safety.
At the North Miami Police Department, however, when it comes to gun safety, no one is minding the store.
Literally.
And Chief Lenny’s idea of promoting gun safety?
Gift cards.
Yeah. I know. Wait for it.
As reported this evening by WSVN Channel 7 in Returned gun left unattended for 5 hours at North Miami PD, at 2:09 a.m. on December 4, 2015, a man who had found a gun walked into the police station in an attempt to turn it in. No one was at the reception desk, so he picked up the phone to call dispatch to report the found gun. After being kept on hold for a while, “the man then left the gun on the counter, as well as a round of ammunition and a loaded clip next to it, but the weapon was left there for hours.”
The man did the right thing by turning the gun in to the police department, but as North Miami Police Officer Natalie Buissereth told Channel 7, the incident “on our end, was handled inappropriately.”
Ya think?
The gun and the ammo were left on the unattended counter in the lobby of the North Miami Police Department until, like magic, it was “found at around 7:00 a.m.,” according to the article.
Sources told me it was discovered by an employee who showed up for work that morning.
It could have been worse.
In fact, the consequences could have been deadly.
The front doors to the police department are never locked. Absolutely anyone off the street, including a teenager, could have strolled in and taken that gun.
And, apparently, no one would have even noticed.
Not only did the North Miami Police Department handle this situation “inappropriately,” the blatant carelessness with which it was bungled is nothing short of CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE, which is defined as “The failure to use reasonable care to avoid consequences that threaten or harm the safety of the public and that are the foreseeable outcome of acting in a particular manner.”
To say this could have ended badly would be the understatement of the year.
This incident happened nearly a month ago, and it’s been kept under the radar. Fortunately, Channel 7 reporter Rosh Lowe found out about it and aired the story.
Typical of Chief Lenny’s Policy of Reactive Policing, the department is now “making adjustments so a situation like this does not happen again.”
Now that they got caught, of course.
In addition to “a more enhanced camera system,” Chief Lenny’s gonna “put sensors on them so it will wake up alert dispatchers every time someone comes in or out of the station.”
You know. Those same dispatchers who waited FIFTEEN MINUTES – AND TWO 911 CALLS – before dispatching the first unit to a potential heart attack victim on October 20, 2015.
And yet, six weeks after that fiasco Chief Lenny still hadn’t gotten around to “making adjustments” to his communications and dispatch center. Maybe if he had fixed the problem immediately, a gun wouldn’t have been left unattended for five hours in the lobby of the police department.
Also in typical Chief Lenny fashion, instead of taking full responsibility for his incompetence, he said, “Look! There’s a puppy!”
Officer Buissereth actually said – on camera, no less! – “This kind of opened our eyes and said, ‘You know what? We’re gonna have a gun buyback.’ People will come in, they will be given a gift card for a store nearby, no questions asked. Just turn in the gun, also have gun education.”
You don’t say.
Here’s a news flash, Chiefy! The dude who turned in the weapon wasn’t expecting a gift card. He was expecting a police officer to take the gun off his hands.
This screw-up by what is supposed to be a professional law enforcement agency is only the latest in a long line of missteps that have been “handled inappropriately.”
And yet, for some inexplicable reason, the terminally incompetent Chief of Police still has his job.
North Miami residents deserve better.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
The day it happened we heard that the IT guy found the gun and called up to dispatch then everybody in the station knew about it except when the commander went to Chief Eugene. Chief Burgess knew about it and so did the command staff but he didn’t tell Gary Eugene. Talk about a slap in the face! Chief Eugene is in charge but they don’t follow the chain of command because Burgess disrespects him like that. We are working at the biggest joke in Dade county thanks to Lenny Burgess.
Every member of the City Council of the City of North Miami and the Chief of Police and the City Manager are responsible for the unbelievable incompetence going on in this city!!! This people running this city are out to lunch and when somebody gets hurt or killed by this total stupidity the city; hence the tax payer is going to be responsible! Wake up people! What the hall is going on?
A/C Eugene has nothing to do with this or the dispatch unit. Major Brea Burden who reports to A/C Juriga are in charge of the dispatchers and the security cameras. If A/C Eugene was really in charge, we wouldn’t be having these constant problems.
Why isn’t Eugene in charge, the Chief of Police? Sounds as if people are covering something up!!!!! No doubt that’s probably the reason.
While this police dept sure has its issues, at least it wasn’t making undercover drug stings and smuggling money in and out of the country like the Bal Harbour Police Dept., which was out of control for years, and continues to harass those who aren’t the right color in its jurisdiction….
North Miami Police Officer Natalie Buissereth, who is the speaker representing North Miami, can’t hold a candle to Major Neal Cuevas. Chief Burgess removed Cuevas from that position that he held for years. Obviously, Cuevas was far superior as a representative for the city. Burgess just wants everybody on ‘his side’ where everything smells like rose buds.
Buissereth is as dumb as they come. She sucks Lenny Burgess’ ass but she has no clue how to be a PIO. At least Cuevas didn’t say stupid shit to the media like Big Blubber Booty Buissereth does every time she opens her pie hole.
This new and obviously inexperienced PIO is on tv speaking half sentences. She talks about giving out gift cards to fix the problem. She violates policy by wearing a bright red watch in uniform on tv. She comes and goes as she pleases. She covers for Lenny all the time. I hear there’s another law suit and ethics complaint coming over a botched sergeant’s test too. There should be a sign at the front door of that police station. “New leadership wanted”
The sign should read incompetence in control! I’ve lived in North Miami for over 40 years and we have had some of the best chief’s and police departments with great moral. Those days are LONG gone!
It’s only a matter of time for the city to get a sexual harassment lawsuit due to Lenny the Lover Burgess.
Yes we have discrimination, sexual harrassment, racism against white and Hipanic officers, nepotism, illegal steroid use, unetheical behavior, imoral behavior, rigged promotional exams and a whole lot more. If you have any of the above listed on your application then you are hired and expect to be promoted.
I wonder if a lawyer who is a citizen of the City of North Miami and is fed up with the goings-on of the police department would file a lawsuit against the city. That is what it might take to finally constitute change in the city’s PD.
I don’t attend Council meetings as I am not a citizen in that City, but I feel from previous entries and comments, anyone who speaks out at the meeting probably would face removal and possible arrest as the chief could invoke anything to intimidate citizens.
If this, or any other Police Chief, had the power to arrest people for criticizing him, I would have needed to be bailed out of jail by now. No one should ever be intimidated for exercising their First Amendment right to criticize their government. That includes elected officials as well as public officials. Chief Lenny is very much a public official. Unfortunately, he’s in charge of public safety for the residents of North Miami. Now, THAT’S scary! If I were a resident of NM, I’d be at every council meeting demanding his head. Figuratively speaking, of course. I am hoping to educate enough residents to do just that. They deserve a professionally run police department, and they are getting seriously short changed.