Indian River County Paradise Lost with a Police State Atmosphere

With six (sorry, update, seven, forgot one) police departments (Florida State Troopers, Vero Beach City Police (The Keystone Cops), Indian Shores Police, Sebastian City Police, Fellmere City Police, County Sheriffs, and a Special Detective Unit, Indian River County has more police on the street than Germany in 1933 to 1945 with Sturmabteilung (SA), Schuetzstaffel (SS), Schutzdienst (SD) and Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo)

At what cost, the loss of freedom, atmosphere of fear and constant Big Brother oversight?

You cannot drive through Vero Beach without constantly seeing a patrol car at almost every intersection of US 1 with any main street.

Even the pizza delivery guy gets pulled over and ticketed three times on New Year's Eve.

Is there really that much violent crime in this sleepy, red-neck town with fantastic weather and race relations to warrant such an oversized policing effort? I don't think so. 

In the morning at the iHOP on US 1, it can be like a Police Convention with multiple patrol cars from various police departments parked in the lot.

Is this the vision of the Founding Fathers for this nation? I don't think so.

Thomas Jefferson would start a new revolution despite his support for the French Revolution with all its violence, disrespect for human rights and judicial bankruptcy. 

What is the total cost of this inefficient judicial structure to the citizens of Indian River County, who are still struggling since the Stock Market Crash of 2007/2008?

It would not be surprising to learn that the total annual cost is USD 50 to 100 million dollars.

Where are the budget numbers amalgamated across all police departments in the county?

Does anybody really know? I don't think so.

Let's hire KPMG to conduct an audit and Bain and Company to study the problem and suggest a unbiased and non-partial reform plan......

Would it not be more productive to merge these overfunded (the brand-new spanking patrol cars must cost over USD 50,000 per copy) into a smaller, more cohesive unit, for example, by rolling all of these departments into the Indian River County Sheriff's Department, ex the Florida State Patrol, and invest the savings into better training (it is shocking how little knowledge of State and Federal laws of the land there is among some junior  - rookie - officers).

While there are many excellent officers such as Officer Richard Olsson in the Sheriff"s Department and surely others - who themselves witness the daily abuses of fellow officers - there are also many retired ex-NY, NJ types, totally burn-out and with an aggressive and absolutely disrespectful attitude toward the citizens of the county, unnecessarily brutal police tactics (it should not be pleasant to be arrested is the argument), abuses of civil rights, particularly illegal searches and seizures of stopped cars without even probable cause.

Recently (just read the newspapers), an older and defenseless woman was taken into a headlock during a suspected DUI arrest by a patrol man, during which her nose was broken. Is this reasonable? I don't think so.

The business community has already had enough of these behaviors, but most are not willing to speak up, for they have all grown up with many of the officers and gone to high school with them.

Further, the lawyers, judges an other participants in the "business" of law enforcement are so intertwined that there are no longer any proper checks and balances in the system.

Is the solution to federalize Indian River County for a longer period of time to allow the federal government (perhaps similar to reconstruction - where the Union army guaranteed observance of the laws of the land - after the Civil War)  to return balance to the system?

Many investment banks have used this tool with counties across the nation, who failed to honor their financial obligations, to re-establish a functioning judicial system and restore civilian control over the police apparatus, the court system and county finances (including the taxing and spending powers of elected officials). Perhaps investment bankers are actually the protectors of economic and personal freedom - while perusing profits for their shareholders - in the global economy.

Apparently, Indian River County in Florida is not alone with this problem, but rather it is a state-wide issue as many other counties have a similar overblown, unstructured law enforcement apparatus.

Perhaps it is an issue for the governor's office as the executive leadership authority for the Sunshine state.

In any event, the coming election for the County Commissioners of the districts of Indian River County should be the arena for such a debate. In particular, the Indian River County Jail system desperately needs reform.  There is a wanton disrespect for the rights of its inmates.

For example, in a state, where orange juice is cheaper than water, none is served to inmates for breakfast. Further, there is no coffee, tee or other common beverages available.

Inmates have to purchase these from a "company store", which generates large profits to private companies from their "captive" clients. Outside of the slammer, this would lead to a Department of Justice antitrust investigation.

While the rich snowbirds feast at the locally owned bars and restaurants, the inmates regularly go to bed hungry, an appalling situation in such a great nation as the United States.

However, the standards are as low or even lower in the meantime than in Russia or China, two post-communist countries with human rights violations.

The situation is hardly better than at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which President Obama promised to close, but unfortunately he spends more time killing people with drones than his predecessors, rather than owning up to his own retoric. Is this the reason, the people of the United States elected him? I don't think so.

Citizens of Indian River County, it is your responsibility to elect a new slate of officials to clean up this mess. Let's get started.

UPDATE

The Senior Police Leadership is crying to the pawn shop community on their regular inspection visits (in the line of duty) that I will bankrupt Indian River County and Vero Beach, FL, thus leaving them also liable (as Co-Defendents) for "Failure to Supervise junior, untrained, jumpy and violent police officers" - this always gets you toasted in banking too, that "Fit and Proper Test" is such a bitch....!?!

Their vision of job and status loss, pension implosion, bass boats sinking, KKK wardrobes on fire (were to be pawned to pay the "white trash trailer" rent for the new ranch") and the old lady's jewelry (now women don't get with the program easily here), as they want a guaranteed return (stable meal ticket, low volatility, i.e. Vodka Putin with a twist of Southern Comfort in their grits or biscuit and gravely - very morning, not just on Sundays) for services (a little rusty and with NO innovation) rendered - even if only every other Saturday - with a pillow between their legs and steel bucket over their heads. You might catch something.........OMG......what were these men thinking........!?!

Fear is a bad advisor, but....it is true I will be auctioning houses, boats, jewels etc. "however, only in the line of duty, of course"......in the not too distant future....with a similar effect of the sort seen in the "Patriot, Tomahawk scene with Mel Gibson", acting like he has seen the second coming of the Police of Police - without a parking ticket in hand, but with a tow-truck Mafia member like Safe Tow in Vero Beach, FL..............as the local government will be buried under the weight of my evidence - gained through discovery.......

......didn't they learn anything from Nixon.....?....that the final outcome is only a few iterations away.....and with the water swiftly receding as the coming Tsunami builds to wash away the red-neck culture of IRC...perhaps it is time to get out of Dodge.......!! 

Rondal Eric Powell, Managing Partner, REP Consulting with Offices in Frankfurt, Germany and Vero Beach, Florida, USA