Florida cops angry over contract buy billboards, warn parents about state capital's murder rate

Karl Etters

March 25, 2021 at 9:19 AM·3 min read

A digital billboard at the corner of Thomasville Road and Market Street displays an advertisement purchased by the Big Bend Police Benevolent Association discouraging parents from sending their children to college in Tallahassee, citing the city's crime and murder rates amid a bitter contract dispute between the Tallahassee Police Department union and the city of Tallahassee Wednesday, March 24, 2021.

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Amid a bitter contract dispute, a Florida police union purchased billboard space spotlighting the crime and murder rate in Tallahassee, warning parents to “think again” before sending their children to town for college.

The Big Bend Police Benevolent Association-sponsored billboards went up at prominent intersections at midnight Wednesday, said President Richard Murphy, who is in the middle of contract mediation negotiations. The PBA is in mediation with Tallahassee city officials pushing for an end to a contract impasse.

The billboards warn people about the crime rate and encourage them to the city manager push for a fair contract.

“Thinking of sending your child to college in Tallahassee? Think again,” the billboards read. “Tallahassee is the 5th most dangerous city in Florida. Murders are the highest they’ve been in years.”

Tallahassee is home to Florida State University and Florida A&M University, as well as Tallahassee Community College. The three schools enroll thousands of students.

The digital billboard plays in succession with advertisements purchased by the city thanking the Tallahassee Police Department and the Tallahassee Fire Department.

Related: Tallahassee police investigate 'massive stabbing'

Tallahassee and Leon County saw a record number of murders in 2020 — part of an uptick in violent crime across the country — tallying 28 last year, according to records from the Tallahassee Police Department and the Leon County Sheriff's Office.

“We’re trying to educate the whole community why we should get a fair and competitive contract that can help with recruitment and retention,” Murphy said. “Have we been frustrated in this process by the city? Yes. But we’ve got to get serious about addressing our crime problem.”

The move drew immediate backlash from some who questioned whether the PBA was working against itself.

City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, who along with his colleagues would eventually vote to ratify any contract with the PBA, said he was dismayed by the tactic.

“I’m very disappointed to say the least because that is an indictment on our community, not just the city of Tallahassee government, but our community generally,” he said.

“Extremely poor timing. We’ll continue the negotiating process," he added. "I wish they had taken that into consideration before they decided to do that billboard.”

Leon County Republican Chair Evan Power weighed in on Twitter saying the billboard's message on crime and murders were a "real concern."

Sue Dick, president of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, rejected the billboard's message that Tallahassee was an unsafe place to send kids for college.

“Parents from all over Florida, the country and even internationally trust their children to Tallahassee as a safe community where our trio of outstanding, nationally respected and recognized universities and colleges prepare those young people for the future," she said. "It's wrong for the PBA to engage in this regrettable effort to undermine our city”

The area’s top law enforcement official, State Attorney Jack Campbell, noted the issues raised by the PBA are ones that officers with TPD and other law enforcement agencies in town work toward solving every day.

“To use fear as a negotiating strategy is disappointing to me," Campbell said. "Our law enforcement is better than that. Our community is better than that. That’s not who we are. Of course there are things we work on and candidly TPD and the officers they employ are on the frontline of those issues.”

An impasse was declared last fall. Murphy said TPD officers pay among the highest in the state into their pension, and take-home pay is one of the lowest of law enforcement officers at agencies across the region.

According to city documents, the gross salary range for TPD officers who were PBA members ranged from $143,057 at the high end to $50,298 at the entry level in 2020. A city official added that the average salary for an officer is $79,133.

Follow Karl Etters on Twitter: @KarlEtters.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Police union purchases billboards blasting Florida's capital city

AFP
UBS net profit up 71% after two quarters in the red
Swiss banking giant UBS on Tuesday said first quarter net profit rose 71 percent to nearly $1.8 billion after two quarters in the red due to the takeover of Credit Suisse.In March 2023, Swiss authorities strongarmed UBS into the $3.25-billion takeover to prevent Credit Suisse from going under with catastrophic consequences for the global financial system.
AFP
Amazon says will invest $9 billion in Singapore
Amazon said Tuesday it would invest US$9 billion in Singapore over the next four years to expand its cloud computing capabilities in the city.Microsoft pledged US$2.2 billion in artificial intelligence and cloud computing investment in Malaysia on Thursday.
Reuters
UBS reports first profit since taking over Credit Suisse
ZURICH (Reuters) -UBS reported net income of $1.8 billion for January-March, its first quarterly profit since it took over fallen rival Credit Suisse. The net income attributable to shareholders for Switzerland's largest bank was better than a company-provided consensus estimate of $602 million and compares with a profit of $1 billion in the same period a year earlier. UBS also said on Tuesday that it had achieved an additional $1 billion in gross cost savings in the first quarter, taking total savings to $5 billion.
Associated Press
India votes in third phase of national elections as PM Modi escalates his rhetoric against Muslims
Millions of Indian voters across 93 constituencies were casting ballots on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has mounted an increasingly shrill election campaign, ramping up polarizing rhetoric in incendiary speeches that have targeted the Muslim minority. In recent campaign rallies, Modi has called Muslims “infiltrators” and said they “have too many children,” referring to a Hindu nationalist trope that Muslims produce more children with the aim of outnumbering Hindus in India.
CNN
Building collapse in South Africa leaves three dead, dozens trapped
Rescue efforts were underway after three people were killed and dozens remained trapped after a multi-storey building under construction collapsed in the South African city of George, authorities said.
Associated Press
Tornado causes extensive damage to small Oklahoma town as powerful storms hit central US
A tornado destroyed homes and toppled trees and power lines when it roared through a small Oklahoma town, one of several twisters that erupted in the central United States amid a series of powerful storms that forecasters warned could stretch into the early hours of Tuesday. Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden told KOTV that there were no confirmed fatalities as of 11 p.m. local time. The National Weather Service in Tulsa had warned earlier in the evening that “a large and life-threatening tornado” was headed toward Barnsdall, with wind gusts up to 70 mph (112 kph).
AFP
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest outside the Met Gala
Protesters in New York converged near the Met Gala on Monday in a rally against the ongoing war in Gaza, leading to several arrests, police said.Among the rallying points were the gates of Columbia University, which has been the center of spreading demonstrations, before protesters marched through Manhattan to American fashion's biggest night -- or at least as close as police would let them.
Associated Press
North Macedonia holds presidential and parliamentary elections Wednesday
Voters in Northern Macedonia go to the polls Wednesday for a double election — parliamentary and presidential — following a campaign in which the country's aspirations to join the European Union have played a central role. The office of prime minister wields the real power, and the president is largely ceremonial, so the parliamentary election is the more important of the two contests. The election for the unicameral parliament takes place in a single round, while the presidential election is the runoff of a two-round contest that began in April with the center-right candidate scoring a large lead over the center-left incumbent.
CNN
‘I am leaving for the unknown.’ Palestinians fleeing Rafah describe their fear and despair
Palestinian civilians told to evacuate eastern Rafah by the Israeli military have described their fear and despair at being uprooted from their homes and shelters, as Israel airstrikes hit Gaza’s southernmost city.
Associated Press
China's Xi begins Serbia visit on the 25th anniversary of NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy
U.S. jets dropped five bombs on the Chinese Embassy compound in the Serbian capital on May 7, 1999, setting it ablaze and killing three Chinese nationals. Twenty other people were injured in the incident, which has burdened relations between the two powers ever since.
AFP
Boeing Starliner crewed mission postponed shortly before launch
The first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner spaceship was dramatically called off just two hours before launch after a new safety issue was identified, officials said Monday, pushing back a high-stakes test mission to the International Space Station.But other problems that came to light -- including weak parachutes and flammable tape in the cabin that needed to be removed -- caused further delays to the crewed test flight, necessary for the capsule to be certified for NASA use on regular ISS m
Reuters
Apple working on AI chips for data centers, WSJ reports
Apple, which has been falling behind its competitors on AI, has been evading questions about its plans for the technology. "We continue to feel very bullish about our opportunity in generative AI and we're making significant investments," CEO Tim Cook told Reuters in an interview. The project, internally codenamed as Project ACDC (Apple Chips in Data Center), aims to leverage Apple's chip design expertise for its server infrastructure, the report said.
CNN
Officials describe telltale ‘buzz’ that led to last-minute scrub of Boeing Starliner’s crewed launch
Boeing scrubbed its Monday launch attempt of its new Starliner spacecraft, crewed by veteran NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore.
CNN
Former Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan says he is voting for Biden in November
Former Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. and CNN contributor Geoff Duncan on Monday said he will vote for President Joe Biden in November, arguing former President Donald Trump “has disqualified himself through his conduct and his character.”
Associated Press
Putin is starting his 5th term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin begins his fifth term as Russian president in an opulent Kremlin inauguration Tuesday, after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and consolidating all power in his hands. Already in office for nearly a quarter-century and the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin, Putin’s new term doesn’t expire until 2030, when he is constitutionally eligible to run for another six years. Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine that has become Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, Russia has been heavily sanctioned by the West and is turning other regimes like China, Iran and North Korea for support.
Associated Press
Ukraine-born House member who opposed aiding her native country defends her seat in Indiana primary
A Ukrainian-born congresswoman who recently opposed sending aid to her war-torn country is defending her seat Tuesday against a fellow Republican who has outpaced her in spending and fundraising. U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz is the first and only Ukrainian-born House member and previously backed support for the country. More broadly, the race is a barometer of whether support for Ukraine is a powerful issue among GOP voters.
Associated Press
Pro-Palestinian protesters retake MIT encampment, occupy building at Rhode Island School of Design
A Monday deadline for pro-Palestinian protesters to leave an encampment at Massachusetts Institute of Technology cleared many demonstrators only to have the site retaken while protesters at the Rhode Island School of Design began occupying a building in the ongoing protest movement connected to the Israel-Hamas war. At MIT, protesters were given an afternoon deadline in which to voluntarily leave the protest site or face suspension. Many left, according to an MIT spokesperson, who said protesters breached fencing after the arrival of demonstrators from outside the university.
Associated Press
Bernie Sanders says Gaza may be Joe Biden's Vietnam. But he's ready to battle for Biden over Trump
In April, Bernie Sanders repeatedly stood shoulder to shoulder with President Joe Biden, promoting their joint accomplishments on health care and climate at formal White House events while eviscerating Donald Trump in a widely viewed campaign TikTok video. Then just last week, Sanders was bluntly warning that the crisis in Gaza could be Biden's “Vietnam" and invoking President Lyndon B. Johnson's decision not to run for reelection as the nation was in an uproar over his support of that war. Such is the political dichotomy of Bernie Sanders when it comes to Joe Biden.
Associated Press
Why voters in southern India are more resistant to Modi's Hindu-centric politics
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wielded near-total control over Indian politics since coming to power 10 years ago, with one exception: He has failed to win over the country’s wealthier southern region. Not one of them is controlled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party — a stark rejection of its Hindu-nationalist agenda that enjoys wide support in northern India. The BJP is expected to win India's election when results are announced in June, delivering Modi another five years as prime minister.
Politico
Australia accuses China of unsafe behavior involving fighter jet
The jet endangered an Australian navy helicopter with flares over international waters.

Latest Stories