PROPOSAL

ABSTRACT
This proposal aims at earning funding for a county-wide campaign that will raise awareness in Miami-Dade of the possibly severe consequences of Mayor Gimenezs 2012-2013 budget plan. As a result of the mayors promise to reduce resident taxes, the Miami-Dade Police Department has restructured the current budget to accommodate the loss. The proposed campaign will enlighten the residents of Miami-Dade County and generate discussion of any possible solutions to this problematic matter.

INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
Before elections in 2011, Carlos Gimenez assured Miami-Dade residents that their taxes would be decreased by cutting the county budget. After taking office, Gimenez began his proposed cuts, keeping his promise to Miami-Dade residents. Many government programs, including libraries, juvenile facilities, and public service departments, have suffered the cuts. However, the agency losing the most funding was the police department. When the PBA (Police Benevolence Association) rejected the proposed cuts, Gimenez soon threatened to lay off over 100 off police officers.1 The PBA then sat down with the mayors office to negotiate an agreement. After weeks of deliberation and arguing, the mayor and the PBA agreed to the paycheck cuts of each and every officer employed by the Miami-Dade Police Department. Officers soon saw a reduction of their bi-weekly salaries. The changes to the MDPD (Miami-Dade Police Department) budget were negotiated in order to avoid layoffs. Officers now pay up to 9% of their paychecks (up 5% from last year) for their healthcare benefits and $50 biweekly for their take-home vehicles. The officers have also conceded a 50% decrease in overtime pay and a reduction of holiday pay from twelve paid holidays to just two.2 Because of the pay-cuts, many officers have taken early retirement and begun to search for other forms of employment. This may prove to be problematic since the department has halted all hiring procedures due to lack of funding.

Del Marmol, Sebastian, & Rapado, Donna (2012, January 19). PBA Files Grievances over Miami-Dade Police Layoffs. NBC6. Retrieved from http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/PBA-Files-Grievances-Over-Police-Layoffs-137610563.html 2 (2012). Police FY 2012-13 Department Budget Presentation (Department Reorganization and Efficiencies). Retrieved from http://www.miamidade.gov/budget/library/FY2012-13/budget-development/MDPD-budget-presentation.pdf

CONCERNS
The continuous budget cuts to the police department will have consequences within MiamiDade County. As officers continue their early retirements, fewer officers are on the roads and responding to calls; and the amount of detectives is expected to decrease as well. The department has already done away with the cargo and auto theft specialized units, and trimmed specialized units that focus on homeland security, agricultural patrol and community policing.3 If the amount of specialized units in Miami-Dade County continues to decrease, fewer burglars, sexual offenders, and high-level criminals will be caught and convicted. The MiamiDade Police Department predicts that 250 officers will retire within the next five years, while an increasing amount of officers are retiring from the 1,070-person force to find more lucrative forms of employment.4 As a result, residents will experience longer wait time for officer responses, higher crime rates, and fewer criminals being caught and convicted. Minutes count! said 46-year-old officer, Thomas, when asked about the consequences of longer wait times.

CONSEQUENCES TO CONSIDER
SOCIOCULTURAL
The mayors cuts have angered county employees, particularly police officers, but many residents are unaware of the county downgrades. Those who are aware of the changes dont realize the long-term risks that result from taking funds from the MDPD. The budget cuts have diminished the number of officers patrolling. This decrease in manpower has jeopardized the safety of officers on the job, while it has also increased the possibility of home invasions, robberies, and burglaries. Many officers have begun to feel distanced and unappreciated by their community and feel that the general public isnt aware of the daily risk involved in their duties. Officers understand the need for law enforcement in the Dade County community and are doing a lot with less. Were performing the same jobs with much fewer resources, says Perla, a 43-year-old police officer. If the public were aware of how the budget cuts could affect their own lives, many residents would feel compelled to petition the mayor to reconsider his 2013 budget plans, or even vote for another candidate in the next election.

Sharman, Amy (2012, June 29). No police layoffs but department has faced pain. Retrieved from http://www.politifact.com/florida/promises/carlos-o-meter/promise/958/no-lay-offs-police-or-firefighters/ 4 Jones, Elgin (2012, May 31). Miami-Dade County: Cop Shortage. South Florida Times. Retrieved from http://www.sfltimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10034&Itemid=183

ECONOMIC
Gimenez released the budget plan for 2012-2013 in which public safety will only receive 7% ($107,573,000) of the $1.63 million budget.5 The concessions made by the PBA has caused each and every officer financial hardship. Residents of areas with higher crime rates may also find themselves in economic adversity because of increased burglaries and robberies, which is an increasing problem in Miami-Dade. The burglaries and robberies happen a lot, but there is definitely a pattern. In the summer, when more children are home, the burglaries decrease. Yet when the fall season and the holidays come along, the burglars are back at it again, said Patty, an MDPD officer. Furthermore, Miami-Dade County will eventually receive less revenue from court fees if fewer criminals are caught. With the county receiving less money from court costs, more budget modifications may occur in order to balance spending and funding of essential county agencies.

PROPOSED SOLUTION
WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
This proposal aims at both education and engagement; a county-wide public education campaign will work to increase awareness and general public support for the police. MiamiDade County residents will be more willing to support their local police department when they understand the consequences they might face in their neighborhoods. A complementary goal is to improve the negative view of Miami-Dade officers by encouraging officers to participate in community activities where residents can learn what being a police officer means and the value of a well-funded police department. Activities will be held in local parks and police stations where officers will hold Q & A sessions, discuss local crime issues, and hold demonstrations. If members of the community are engaged in relationships with the police, they will be happy to support the officers who put their lives on the line daily.

HOW WILL THIS ADDRESS THE PROBLEM?

By making more residents of Miami-Dade County aware of the significance of cutting the MDPD budget, this campaign will generate community support for the police officers and encourage Mayor Gimenez to find other ways of cutting the countys budget. Police morale will improve as officers once again begin to feel appreciated by their community. Citizens will also
5

(2011). Budget-in-Brief. Retrieved from http://www.miamidade.gov/budget/FY2011-12/adopted/Volume1/budgetbrief.pdf

feel as though they are working hand-in-hand with the police department to create a safer community for everyone.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES

CAMPAIGN MATERIALS
In order to gain a clear perspective of police morale and expected consequences of budget cuts, surveys and questionnaires will be given to both residents living in Miami-Dade, as well as officers currently employed by the county. This research will help us to focus on the strategies of the campaign. Billboards and print ads in local magazines and newspapers will be used to raise county-wide awareness. These advertisements will include a website where residents can find information on the MDPD budget cuts as well as the consequences of the cuts and how their lives will be affected. The website will include a petition for residents to sign to ask Mayor Gimenez to modify his budget plan. The advertisements on billboards and in newspapers and magazines will depict a crime taking place. The crime, most likely a burglary, will attract all members of the community because it is a crime that everyone can fall prey to. The ads will highlight the importance of having a wellfunded police department and create a county-wide concern for the safety of its citizens. MDPD officers and other county employees will participate in the bi-weekly community activities where residents can learn more about the dangers of not having enough officers on the road, as well as what the daily life of an officer entails. Over time, more and more members of the community will attend the interactive meet-and-greets, will respond positively to the ads, and will encourage their friends to participate in the bi-weekly activities.

CAMPAIGN STRATEGIES
This campaign will emphasize security and protection, two aspects of an active, positive society. By focusing on informing citizens that their personal safety is being jeopardized, they will quickly realize that lower taxes mean fewer police officers, which means more crime. The crimes depicted in the advertisements will create a sense of impending chaos in the community, and the seriousness of the message will incline citizens who view the ad to visit the website. The website will include videos of high-ranking officers discussing their views on the new budget, as well as their forecasts for the crime rates in Dade County. The speakers tones will be serious and will show extreme concern for the future of not only the police department but the living environment all residents share.

The website will also include crime-rate statistics and statements from victims who have already begun to see the declining abilities of the police department. This will bring anxiety to the website visitors, who will in turn spread their knowledge and sign the petition on the site. Sharing the website and its petition on various social-media sites will also help spread the word that the budget cuts cause serious repercussions for residents. There will also be a schedule of events where citizens can attend and show support for their police department. These meetand-greets will create an emotional bond between residents and officers, since they will have stories and faces to put to the police department.

CAMPAIGN RESULTS
The fear of losing safety will motivate residents to investigate the issue. Seeing a crime depicted that they could be a victim of will grab their attention and add shock value. With an uneasy feeling residents will visit the website and realize that a strong police force is necessary in a constantly-growing community with high-crime rates. The word will spread throughout the county as residents begin to feel unsafe. Newscasts and documentaries will begin to be aired as residents grow wary of the approaching budget plans and elections. Citizens will begin to share the information and will grow a deeper understanding of police work. Through the bond created at the meet-and-greets, residents will begin to advocate the importance of police officers and demand that Mayor Gimenez modify his current budget to suit the needs of the citizens and the police officers. If the mayor doesnt show support for the police department or take heed of the needs of the residents, they will most assuredly vote him out of office.

TIMELINE
STEPS
An initial 3-week period of research is necessary before the campaign launch. During this time, residents will participate in questionnaires in order to determine the awareness of the budget cuts made to the MDPD. Police officers will also be interviewed and participate in questionnaires so that the affects and employee morale can be determined. The information is essential to the secondary research that will be conducted by performing internet and official document research. An additional 3 weeks will be required to design valuable print and billboard ads that will grasp viewer attention. The graphics will be alarming and relatable to each and every resident of Miami-Dade County. This emotional reaction will inspire members of the county to share the

information theyve found and will quickly create a public concern for the future of the MiamiDade Police Department.

CAMPAIGN LENGTH
The campaign will run for 6 months to a year. The ads will run continuously throughout the campaign, as well as the petition. The police community activities will occur twice a month during the campaign at various locations throughout the county. During the campaign, the locations of advertisements will increase. This will portray the importance of this issue to the community. The more ads are seen by members of the community, the more inclined theyll be to discuss and attempt to resolve the issue. During election time, more print and billboard ads will be released, with the intention of frightening the mayor of losing his supporters. Hopefully, Mayor Gimenez will be inclined to respond positively toward the needs of his residents and change his budget plan. This campaign will encourage the mayor to return the previous funding to the police department at the request of the community.

CONCLUSION
WHY THIS ISSUE IS IMPORTANT
The longer these budget cuts continue without rebuttal from the community, the faster crime rates and response times will increase; the mayor will continue to remove funding from the police department because of the lack of awareness in the county. Police officers will feel disregarded and their work ethics and determination will diminish. When residents realize the jeopardy of their safety, they will feel enthused to contribute their efforts to the police department.

WHO WILL BENEFIT

Everyone in Miami-Dade County will be happier. Residents will feel they have attributed to their own safety and will have a new understanding of the police department and its contributions to the city. Officers will once again feel appreciated and supported. With hope, the mayor will feel as though hes actually attended to the public and their need for safety in a city filled with so much crime. With the funding from your organization, this campaign will create a consciousness neverbefore-seen in Miami-Dade County. You can help the residents feel more involved in their community and change the publics view of police officers in Miami-Dade. Your support will help decrease crime rates and remind criminals that the MDPD is hot on their tails, and so is the community. Lawbreakers will be discouraged to commit crimes thanks to your contributions.