By Dan Christensen, FloridaBulldog.org
Two decades ago, the Broward Sheriff’s Office was rocked by a controversial police accountability system called Powertrac that authorities said put pressure on Broward Sheriff’s deputies to falsify crime reports to clear cases.
Last week, embattled Sheriff “Dr.” Gregory Tony sent a memo to his executive command staff announcing that he will soon implement a similar crime statistics measuring system called COMPSTAT.
“Effective May 1st, the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) will reinstitute full COMPSTAT quarterly evaluations for all Department of Law Enforcement (DLE), Department of Detention (DoD), Fire Rescue (FR), Department of Preparedness and Response (DPR) and Communications,’’ says the memo.
“This is a strategic step to enhance data-driven decision-making, improve operational ACCOUNTABILITY, and ensure effective resource deployment across our core high liability disciplines.”
Rank-and-file deputies were required to watch a training video about COMPSTAT last week.
News of BSO’s restart of crime-stats accountability has sent a collective chill down BSO’s administrative spine, as sources have described it. And it comes as BSO has faced a barrage of criticism over how deputies responded to a Feb. 16 triple homicide in Tamarac.
TONY: BSO ‘FELL SHORT’
Tony acknowledged this week that BSO “fell short” in its handling of repeated domestic violence calls involving suspect Nathan Gingles, who is jailed on three charges of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of his estranged wife Mary Gingles, her father David Ponzer and a neighbor, Andrew Ferrin.
Tony initially placed seven deputies on paid administrative leave. CBS News Miami has reported that a BSO captain was later demoted and an eighth deputy was also placed on paid leave.
On Thursday night, CBS News Miami first reported that more than 6,000 BSO cases dating back “seven or eight years” are now under review for apparently not being investigated and remain open. The news program displayed a document reporter Joan Murray said shows “open cases from 2024 that include battery and theft.” Sources told Florida Bulldog that the huge number of apparently dropped cases was the result of flaws in BSO’s internal case coding system that prevented proper assignment for follow up-investigation. How remains unclear.
Powertrac was first used by then-Sheriff Ron Cochran in 1997. It was modeled on COMPSTAT, short for Compare Stats, a crime-fighting tool developed by New York City police a few years earlier to quickly assess crime patterns and respond.
Cochran died in September 1997, and Gov. Lawton Chiles appointed Ken Jenne to replace him in January 1998. Sheriff Jenne adopted Powertrac, short for Provide Objectives Where Enforcement Resources Target Responses Against Crime, expanded it and then repeatedly cited it publicly for reducing crime rates.
In September 2003, a consultant reported to Jenne that “Powertrac sessions are tightly scripted, and the problem solving is rare and tentative…The process is dreaded to the point that people are taking sick leave to avoid it…”
POWERTRAC SCANDAL
A month later, the Broward State Attorney’s Office began a probe into allegations that deputies had falsified crime reports because of the pressure created by Powertrac. At least a half-dozen BSO detectives were charged with misdemeanors or felonies, including official misconduct. Two detectives pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, the Sun-Sentinel reported in 2006.
One ex-BSO detective, Christian Zapata, was found not guilty by a jury on eight charges of official misconduct for making up confessions and blaming crimes on other innocent people and had six other charges dropped by prosecutors, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The Miami Herald reported in March 2004 that BSO was claiming to have solved half of the crimes committed the previous year in the areas it patrolled. That was 2 ½ times the national average.
The Herald said BSO had reported “a streak of six straight years of improvement in BSO’s [case] clearance rate – and decreases in the crime rate. “In that six-year span, the share of crimes cleared – either by arrest and prosecution or by a variety of ‘exceptional clearance’ categories – rose from 36 percent to 50.8 percent…The average clearance rate nationwide is just over 20 percent.”
Jenne suspended use of Powertrac in January 2005.
Sheriff Tony’s claims about COMPSTAT’s usefulness are similar to Jenne’s claims for Powertrac – yet without any mention of the crime-stats scandal.
“Benefits of COMPSTAT implementation: Enhanced Crime Reduction Strategies. By analyzing crime trends and patterns, district commanders can proactively implement strategies to mitigate emerging threats,” Tony’s memo states.
“Increased Accountability. Regular performance evaluations ensure that district leadership remains engaged and responsible for measurable outcomes; Efficient Resource Allocation. Data-driven insights help optimize personnel and assets, improving response times and overall service delivery; Improved Community Engagement. Transparent crime analysis fosters trust with the public and strengthens community policing efforts; Operational Consistency. Standardized reporting and performance evaluations create a unified approach across all districts.”
COMPSTAT’S BOARD OF COMMANDERS
But an accountability system like COMPSTAT, which is still used by many police agencies in Florida and across the country, is only as good as the leaders who employ it.
“It crashed and burned under Jenne because he used it the wrong way. You know, it was a punishment, not a critique,” said former Sheriff Al Lamberti, who was in office from 2007-2013. “My whole worry about Tony is that quote he gave, ‘And I’m going to put the fear of God into everybody.’ That tells me he’s doing it for the wrong reason. His motivation is to punish, not improve.”
In the memo, Tony named himself as chairman of COMPSTAT’s Executive Evaluation Board of Commanders, who will serve two-year terms “renewed at my discretion.” The other board members are: Undersheriff Nichole Anderson, co-chair; Colonel Steve Robson ; Colonel Benny Ahmed; Colonel John Hale; Lt. Col. Scott Champagne; Lt. Col. Jeff Cirminiello; Major Robert Schnakenberg; and Major Barry Lindquist.
Here’s how Tony ended his memo:
“As we move forward, all commanders should ensure their teams are prepared for the upcoming quarterly evaluations. Moreover, NO administrators or commanders or captains will be permitted vacation time on their scheduled COMPSTAT debriefs. You shall be present to discuss your respective commands.
“Additional details on scheduling and reporting expectations will be shared in the coming weeks.
“The only standard worth pursuing is EXCELLENCE, but I will settle for greatness.
“Sheriff Dr. Tony”
Leave a Reply