PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Come Oct. 1, there will be no police officers on duty in one Broward County town.
That’s because the town of Pembroke Park’s contract with the Broward Sheriff’s Office expires at the end of the month and its long-delayed startup police department isn’t supposed to be ready to launch in February—and the town hasn’t negotiated a backup deal.
After the contract expires, residents who dial 911 may not get a law enforcement response for a while, if at all.
By Florida law, as Broward County’s primary law enforcement agency, BSO deputies will still respond to calls, but they will no longer be based in the town and could be dispatched from any part of unincorporated Broward County, meaning a response could take significantly longer than usual.
Sheriff Gregory Tony said the move will put the town’s residents in jeopardy.
At a recent town commission meeting, the town attorney advised Pembroke Park Mayor Geoffrey Jacobs that the decision to cancel the contract without a backup is dangerous.
“I don’t know what would happen if we had a serious incident in this town on October 2nd or October 1st, and I don’t want to find out that we don’t have adequate police services,” Town attorney Melissa Anderson said.
John Lowe, who manages a business along Hallandale Beach Boulevard, says he’s concerned too.
“What’s gonna happen when we need them and there is no one here?” Lowe...
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