Help!!!! Need assistance for police escort for the Toy Rally!

We need help...........If anyone can assist in obtaining Police escort assistance for the Toy Rally..................

The FHP troop that escorted the event last year is based out of Miami. Since our route doesn't take us into their jurisdiction, they indicated that despite their desire to help, they can not help us. Following that, we have had multiple conversations with the Lantana FHP troop (which handles Broward & PB County) who indicated that they could not participate. Robert (with the assistance of Senator Ted Deutch) and I took this all the way to the FHP top-brass in Tallahassee, but despite numerous conversations were told that FHP will only assist with escorts of funerals and dignitaries. We even pushed the envelope to jokingly ask about burring our pet-goldfish, as well as asking if we had someone 'take one for the team' that FHP could chase, with the rest of us following. The answer was still NO for the FHP.

So, we have been in contact with BSO as well as PBSO in order to gain support from them. Ed (FLVICE) has been very helpful getting the question to the right people as well as helping to push this in the right direction, but as of this morning we still don't have a definitive decision from either department. The issue keeps coming back to the 'lack of department resources'.

We have spent many, many, many hours on this................So, we need help!! If anyone has any contacts that can help push this along, please help!

 

Another option, which may or not be possible at this point, is to hire the police escort. However, that option will be fairly expensive due to the pricing (approximately $100 per officer - for 3 hours), and the need to hire both BSO and PBSO officers, and enough of them to satisfy the department's requirements for the number of cars participating. Estimated to cost $2,000+, which isn't something within the Toy Rally budget to pay for - it would need to come from cash donations from participants. Thoughts on this???

 

We need to elect a Florida Ferrari Chat Ambassador. Then we can claim "dignitary".

Now the question I have is: if football teams get police escorts...where does that fall in, the dignitary or the funeral. If it is the Dolphins I guess that would be considered funeral...

 

Fred, how about dividing that cost among the sponsors? I'm in. Mark

 

IMO, if you take the drive from Maralago to the Seminole Hotel by driving on I95 or the Turnpike, you wouldn't need an escort. You are bound to have drivers separated if you drive along A1A. A real escort would involve a "point person" and then stopping traffic along the way at all intersections. Correct? At least on the highway all cars should be able to drive together and in one line.
Just my 2 cents.

Also, President Bush will be in S Florida for 12/8. Maybe we can invite him and have the Secret Service do the escort!

 

Maybe a funeral home would have a good connection? Those motorcycle guys with the orange lights seem to do well. There are usually two of them. Personally, I ave not been on one of the Toy rallys, but don't think I need an escort.
BT

 

You know....you do the work to put it together.
you get the organizations together
you put time and effort
you are responsible for collecting somewhere in the neighborhood of min. $20,000 in toys for a worthy cause
after you get all that done the cops tell you you have to HIRE them????

Let me make that perfectly clear....NO F'N WAY!
Not just that I would not pay a dime, I would make sure that they understand that we will block traffic on A1A for hours and cause them a nightmare just for the f'n fun of it!

 

lets get an escort from the Marines! Semper Fi.
consider doing the drive via I95 or the Turnpike.

 

another good idea: We can call a Funeral Director and ask if we can all follow an empty hearse! we can put the funeral banners on our fenders!

 

Ok. Paulie, YOU are now in charge of finding a funeral director, the Marines, and/or the guys w/ the orange lights who will do this.................

 

Fred you have a PM.

 

uh, I saw this one coming.

 

I'll call my firend!
He's the last one to let you down...........if you know what I mean.

 

I have an 03 crown vic police interceptor...that should do the trick!

 

Bill Howard by any chance?

BT

 

Elliott, I just left you a message.

Paulie, we'll count on your friend. But, until then, we need plan "B"........

Mark - thanks!

I am now working on paying for the police escort. Still awaiting some call-backs to see if there's enough off-duty detail officers that are willing to be assigned to this, as well as if it will get approval from the department heads as an off-duty approved detail.

If I can get it done, I'll pay for it up front and hopefully the sponsors and participants will kick in whatever they can to help reimburse me for it. If I can't get it done, then we'll just have to roll without the escort and keep the logistics in mind for next year.

Of course, in the meantime, if anyone has any connections, please let me know! Thanks!

 

you know....it just do not sit right with me that there is money being paid for cops when the entire rally is about charity and raising money and toys for a good cause and we will "waste" money for cops instead of having $2000 more in toys.

Sorry, screw them. They don't want to give the detail from headquarter then deal with the traffic mess we will cause with 100+ exotics driving down the road.

It completely defeats to purpose of a charitable event.

 

Fred, you are the boss for this, however, I have to agree with Martin. I am sure everyone with continue to offer suggestions.
Don't write the check yet.

 

As Paul stated, I am helping him with trying to get this escort from BSO. However, since I have to work through a chain of command, somewhere along the line someone forgot to mention that it was my intention to obtain volunteers for this. I already have four Deputies who will volunteer their time, and I haven't even put the request out agency wide. The only thing I need is for the command to approve the event for volunteers. Understand that Deputies / Officers will work off duty assignments for extra money but not many would at the expense of a charitable event.

Unfortunately this request has been slow to make its way through the chain of command which was in part due the the homicide of the Deputy on November 7th. I have written to the Sheriff's executive officer to remind him that this will be done on a volunteer basis and that we are only seeking approval for that, and that it will not cost the agency anything or deplete their manpower / staffing.

I will keep you all aprised of the outcome.

 

Thanks Edward!
BT

 

Martin, yes, believe me, I agree. It's VERY frustrating. It's for charity and they should welcome the opportunity to help. However, from the responses I recieved from many, many conversations with various departments, including PBPD, who is required at Mar-a-Lago, there are a LOT of charities and they can't possibly respond to all of them. So, I understand their constraints as well.

Ed, thank you very much for your continued efforts to help push this along. You have certainly gone to bat for us and it's definitely appreciated!!! And, my name is FRED, not Paul.......LOL!!!

 

That is awesome. Sounds a lot more like the response I would expect. Then I have higher hopes for the officers than for the upper "management".

 

I now have an FHP troop on standby. Pending approval from us to move forward and pending FHP to approve the detail, we can have 6 FHP officers for just under $2k total (all inclusive, including time, mileage, set-up, etc...).

Now, the magic question: How do people feel about contributing towards this? Is it something that's worth it, or not? I'd like to have the FHP escort, but I am already pouring money into this event faster than someone who ate a box of raisin bran looking for a toilet, so I don't really want to spend another 2 grand myself. As an estimate, if we have 100 cars, that would be $20 per car.

What 'ye say Peanut Gallery?????????

Of course, this all depends upon the outcome Ed and BSO/PBSO can provide - c'mon Ed, go, go-go!!!!!!!

 

I'm good for about $100. I do not think it is a necessary for the success of the rally though. So if it were a vote (which it isn't), I'd vote no to the escort. but if you decide to go for it, count me in for $100.
Sorry to not be able to contribute more, but these difficult economic times, etc....

BT

 

fred, how about applying the 500 each from sponsors?