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Article
Courtesy of The Margate News By Mitchell
Pellecchia
Published
March 17, 2013
The
question posed to a Margate Police Officer assigned to a special detail at a
homeowners’ association (HOA) meeting last week in Margate was simple: “Are
you being paid and who hired you?”
Margate Police Officer Anne Clarke said “No” and that the HOA didn’t hire
her. When a homeowner additionally asked why she was present at the
meeting, Clarke told him she could attend any meeting she wanted.
As PG III Board member Dave Vola
found out, Clarke made false statements in front of about 100
homeowners at the PG III clubhouse the night of February 26th.
Not only was she being paid and she knew it, she knew who hired
her, as his name; PG III Vice President Phil Beracha, was listed
on her Special Duty Detail Request form. Beracha told homeowners
too that he didn’t hire Clarke.
HOA Boards, like PG III, often hire police to attend
homeowners’ meetings they feel might be heated. The special
duty police are paid $28 an hour for a minimum of three hours
and have full arrest power. As listed on the Tuesday detail
report, Beracha’s reason for hiring the officer was “due to
threats and unruly members, order is required – inside
security during meeting.”
Although special detail requests don’t allow officers to be
hired as bodyguards, it appears Beracha was in fear of being
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Margate Police Officer Anne Clarke makes false statements to about 100 homeowners last week.
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assaulted
by homeowners in the community he leads. Board members Vola, Ron Tavia and Betty
Murhpy, said they were not aware of the personal protection expenditure for the
meeting and were highly disappointed that both Beracha and law enforcement lied
in front of the community for no apparent reason.
“I respect Margate Police and think they do a very good job. But this young
lady… she really has to get her head in what she’s doing,” Tavia told
MargateNews.net. “This just proves to our community that Beracha is a bold
faced liar and now he’s making the police look bad.”
At one point in time during the meeting, Clarke stood up without being
acknowledged for having the floor. She asked a homeowner if what they had to say
was relevant to the meeting. Her statement prompted the question from another
homeowner who asked Clarke why she was there. She didn’t live in the community
and didn’t own a home there, emphasized the resident. Clarke was glib and took
to the defensive.
When asked how such incidents are handled by the Margate Police Department,
Police Chief Dana Watson told MargateNews.net that “Margate police officers
are expected to conduct themselves as professionals whether they're working
"on duty" or on an "extra duty detail". They are bound by
Federal and State laws, County and City Ordinances, as well as Margate Police
Department [MPD] rules, regulations and policies.”
Although the MPD’s secondary employment policy dictates guidelines for
employment, it’s not specific on what constitutes interrrupting meetings held
by private citizens. Watson said that a primary responsibility of police is
“to maintain order and intercede, when in our opinion, based on our training
and experience we perceive a situation may be escalating into a possible breech
of the peace.”
Both Vola and Tavia agreed they witnessed no breech of peace, only homeowners
discussing heated topics. At no time did they feel the officer or anyone else in
the room was under threat of physical violence. “There was no reason for the
officer to intercede, let alone lie about it,” Tavia said.
Watson said he’ll look into it if someone files a complaint.
“I will not attempt to make determinations on whether the actions or behaviors
of any officer are justified or prudent based on limited information. If you or
anyone else believes a Margate police officer acts inappropriately, we have a
fair and formal process in which to investigate their behavior or conduct. I can
assure you, we investigate all allegations of officer misconduct. Any employee
at the police department will be happy to supply a Personnel Complaint Report (PCR)
to anyone that makes a request,” he stated in an email.
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