Morgan Levy is the longtime president of the West Dade Federation of Homeowners Associations (WDFHA), one of the strongest proponents of the right of unincorporated parts of Miami-Dade County to become municipalities and Doral in particular. Should Doral finally be allowed to hold a referendum on incorporation, it will be due in large part to the long-time lobbying efforts of the WDFHA.

Morgan Levy, president of (WDFHA)

Levy and the WDFHA have long maintained that the creation of an independent municipal police force would be an integral part of any incorporation plan (a position held by many of the other communities pushing for independence).

In this interview with the Doral Tribune, Levy carefully articulated his group's stance on the advantages of local municipal policing versus the Miami-Dade Police force.

He also expressed the WDFHA's views on the most recent covenant entered into by Miami Lakes leaders that would allow the Miami-Dade Police department to continue as the department of record should they vote to incorporate.

Why is it that the WDFHA and so many other groups pushing for incorporation press so strongly for the creation of municipal police forces?
I think I can speak for many of the communities that are seeking incorporation since all of them are either members of the Let's Incorporate Now Coalition (LINC) or have been attending LINC meetings (the WDFHA is a member of LINC).

We fully recognize there are many good Miami-Dade Police officers--the problem is not with the Miami-Dade Police Department and their personnel.

The problem is that these good officers cannot possibly cover the needs of this large county; they are stretched too thinly. And with 72% of the UMSA (Unincorporated Municipal Service Area) budget going for the police department no more taxes are available to increase the number of police on the streets.

What sort of role, if any, do you think the Miami-Dade Police should play in the newly incorporated areas?
All of the proposed incorporated areas want to continue to use the Miami-Dade Police Special Services such as the crime lab, swat team, helicopter service, etc.

Those special services are presently being supplied to many of the 30 cities in Miami-Dade County--Doral wants to participate in the very same manner as those cities that now use the police special services.

What would you suggest the proposed city of Doral do about hiring new officers?
Every new municipality that forms its own police department will be hiring most of its officers from the trained ranks of the Miami-Dade Police Department. This allows for job security and promotions along with full benefits, and this can be accomplished in a transitional manner.

What sort of needs should be met by a Doral police force, needs that aren't currently being met?
What every city wants and needs is its own police force that can respond quickly to every call whether its life-threatening or not.

When cars are flying through red lights and careening in and out of traffic, the public asks: where are the police?
There are just not enough of them on the streets (currently) to enforce the law, whereas people in Pinecrest say that you don't exceed the speed limits and don't go through red lights there anymore (because of the local force they created when they incorporated).

Why not just hire more Miami-Dade Police? Would the creation of a Doral police force mean that Miami-Dade officers would lose their jobs and reduce the effectiveness of the force?
Every city is entitled to its own police force, otherwise it's not a full-fledged city; there must be equal and fair treatment of all cities.

There are inter-local agreements between the various municipalities that offer help to one another in times of emergency when their own police force is not able to handle a situation. The Miami-Dade Police Department is presently available to help any and all municipalities as it has done in the past.
The police departments of the municipalities are also available to help the Miami-Dade Police Department when called upon in emergencies. New municipalities with new police departments covering their area will increase the number of police available to help the Miami-Dade Police Department when needed.

The Miami-Dade Police Department has not decreased in size as a result of the last four incorporations of Key Biscayne, Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, and Pinecrest. To the contrary, it is larger now than it was before.

This arrangement is better for everyone in Miami-Dade County.

Do you see any scenario in which Miami-Dade could effectively perform local policing duties?
Miami-Dade County is too large for the County commission to try and deal with local issues as well as the countywide issues like the seaport, the airport, transportation, solid waste, water and sewer, libraries and parks.

It is also too big for adequate local police coverage.
However, we invite PBA (Police Benevolent Association) President John Rivera to sit down with those of us who represent over 500,000 Miami-Dade residents who want to incorporate and find a workable solution to preserve the Miami-Dade Police Department while local police departments are created.