Newsletter: August 2013

August 2013 Issue
MBPD RETIREE NEWS
“Unity Is Strength For A Better Retirement”
www.mbpdretirees.com
Sam’s Corner… “A Collection of Disorganized Thoughts”
Greetings my friends and welcome to the August Issue of the Miami Beach Police Department Retiree's Association Newsletter. Your
editor in Chief is experiencing a plethora of disorganized thoughts this month, perhaps due to
the extreme heat and humidity that Florida is so
well known for. It's literally driving me batty. The
other thing is that my head is spinning and my
spirit is in turmoil over something that I desperately want to write about. If I write about this
however, I don't think it will be received well.
What is it? You guessed it (maybe)- The George
Zimmerman trial.
Inside this issue:
Sam’s Corner
1-3
Princes 1/2
Marathon & FCPO
4
MBPD’s Retirees
News Room
5
Smishing
6
Joke of the Month
& August Bdays
7
Ads/Sponsors
8
merman is a schmuck, but I don't think he's a
murderer. Besides, just because he's free, doesn't mean he's really free. He's a marked man
and he will be for a long time. Now, George can
do what Mark Fuhrman did. If you'll remember,
Mark Fuhrman was the Los Angeles PD Detective from the OJ Simpson trial who was said to
have perjured himself and used the "N" Word
multiple times? During that time he was also
said to have been the most hated man in America in certain circles.
But Fuhrman eventually moved to Idaho, wrote
books, and is now a frequent guest commentaI already wrote about this subject way back tor on the Sean Hannity show on FOX news.
when the "incident" first happened and my opin- Doesn't sound like he's doing too bad nowaion of both players has not really changed. I days. I feel almost everyone should have an
suspect that those who have
opportunity to redeem themfollowed this case, especially the
selves, and that's exactly what
trial, are probably sick of it alFuhrman appears to have done
ready. The one thing I want to
But getting back to these politisay, and then I'll drop it is thiscians, prosecutors, commentaWhat makes me sick are those
tors, and community "leaders"people in critical positions in our
My message to you is: If you
government that cannot wrap
don't like our American system
their minds around our estabof justice, then perhaps it's time
lished justice system.
to move to a country that has a system that
The man was found "not guilty" and that's that! suits your fancy. Try Somalia, Iran, Russia, or
It's our system of justice and it's not perfect by maybe even North Korea. I'm sure you'll be
any stretch of the imagination, but it is what it quite happy in one of those places...And we'll be
is. Am I personally glad Zimmerman was found quite happy to be rid of you for good. Don't let
not guilty? Yea, I am. I still think George Zim- the door hit you where the Good Lord split ya!
Continued on pg 2
VINNY’S BREAKFAST...
On Friday, July 5th, 2013, a breakfast was held at the Blue Moon Diner in Cooper City with
19 people attending. Retirees attending were Ray Chambers and his wife Gloria, Vinny Aprile,
Alan Skolnick, Carlos Devarona, Sam Gam and his girlfriend Karen, Sam’s brother Ruben Gam
and his wife Jan, Charlie Losey, Howard Zeifman, Priscilla Grandage and her boyfriend, Patrick,
Rick Lonergan, Gary Kluger, Bobby Bauer and his son Steve, new retiree Pat Quinlan, and retired Miami Beach firefighter and part time North Bay Village Officer Tom Columbano
MBPD RETIREE NEWS
Sam’s Corner…
Page 2
continued from page 1
Okay! I promised I was going to just "let it go", but I can't. I'm
infuriated by these protestors who, like the bad sheep they are,
have embraced a cause I think is way, way over their heads!
Being a newshound,
and
being someone
who is on many,
many
e-mail
lists, I have a
pretty
good
handle
on
things that are
going on all over
the country. The
same week the
Zimmerman
verdict
was
announced, in
South
Florida
alone
there
were
multiple
murders committed. From a drive by in the infamous Liberty City
section of Miami, to a retired Correctional Officer killed for his
jewelry, to a grandmother and grandson killed by home invaders.
The local protestors mentioned nothing of these deaths; in fact,
there was very little mention of them. It was always Treyvon,
Treyvon, and more Treyvon. What is he, a Saint? Not from what I
hear! I had heard about the baby in Georgia, killed in his stroller
as his horrified mother begged for his life. Not a peep. How
about the soldiers being killed almost every week? Nah! Old
news! Innocent people being killed all over this country...Ah, who
cares...George killed Treyvon. That's all they care about. Of
course, the protestors have made this a race issue. Notice how I
didn't and I could have. I didn't think it would be received very
well.
of houses. I've already made an offer on one house that was
perfect for us. Not only was the offer rejected, the owners were
so heartbroken that they took the house off the market completely. Well, back to the drawing board for us!
Another house that I'm interested in is a foreclosure. They aren't
even taking bids on it yet! Are you kidding me? And then, if it's
not one thing it's another. There's an old saying that one of the
most important factors to buying a home is "location, location,
location". Some people want a house with everything close by, or
with neighbors, or next to good schools. We want one with none
of those things, but we don't want to live in the country either.
The place we're looking at offers those things, but then again, if
it's not one thing it's another.
Find the perfect location, but the house looks like crap. Or it's a
nice house, but the kitchen is too small, or the bedrooms are too
small. The kitchen it perfect, but needs $6,000 in renovations.
The house is great, move in ready....But the backyard is too
small. The house is great, the backyard is great, the location is
great...The price is too high. Everything is great, the price is right,
but the house backs up to a major interstate, and you hear
trucks and sirens all day and all night. And, last but not
least...Everything is great, including the price, but there's an
airport a mile away.
When I think about it, it makes my head spin. But, aside from all
the disappointments, there is one common denominator that
really makes it all worthwhile...The house will be nowhere near
Dade County or South Florida in general. So...Big house, small
house, small kitchen, big kitchen, renovations, price, whatever
the challenges I can handle. I just want out of South Florida and
away from....bad drivers, bad attitudes, crime, fraud, bad news,
mean people. I'm done with all of it. I heard Sanford, Florida has
some great real estate deals. Let me know if you heard the
same.
Speaking of renovations, I'm almost certain that just about any
house I pick, unless it's brand new is going to require some renovations. Whether it be kitchen, bathrooms, back yard, etc...I'm
ready for it. Over the years, I've worked with some talented people on the police department who had the knowledge, skills, and
abilities to do those things themselves. I wish I did. Since getting
serious about relocating out of this hell-hole, I all but switched
I had tried to relocate about five years ago and purchased a half from watching cooking shows on television to watching on the
acre directly on Hartwell Lake in the "Uplands" of South Carolina "DIY" (Do it yourself) and the "HGN" (Home and Garden Network).
near Greenville. This was going to be my dream retirement spot.
I was researching builders and planned to have a house custom It's truly amazing how talented and innovative some people are
built there. But, as you all know, sometimes life gets in the way when it comes to fixing up and renovating homes. As I said beof well laid plans and not only did I have to cancel my plans, but I fore I wish I had the skills and the energy to demolish a kitchen,
bathroom, or some other part of a house and put together a
had to sell the land too, at a loss.
professional looking job. Unfortunately I grew up in an environSometimes, out of a negative situation comes a positive resolu- ment where we were not taught how to "do it yourself." We didn't
tion, and in this case, I think if I had gone through with those learn those types of skills. I truly admire those folks who can
plans at that time, I probably would have been one miserable envision a project, measure it out, then run over to Lowes or
S.O.B., considering the company I was keeping at the time. This Home Depot and get the supplies they need to put it together.
They certainly make it look easy on television. Heck, I'm not even
time around will be very, very different.
good at painting, which is something that just about everyone
So, we're house hunting...And I can't say it's as much fun as it should know how to do.
used to be. The market seems to be starting to improve. That's a
Continued on page 3
good thing for the economy, but there is some competition, even
in the market I'm looking at where there seems to still be a glut
Moving along now, I wanted to bring up the issue of house hunting. It's been quite a few years since I went house hunting and
I'm doing it again along with my girlfriend. I'm keeping quiet
about the location for the time being because it is subject to
change. I'll tell you this much...It is in Florida. Hopefully that narrows it down for you.
MBPD RETIREE NEWS
Sam’s Corner…
Page 3
Continued from pg 2
So when I hear someone say that they are re-tiling their kitchen, or fixing their plumbing, or re-wiring their garage...I say, bless
your little heart. It's truly a gift to be able to do this stuff with your own hands and save a ton of money. Not only that, you can
tell people--Yeah, I did this myself, and be proud of it. It certainly sounds better than what I tell people, which is "I've got new
kitchen cabinets." Then they say-"Did you put them in yourself"? Then I say- "No, but I paid to have them installed myself". Then
they say-"Oh, yeah, good work." Then I feel, well, weird.
One more thing, then I'll bid you all a farewell till September. I like getting suggestions from my readers. It shows that some of
you are actually reading this newsletter....and that's what I like. I like it when people read this. So Brother Howard Zeifman
made a suggestion which I will pass on to my...correction.. OUR readers. I think I've made this suggestion in the past but I really
can't recall. Howard suggested I start a new feature called- "Where are they now?"
This is how the new feature would work. We put at least three retirees names out there. If you see your name, you can write in
and let us know how you're doing, and what you're up to, or not! So I assured Howard that I would start this new feature this
month with three fresh names. Those names are: Ernie Febbraio, Chuck Garabedian, and Jeff Schaefer. If you guys would like
to write in and share with us, please e-mail me at sam0444@yahoo.com. I'll see to it you get your "fifteen minutes of fame"....or
not.
Well my friends, that's it for this month. Hope you enjoyed. Stay cool and we'll see you back in September. Till then, stay safe
and healthy.
Priscilla Grandage's boyfriend
Patrick, serving up coffee at the
last Vinny's breakfast. Did a great
job too!
August 2013 Issue
Page 4
Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend
By Active Duty Detective Traci Sierra
I've committed to raising funds as a St. Jude Hero to support St.
Jude's lifesaving mission of finding cures and saving children. I
need your support to help me reach my fundraising goal for the
kids of St.Jude. It costs $1.8 million a day to operate St. Jude.
Did you know that 70% of the funds come from the public? That
means your donation, no matter what the size, will help!
How your donation helps:
As a mother and a grandmother, I believe that every child should
have the chance to lead a full and prosperous life full of wonder
and joy. Please help me in making this dream a reality for all of
our children.
Imagine a race where hope marks the finish line. Make it a reality when you join us for a magical and memorable Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend. It's your opportunity to become a
St. Jude Hero and raise funds to help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital save the lives of children battling cancer and
other deadly diseases.

Thanks to donors
like you, no family ever
pays St. Jude for anything, including lodging,
food and travel.
Note from editor: I looked at the link to
get to this website and it's just too long
to input manually...So, If you're interested in donating or want further information,
just
e-mail
me
at
sam0444@yahoo.com and I'll e-mail
you the link. THE MARATHON IS IN
ORLANDO ON FEBRUARY 23RD,
2014, SO YOU'LL BE SEEING THIS
AGAIN....AND AGAIN!!

St. Jude will continue to improve treatment of childhood cancer and other deadly
diseases through its
groundbreaking research.
For every child treated
at St. Jude, thousands
more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries.
Thank you for your support!
FCPO (Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers)
have started a chapter of the Fellowship of
Christian Peace Officers. They are very happy
to announce that The Miami-Dade Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers (FCPO) was
officially chartered on June 28, 2013.
The FCPO is a national ministry comprised of
Christian men and women from all walks of
the criminal justice system. There is a strong
common bond shared by those in law enforcement, and we have a duty to back each
other up spiritually in a job where we are
continually confronting and combating evil.
As Believers, we have a responsibility, not
only to share our faith with our colleagues,
but also to uplift and support them in times
of need. We are excited for what God is doing in our area and look forward to working
with all LEOs in the Miami-Dade County area.
Sgt. Jorge Alessandri and Pastor Fountain,
along with Officers from several agencies,
We will be meeting on the third Thursday of
every month at various locations throughout
Miami-Dade County. These meetings will be
an opportunity to fellowship, and periodically
we’ll have special guest speakers to encourage us and cement our vision. Reminders
will be sent with locations and times of the
meeting.
First FCPO meeting will be held August 15,
2013 at the Hispanic Police Officers Association hall located at 1470 NW 107 Ave., Suite
P, Doral, Florida 33172.
They would welcome retirees to these meetings. They are also on Facebook: Miami
Dade FCPO.
Any questions you can contact Jorge Alessandri at miamidadefcpo@gmail.com
August 2013 Issue
Page 5
MBPD’S Retirees News Room
DAVID ANTHONY GRISCOM
Our deepest sympathy goes out to Retired
Sergeant Buck Griscom and his wife Fran,
on the death of their son David after a four
year battle with cancer. The funeral will be
at Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida on Friday, August 9th, 2013 at
11: 30 A.M.
RETIRED OFFICER LEO WEBER, By S. Gam
especially his brother Joe who was able to
provide us with a little background on Leo.
Leo was born in Maryland in October of
1941 and grew up in Northern Virginia
where he graduated from high school and
college. In the mid 1960's, he spent six
The following is copied from the Legacy years in the Army Reserve and then joined
Website: "David Anthony Griscom, son of the Washington DC Metropolitan Police
two, brother to two, husband of one, father Department.
of three, grandfather to seven, returned to
Our Creator, Our Redeemer, Our Sanctifier In the early 1970's, he relocated to Fort
on Thursday 2013 to enjoy peace ever- Lauderdale with his first wife and joined the
more. On a date to be scheduled, David's Miami Beach Police Department. During his
ashes will be entombed at Barrancas Na- tenure, he worked patrol until AIU (Accident
tional Cemetery. David entered our world Investigation Unit) was formed and that's
on 1 September, 1954 at Fort Campbell, where he found his niche. Leo worked his
Kentucky. David honorably served in Uncle way up to Traffic Homicide Investigator and
Sam's Air Force. David will be remembered to Traffic Crash Reconstruction. As a field
by all family members, and many friends he training officer, he specialized in teaching
acquired in his travels down Life's Highway. the rookie "larvae" (as Joe put it) the fine
We express deep gratitude to Hospice art of traffic crash investigation. Leo also
Caregivers in Pensacola and Fort Walton branched out in different areas including
Beach area, as David valiantly struggled radar and laser speed detection and DUI
against cancer. Special Thank You to investigation.
David's caregivers at Emerald Coast Nursing Home. In the future, we will once again It appears that Leo and Joe dedicated their
join David at a later date. Till then farewell. careers to traffic crash and homicide investigation, which is a good thing, because I
David's favorite Psalm is Psalm 30".
enjoyed that part of my career as well. As
By the way, if you'd like to sign the guest far as I'm concerned, both were among the
book online, you can access it through best traffic homicide investigators in the
history of the MBPD.
www.legacy.com.
Leo retired in around 1996 and moved to
Orlando, then to Pennsylvania. Without
getting into specifics, he had an aggressive
form of cancer which of course led to his
Another one of our ranks has unfortunately passing. As always, I invite those who wish
succumbed to that dreaded and despica- to share Leo stories for the next newsletter
ble disease called cancer. Our thoughts that I'm just a few keystrokes away at:
go out to Leo Weber's friends and family,
sam0444@yahoo.com.
PICTURE OF THE MONTH
VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT YOUR
PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROGRAM
By Health Trust Chairman Gary Kluger
On September 1, 2013, United Healthcare is changing the pharmacy benefit
manager from Medco to OptumRx. It is
important that you read this to avoid
issues in getting your prescriptions
dispensed.
Sometime before September 1, you will
be getting new ID cards from United
healthcare. It will have the new pharmacy information on the back. After September 1, 2013, you should discard your
old cards and begin using the new ones.
After September 1, 2013, make sure your
retail pharmacy (CVS, Publix, Walmart,
Walgreens, etc) updates its system with
your new benefit information. United
healthcare has said that should the old
information be used, the pharmacy
should get a message with the new information. Hopefully, this will work but if
you make sure that your information gets
updated, then it should be hassle
free. Once your pharmacy has updated
their system, then it will become business
as usual.
Most prescriptions will be transferred by
Medco to OptumRx. We said most. If
you are taking a controlled substance/
narcotic like Oxycontin, you will need a
new prescription as these will not transfer. If this applies to you, you will get a
letter from United healthcare.
If you do your part and be proactive,
there should be no issues
MBPD RETIREE NEWS
SMISHING:
Page 6
A Serious Identity Theft Scheme
Smishing is an identity theft scheme that involves sending consumers
text messages containing a link to a fraudulent website or a phone
number in an attempt to collect personal information. This scheme is
becoming increasingly popular and consumers should know how to
determine if they are being targeted by these criminals and how to
ensure that their mobile devices are secure.
Earlier this month, the Better Business Bureau warned consumers of
smishing, which has become prevalent in the age of the smartphone.
Many mobile phone users keep their personal data, like bank account information, stored on their smartphones,
but this information can be accessed by criminals through phishing and other scams. One example of a phishing
scam is a criminal sending an alert from a bank asking the cellphone user to follow a link to verify account information, the BBB said, such as “reactivate your ATM card” by entering a PIN.
T-Mobile was also warning its customers of the scheme. Criminals could pose as T-Mobile through a text message,
scamming users to enter personal information. However, the cellphone provider said it would “never ask you to
‘confirm’ or ‘verify’ your sensitive personal information in an unsolicited SMS text message,” so users should
know immediately that any text message is a scam. Like the BBB, T-Mobile said users should not reply to such
text messages, not click on any link in them and contact the business that the criminal is posing to represent.
Take Action, Avoid Falling For the Scam
Consumers should also send these scam text messages to 7726 (SPAM) to cellphone carriers to have the number
blocked, the BBB said. If the smishing scam included the name of a bank, contact the bank to notify them of the
text.
Like phishing, short message service (SMS) text messages, or “smishing,” makes consumers think their financial
accounts may be compromised, and therefore they follow the fake URL or call a fraudulent phone number even if
they suspect it is a scam. But identifying the scam is a consumer’s first defense from becoming a victim of the
crime.
Consumers should be wary of any message that comes from “5000″ or any other number that is not a cell number, Network World reported. A message that is asking a consumer to respond quickly can be a scam, and consumers should stop and think it over before taking action. “Remember that criminals use this as a tactic to get
you to do what they want,” the article stated.
Page 7
August 2013 Issue
Joke of the Month, courtesy of "The Phantom"
A nice, calm and respectable lady went into the pharmacy, walked up to the pharmacist,
looked straight into his eyes, and said, "I would like to buy some cyanide." The pharmacist
asked, "Why in the world do you need cyanide?" The lady replied, "I need it to poison my husband."
The pharmacist's eyes got big and he explained, "Lord have mercy! I can't give you cyanide to
kill your husband, that's against the law? I'll lose my license! They'll throw both of us in jail! All
kinds of bad things will happen.. Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide!"
The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacist's wife.
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, "You didn't tell me you had a prescription."
Dean Adler
Chris Pallis
Drew Bunnell
Sonia Puckett
Rocco DeLeo
Artie Schickler
Ed Feigenblatt
Alan Seres
Billy Guillem
Pete Smolyanski
Sandy Kohan
Don Sphar Jr.
William H. Lamb
Keith Strickland
George Lerra
Marilyn Tepperberg
Gerry Mackey
Dale Twist
Paul Marcus
John Umano
Kenny Miller
Fred Wooldridge
Support our sponsors and advertisers….
Page 8
Basler’s Academy of Real Estate
1665 West 68th Street
Suite 207
Hialeah, FL 33014
(305)828-2669
Mary A. Basler, Instructor
Personal Injury - Medical Mal-Practice
Attorney Charles Appel, PLLC
45 years experience
8925 SW 148 Street
Miami, FL 33176
Office: 305.256.3002
Fax: 305.256.3004
Cell: 305.724.8128
Law Offices
LAURENCE FEINGOLD
Professional Association
Former City Attorney Miami Beach
and Current City Attorney of South Miami
Most People Don't Plan To Fail.
They Fail To Plan.
Primerica Financial Services
educates consumers about money
management. We help active or
retired law enforcement officers,
firefighters, and their families to
make well informed financial
decisions. To discuss your personal
financial goals, call today.
Michael Noriega
15327 NW 60th Ave Suite 225B
Miami Lakes, FL 33014
(954) 701-2850
Visit us online at www.Primerica.com/MikeNoriega
Miami Beach Fraternal
Order of Police
William Nichols Lodge No.8
999 Eleventh Street
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Telephone: 305.534.2775
Fax: 305.534.5901
Beeper: 305.882.7496
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION TO
ALL MBPD RETIREES
6130 Sunset Drive. South Miami, FL 33143
Tel: (305)663-6340 Fax (305)663-6348 Cell: (305)495-7887
aslanf@aol.com
Rosen Switkes & Entin P.L.
Robert L. Switkes
Attorney at Law
407 Lincoln Rd., Penthouse SE
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Telephone: 305-534-4757
Facsimile: 305-538-5504
110 SE 6 St., Ste#1970
Ft.Lauderdale, FL 33301
Telephone: 954-653-0457
Facsimile: 305-538-5504
RSwitkes@RosenandSwitkes.com
www.Rosenandswitkes.com
Joan Donnelly Ochoa
Realtor
EWM
Esslinger Woote Maxwell
Realtors
Esslinger. Wooten. Maxwell, Inc., Realtors
2000 Main Street, Weston, FL 33326-3691
Cell: 954-554-4895 Office: 954-515-0100
Fax: 954-515-0200 Direct: 954-659-1050
Ochoa.J@EWM.com www.JoanOchoaRealtor.com
Katie Maguire Novels
Katiemaguirenovels.com
Gerry Mackey, Author
Read my latest book, A Cold Logic, available through the publisher,
Lulu.com, as well as through most major booksellers (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.) You might just recognize some of the fictional
South Beach Police Officers. Don’t forget to check out my first two
books, A Necessary End and Seed of Thetis.
All books available at:
http://stores.lulu/gmackey
Contact Me:
Wordwright2010@gmail.com
Also on Facebook