By Steven J. Smith
Boca Raton police will have an extra $200,000 for training and equipment, thanks to the new Boca Raton Police Foundation launched in late February.
Former Boca Raton Deputy Mayor Peter Baronoff and his wife, Carmel, hosted the launch party for the nonprofit organization at their home.
Among those in attendance were Marc Bell, chairman of the foundation, Boca Raton Police Chief Dan Alexander, Mayor Susan Haynie, Councilmen Robert Weinroth and Scott Singer and about 100 donors and supporters.
“Two years ago, Chief Alexander and I sat down and instead of saying what can the police force do for us, I asked what we could do for them,” Bell said. “In a time when payroll and benefits are taking up a big part of the Police Department’s budget, we asked what they need. They need training. They need equipment. They need things they just don’t have the money for now.”
Bell said the foundation’s goal is to build an endowment that will support the Police Department “in perpetuity.”
Alexander said he would like to see the foundation accomplish something consistent with the Police Department’s overall vision — finding the finest people to provide the best police service.
“In order to go to the next level, we need to do more than what is traditional,” Alexander said. “There are a number of different goals we are trying to achieve: better training, better equipment, a fund for our retired police dogs, community engagement.
“But there are also intangibles, such as building this type of support in the community. And we’re excited about that.”
Alexander said the money would go toward protective vests, training bomb squads and building a Strategic Weapons and Tactics force, among other things.
“The foundation gives you that agility,” Alexander said. “It gives you flexibility you wouldn’t have within the confines of a traditional budget process.”
He said the department’s annual budget is about $40 million, a large portion of which goes to personnel costs such as salaries and insurance.
“The money for discretionary items like training and specialized equipment has diminished over time,” he said. “So the foundation will help fill that gap. This is not unique to Boca. There is a New York foundation, an L.A. foundation. The town of Palm Beach has a foundation. It’s fairly common throughout the country.”
Alexander hoped the Boca Raton Police Foundation would find more individuals and corporations to join in the effort to help sustain it.
“Part of what I hope happens out of this is that it raises awareness about public safety and about the Police Department and the things we’re trying to accomplish,” he said. “Ultimately it’s all about partnerships. As the foundation expands and grows, hopefully we’ll have community events and draw people in. We want to engage the community and be effective as a police department.”
Baronoff was pleased with the inaugural event and expressed great hope that the foundation would use it as a springboard for additional events, perhaps several per year.
“Carmel and I wanted to make this a special night,” he said. “It’s an opportunity not only for us to say thanks to our Police Department and all it does. We also want them to know we hear them and want to help.”
Baronoff said events like this one offer an opportunity for the public to meet members of the police force and get to know them as “regular people.”
“They just want to do their jobs, protecting the citizens and their way of life,” he said.
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