A new era began Monday for the embattled Wildwood Police Department with the swearing in of permanent Police Chief Randy Parmer.
The beginning of Parmer’s tenure as chief is just one of the major changes in the department after an electrical fire last October severely damaged police headquarters and led to the departure of the former chief and two command officers.
More than 20 department employees, most in uniform, attended Monday’s commission meeting where Parmer was sworn in by Mayor Ed Wolf.
A 31-year employee of the Jacksonville Police Department, Parmer admitted he has “bounced around” in a few jobs since retiring from that department in 2013. When he came into Wildwood, Parmer said he knew immediately that the chief’s job was for him.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you and having a good working relationship,” he told the officers and other employees in attendance. “We’re going to exceed expectations and set our own standard of excellence.”
Since leaving Jacksonville, Parmer worked 10 months as a captain with the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, 13 months as police chief in Taos, N.M., a year as safety and security manager at the Fleet Landing retirement community in Jacksonville and two years with the Duval County School Police Force.
He was recommended by a search committee headed by City Manager Jason McHugh. Parmer will earn $80,000 a year plus benefits.
Major changes already have been made in the department even before Parmer took the helm.
Commissioners on Monday approved an agreement for the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office to take over emergency dispatching permanently. Wildwood did its own police dispatching before the fire, but the county has been handling it temporarily since then.
McHugh said 911 dispatching by Sumter County will increase services for residents, enhance police officer safety and save taxpayer dollars.
“It’ll bring us in line with the rest of the municipalities,” he said.
The city’s human resources department will assist six affected employees in finding jobs within the department or elsewhere.
Commissioners also endorsed an agreement to seek accreditation for the police department by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation. The department must meet certain standards to achieve the status.
An enacted personnel resolution also will affect the department. It allows managers to award stipends for additional work and changes rules from progressive discipline to corrective action.
Paul Sireci, who served as interim chief since Jan. 1, will depart at the end of the month for another temporary job in south Florida.
During his tenure, Sireci told commissioners, he reorganized the department, established a formal training program including hiring a coordinator and improved communication.
“My vision of your community is it’s the land of opportunity,” he said. “It’s a great place to live, a great place to work and a great place to start a business.”
Sireci also praised the employees.
“You have an outstanding group of people in this police department,” he told commissioners.
The department eventually will move into a $7-million police headquarters on the southwest corner of U.S. 301 and County Road 462 West. Construction is expected to begin soon.
Paul Valentino, who served as Wildwood police chief for about a year and a half, left at the end of December and two other command officers, Deputy Chief Gerald Olbek and Capt. Ashley Rogers, also resigned.
Their departures came after clashing with the city manager and expressing concerns about mold and asbestos exposure after the fire at the department’s 52-year-old headquarters on Huey Street. After the fire, officers moved into a temporary trailer on the station site.