First, police problems, then hire Boynton chief

Apparently, Boynton Beach City Manager Kurt Bressner didn't think Police Chief Marshall Gage would be part of the solution for the department. Given the chief's reaction to recent problems, Mr. Bressner was correct last week to ask for and receive his resignation.

In addition to chronic staff vacancies, incidents over the past several months suggested lax management. First was the disclosure that nearly 100 uniformed department employees had been taking vacation without recording it. An audit determined that Boynton Beach could have wasted almost $90,000, since the employees would have been paid for the time they were gone. One sergeant was fired, and two officers resigned. The abuse, especially the breadth of it, was bad enough. Worse, it became public not because of department controls but because of a tip.

Then last month came the revelation that an employee had been stealing money from the evidence room. Investigators say it happened over three years and amounted to about $60,000. The theft, which turned up when detectives needed evidence that wasn't there, affected more than 100 cases.

Though Chief Gage responded when he became aware of the problems, he and city leaders clearly differed on what those problems revealed. Mayor Jerry Taylor wanted Mr. Bressner to hire an outside consultant to review the workings of the police department. The mayor made a similar recommendation last year. "If we had done that," he said, "we might not have had these problems, or at least we might have discovered them earlier." Chief Gage seemed to think that these had been isolated incidents. "As long we keep hiring humans," he said, "we're going to have problems."

That wasn't the chief's only mistake. He had indicated that he wanted to retire but had given no date. Then early last week, he announced that he might stay for another two years. Or maybe one. That amounted to putting his own interests ahead of the city's.

Chief Gage's departure doesn't diminish the need for an outside review, and that study should take place before the city hires a replacement. Mayor Taylor notes that such a review usually determines one of three things: "Management is screwed up, things are all right but could be better, or there's no need to do anything." It will be shocking if the report doesn't come with some recommendations, and it will be better for Boynton Beach that a new chief is responsible for making the changes.