Your assessment is dead-on.
I remember well the time when I was working SWAT for a relatively large city in the mid-west. We were doing joint raids with the FBI, DEA, and ATF. It was the culmination of almost a years work at the Task Force.
We received word that one of our own had just been arrested for passing information about our operations to a local dealer. When he was brought into the detective bureau, our team watched in disbelief. For the “dirty cop” the Feds brought in was one of the most respected street sergeants on our department. He had survived riots, shootings, and had been involved in several high profile investigations.
He had also sold out our entire team repeatedly to various local dealers. Every time we would do a high risk entry or search warrant, he had already called tHe perp and they knew we were coming.
It was the lowest day of my career.
I would never have thought he would sell us out, but he did. Corruption can surface in places you’d never expect. But what bothers me is the action of the deputies as portrayed in the article. If, as reported, the deputies did detain, question, and belittle this young man, then there is a deeper cancer affecting Broward County and it’s SO.
The tone is set at the top. If this is business as usual, then Gov. Scott has to remove Sheriff Israel now. I’d like to know what the justification for pulling this kid out of class and interrogating him was. If this was a political hatchet job, there are some serious problems in the department.
“The tone is set at the top. If this is business as usual, then Gov. Scott has to remove Sheriff Israel now. I’d like to know what the justification for pulling this kid out of class and interrogating him was. If this was a political hatchet job, there are some serious problems in the department.”
I believe the rank and file have a moral obligation to speak out about this incident. If they remain silent, then they become their accomplices. Do you agree with that?