Posted on 10/24/2021 9:02:37 AM PDT by Mr.Unique
In a police department with a history of brutality, Captain Javier Ortiz holds a special distinction as Miami’s least-fireable man with a badge, a gun and a staggering history of citizen complaints for beatings, false arrests and bullying.
Over his 17 years on the job — including eight as the union president of the Fraternal Order of Police in South Florida — 49 people have complained about him to Internal Affairs as he amassed 19 official use-of-force incidents, $600,000 in lawsuit settlements and a book’s worth of terrible headlines related to his record and his racially inflammatory social media posts, many of which attacked alleged victims of police violence.
Yet Ortiz has repeatedly beaten back attempts to discipline him. He returned to work in March from a yearlong paid suspension during which state and federal investigators examined whether he “engaged in a pattern of abuse and bias against minorities, particularly African Americans … [and] has been known for cyber-stalking and doxing civilians who question his authority or file complaints against him.” The investigation was launched after three Miami police sergeants accused him of abusing his position and said the department had repeatedly botched investigations into him.
But investigators concluded their hands were tied because 13 of the 19 use-of-force complaints were beyond the five-year statute of limitations, and the others lacked enough hard evidence beyond the assertions of the alleged victims. The findings underscored a truism in many urban police departments: The most troublesome cops are so insulated by protective union contracts and laws passed by politicians who are eager to advertise their law-and-order bona fides that removing them is nearly impossible — even when their own colleagues are witnesses against them.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Yep, Chauvan was a big union guy at Mpls PD. When the tides turned, he got burned by his own petard.
Seeing an awful lot of bootlicking in here. This is the problem I have with some conservatives. They defend the police no matter what. All you have to do is search the internet and find hundreds of videos taken by citizens to prove police abuse of power. The most common one is the abuse of the 4th Amendment, when cops demand your ID when you are not obligated to give it to them because they are “curious”. They will bully and use all of their “power” to try to make you give it up. If you speak with them they do all they can to hem you up. They are revenue collectors for the state, nothing more as the slogan of “to protect and serve” no longer even applies.
I have seen it and have been on the receiving end myself more than once. I was a passenger in a traffic stop. Cop tried to get me to provide my driver’s license. He threatened to arrest me if I did not produce it. I had to get my lawyer on the phone to basically threaten him with a lawsuit PERSONALLY to make him back off. Many of these cops do not know the law they are supposed to enforce. They operate off of ego and many times they try to enforce the feelings of whomever called them.
I do not want to hear, “They deal with terrible people all day”. That is even less of an excuse to be a power hungry ass to an otherwise law abiding citizen. They need to respect those who are on their side but they do not. The best way to eliminate the bad cops is to eliminate qualified immunity. Have the cops do what other professionals have to do. Carry their own insurance bond. This will eliminate bad cops from hanging around, union or not because they will not be able to be insured.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/loveland-officers-charged-rough-arrest-73-year-woman/story?id=77785631
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/austin-hopp-officer-laughing-injuring-karen-garner-dementia/
This incident is not rare or an “outlier”
Yes, because when they investigate themselves the results can be trusted. s/
It starts with the idea of there being two typed of people in the world, cops and "civilians". Cops are friends and "civilians" are all potential enemies. This is a bad mind set for police to get into.
Compare it to the military view point that there are our soldier, civilians and enemy soldiers. Enemy soldiers are legitimate targets, civilians are not. Even if they are not our civilians.
Then comes the idea that "your job is to get home safe". Once again compare it to the military mindset when your job is to do your job. Even if it means dying in place.
And the final problem is the idea that you must protect your fellow officer even if he is in the wrong.
This these three concepts turns good people in to the kind that will turn a blind eye to abuse, weak people into abusers and bad people into people who get away with it.
We are just a wide spot in the road but we do have a steady stream of traffic going through because we are on a county road and, in the fall, a steady steam of hunters.
Our elected sheriff was the drive behind getting vest cams for his people and publicly stated it was BECAUSE he had confidence in his officers that he wanted them.
His trust has not been misplaced.
That may be if it weren’t for the fact from the article:
“The investigation was launched after three Miami police sergeants accused him of abusing his position”
It wasn’t just the public but 3 Police Sergeants.
Does anybody know if Mohamed Noor’s partner talked after the saracen murdered Justine Damond?
Reality. If you can’t see what is going on in schools and gvernment, and also believe cops control your wallet and make laws (the next sentence you conveniently took out) then I can’t help you.
Steady there, I’m agreeing with you.
I don’t see anyone on here shilling for dirty cops, but a lot like you hating the good and the bad. I had actually typed a long response but the radical libertarians and kook sovereign citizens are just not worth the effort. As the emperor would say embrace your hate.
The local PD is talking about going to body cams. Right now updating 20-30 year old radio equipment is their priority for which they just received a state grant. They just got a grant to put laptops in their cruisers which helps on traffic stops immensely in knowing quickly who they might be dealing with. They still are looking for ways to get the body cams. The actual equipment isn’t that expensive, the software, annual licensing and then the biggest expense they are hitting is the long term storage of the video/audio the price tag is killing them.
I see the defending of cops when complaints are put in about them. Then the cops investigate themselves and poof! No wrongdoing!! Bogus citizen complaint. I did not state anything about hating cops in general or good cops, you said that. And you use “sovereign citizen” as an insult when we ALL should be such. As far as I can see though, the only ones who seem to think they are above the law are the cops who do not follow it. Ahh, hate...the liberal buzzword to use on someone when they have zero facts to back up their position. And you think I am not worth a response? lol
BTW, you cannot be too radical when defending liberty...no such thing. Your entire post was a personal attack on me. Not one reference to anything factual. Not very “right-thinking” if you ask me.
Keep believing that. Run afoul one, not the Law just the cop, and you will learn right quick who has the Power and who doesn’t.
thanks i didn’t see that part- but i did say i wasnt’ sure about this fella- but was just saying most cops get accused dozens of times for abuse when they don’t abuse perps-
Yes, good point- cameras serve dual purposes- keep the cops honest (which 99+% of them are anyways), and keep the public they encounter honest as well-
I detest dirty cops and want them gone asap, they make good cops jobs harder but I refuse to stereotype and trash an entire group because of the actions of a few. My analysis of you was spot on, sovereign citizen kook and your still not worthy of a response.
Miami and its surrounds produce a poor cadre to select from to place officers.
The beauty of Governor DeSantis' $5000 bonus is the ability to pull experienced officers from states who insist on The Mandate.
No mention of the City Of Miami Beach P.D.? Before I'd left the Miami area, ONE City Of Miami Beach P.D. detective became well-known for "murdering" drug dealers.
When Governor Bob Graham appointed Janet Reno as the region's State Attorney, law enforcement might as well have had Joe Biden's "brilliance" at the helm.
You are an idiot- and not worthy of that response. All personal attacks, not one rational thought. I am done mentally jousting with someone who is clearly unarmed. Wow
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