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Imothep29 03/14/2012 1:52:00 AM
As a nypd officer the Miami pd is the worst corrupted weak force in the country. I hate to say this as a Latino man but when you have Latinos in power and running the pd problems are bound to come. I literally seen two cops drinking in wet Willies in uniform. That Miami beach pd are the biggest pieces of trash in the law enforcement community. And the FBI or doj or the oig just sitting there. Florida - state of scams and corruption.
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FBI to investigate MBPD 12/19/2011 5:24:00 AM
Please people wake up! File a Color of Law complaint with FBI about Miami Beach officers. Most of them are criminals and since the corrupt criminal mayor Matti Bower is back it may get even worse now. Especially if anyone was mistreated by homophobic officers Mirko Vasilievich, Rosa Olivo, and a sadist named Joseph Hart. Also, corrupt employees of Internal Affairs: Caroline Chin and Rey Aguilar, as well as their new captain Jennifer Elmore. These people brake the law religiously with coverups and fake investigations while are getting paid $100K on average salaries. Let the FBI know now at (305) 944-9101 and tell them that you need to file a Color of Law complaint about the MBPD officer(s). It worked in many cities across the country, many cops are now crying for forgiveness and their corrupt unions can not help them anymore. Contact FBI!
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09/02/2011 3:52:00 PM
I respect decent public workers and have always appreciated their efforts.. but I HATE Miami Beach police. They are the most arrogant pricks I've ever encountered in any state. They give the police force itself a BAD NAME and they are seriously OVERPAID!
The Miami Beach Police force is an embarrassment to all of the 'good' cops out there (IF they exist at all but you will never find one in MB that's for sure!) DIRTBAGS!!
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North Cyprus 11/29/2010 10:18:00 PM
me too.
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Sioux Vargas 04/19/2010 6:26:00 AM
We need to treat these criminals like they do in China: Quick trial, restitution to the victims and execution for the perpetrators. Thats the only way we will be able to clean up the department
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Richard 04/17/2010 12:22:00 AM
The solution is fewer cops. That means YOU have to protect yourself next time a big ugly guy is beating on your door, or on you. If there are enough cops to get to your door within three minutes of a home invasion, then there are enough cops to turn against YOU when they have nothing better to do. When their budgets are tight, they start giving tickets for 26 mph in a 25 zone. They start tasering confused old ladies who won't sign the ticket. They shoot and kill a crazy old lady because they aren't brave enough to take a broomstick away from her. They beat down a college student for making faces at a police horse. Then there are the lawsuits the city has to pay for cops with anger management issues. Let's see how few cops we really need.
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j r 04/16/2010 11:24:00 PM
I laugh every time I see on the news about some cop getting it. When those four got it in Oakland and then four in Seattle I laughed for days. Cops are just thugs in uniforms.
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Jeff 04/16/2010 5:01:00 PM
Good for them!
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Celso Magalhaes 04/15/2010 11:02:00 PM
Dear sir- I was stopped by a police officer at 5AM when I was driving to work. I live at the 1300th block of Miami Gardens drive. He stopped me at 8th Ave. He stated that I was driving 63 miles per hours in a road at is 30MPH. I know that Officer REGINALD JOSEPH MYRTH was not telling the truth. Reading your article in the New times, I was very upset. I felt that The policer office did create a false case to earn more money. I am very aware of the amount of over time they earned. But I did not know how big is this issue. When I went to court to dispute this case, I pleaded not guilt, but my attorney did not showed up. I was assessed $488.00 plus 4 points in my DL. I contact my attorney to request a motion. which was granted to April 22nd. at 2PM at 1351 NW 12 street Court House. I would like to know Officer Myrth 2009 earnings. Moreover, What can I do to even support my case. I know this is a rip off and I need to prepare myself. Celsomag@gmail.com ( case # 1289FVE)
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Patrick A. 04/14/2010 11:19:00 PM
Every time I hear one of these filthy PIGS get killed,I rejoice,the majority of them are Criminals in uniform.
Those that sits there and look away are just as bad.
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Jose 04/11/2010 7:53:00 PM
The police standards in Miami are incredibly low . I have been over-seas and find this even lower.
Much of the low standards here have to do with a state attorney general who seem's to be asleep when it comes to political corruption and political corruption equals "some" unethical police and city officials.
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roy 04/07/2010 11:49:00 PM
in 1991, while working as a valet parking attendant, i was roughed up by a mbpd a-hole, because i made a u turn in wrong street. He threw me unto the floor,handcuffed me and abused me in front of all passerbys. as an ex green beret, i was tempted for a long time to do him in, but wasnt worth the cost of the round. luckily my ar15 wasnt nearby.
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Jose 04/07/2010 11:28:00 AM
Miami has one horrible problem which is no real checks and balances which is why the standards are the lowest I have ever seen .
Some of the most self serving and/or corrupt local politicians,city officials I have ever experienced and I lived over seas in Asia and Panama. Granted not all here are like that but plenty and than add close to useless Miami senators/congress .
Mix in a state attorney general who seems to think that his job is to igmore it all and you have Miami.
I truly can't think of a single politician,city official ,police chief,etc who shouldnt be fired and I am not one of those tea party extremist but the standards here are deplorable .
I lived in Panama and found it better run greater ethics as far as politicians went than Miami.
The police in Panama who carry machine guns were actually very nice non "Macho" Cuban cowboys like so many in Miami think they are (ESP Hialeah) and I say this as a Cuban.
I guess the solution is fire them all in Miami and hire the Panama city officials,police . Again all kidding aside not all here are deplorable but like Eric Cartmen would say "Hella many"
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Jim 04/07/2010 5:24:00 AM
I feel like such an underachiever. But what can you do ? The community makes the base pay scales un-liveable here
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Luis Duarte 04/03/2010 9:30:00 PM
I don't think is about money, the city Manager and the Commissioners aproved it, they are in charge to manage our tax money. On another subjet I have the sense that is a lot of police officer that are out there to make the money one way or another. In there trainning, where we expended a great part of the budget and equipment, they fail to teach to reconnice the most important part that they there to be part of our community, to be friendly and courture. In that I blame the chief of the department that has the responsibilty to see that they become one of ours.
It has been said that some of the officer are ask by their commander to go and raise revenue by ticketing drivers. Special now that is a crunch in the City Budget. Do they KNOW how much it hurts those unnecesay fines?
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Joan 04/03/2010 12:11:00 AM
When cops get killed in the line of duty why does the tri-state area shut down. It is very simple. What a great way to honor a fallen pig than not work for 8+ hours. The memory of that pig will live on forever as cops did not work for an entire day. Police work is based on how little productivity gets accomplished during a single day whereas in real professions that mantra is completely the opposite. See Miami Beach cops when they are supposed to be protecting the citizens are fraternizing with drunkin sluts outside clubs at 3am or beating down the innocent. The FOP are assholes too for condoning cops who are criminals themselves. All you morons that defend cops especially Miami Beach pigs are idiots, and you probably listen to Gloria-hole Estefan music.
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Julio 04/02/2010 11:34:00 PM
When a cop gets killed in the line of duty why does the entire tri-county area completely shut down? The answer is very simple. Cops do not do anything productive during their shifts or for that matter their entire career. This holds true for Miami Beach “Officers” who have plenty of time to pick up drunk sluts outside clubs at 3:00 am or to harass the innocent. What a better way to pay homage to a fallen pig than not working for 8+ hours and still get paid. In turn, the poor pig’s memory will live on due to the stoppage of work while actual crimes are being committed. If you defend the Miami Beach Police Department you are a fucking idiot, and you probably listen to Gloria-hole Este-notafan music.
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To Protect and Gouge 04/02/2010 8:31:00 PM
WTF! 60-100K in OVERTIME? With the unemployment rate and our troops returning to a jobless situation, these MEATHEADS are bilking the taxpayers and the "elected" oficials are letting them get away with it. We don't have enough teachers or books in our schools, yet these Neanderthals make $200K? Please tally up the lawyers fees that taxpayers spent defending the lawsuits of police brutality.
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ANONYMOUS 04/01/2010 10:51:00 PM
Cops in this area are absolute SCUM. They love to arrest people and have ZERO interest in the pursuit of justice. They are quite content to collect their fat-cat salaries and abuse others around them. The collection of "protection" money from local business owners is absolutely despicable. These officers should be intensely investigated by IA and the crooked cops need to go to jail for a long time. Having a gun doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want - a long time 'freedom' that these cops seem to think they have.
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CG 04/01/2010 10:49:00 PM
Thank you for having the bravery to write this article. There are many of us who live on the beach, and feel threatened versus protected by the local police. I would write my story as others did, but I still live here and I am scared of being harassed.
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Carly 04/01/2010 10:00:00 PM
I live in the South of Fifth neighborhood. It has been more than one occasion that I see these same overworked police sleeping or reading in their car.
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SandInMyShorts 04/01/2010 6:23:00 AM
Who is overseeing the payroll for these douchebags? The undercovers are so dumb that one pulled me over in a Caddy. When I told him he needed to sign the ticket, he realized that he'd be blowin his cover for a traffic stop because I gave him the finger. Beach cops are no better than the scum they claim they have to deal with daily. Most of them are too fat and lazy to pass the physical exams anyway.
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Joe Greco 03/31/2010 11:31:00 PM
Let me get this right.... Police Officers get to pick their salaries... Oh.. ok.. So does every job get to pick their salaries??? Or is just the Police. Seems to me, the city should get a pair of BALLS.. Who else gets to say.. I get to pick my salary. ACCORDING TO THIS EQUATION EVERY STORE CLERK SHOULD BE A MAKING $300,000 A YEAR OR MORE...After all, they have people pull guns on them.. AND they do not have guns of their own to defend themselves..... Now with that problem solved... Lets Move on.
Overtime. Funny subject.. with Police it tends to be politics. So I think I should get a turn. I do have an Uncle who is a County legislator, another Uncle who was county Sheriff, a cousin who was District Attorney... and a cousin who is a Congressman. Does ANYONE THINK.. BEING AROUND POLITICS THAT much.. I have not helped out with an answer or 2 over the years....??
Why this is a firestorm is absurd.... Do like the rest of the Country. Cops days in Court ARE SCHEDULED. Using that 1 day a week... as leeway towards if they must appear in court... And they are scheduled to work that day/shift. So, that they are already on the clock, but if need to be in COURT, they are still on the clock...BEHOLD NO Over-Time. Now that problem is solved... Let's move on.
For my last point. TO ALL the people who think police should make all this money....I hear your point, but I ask you, how often do YOU pick your salaries??? I know I rarely have. When I apply for a job, they tell me what pay they are offering, possibly some negotiation... BUT when all is said and done,I decide if that job is worth it to me. I HAVE NEVER had a job and said... WELL I work on Christmas!!! I need more money for the rest of the YEAR!!!
Do you people realize what you sound like???? And PEOPLE have sided with the Police.. about how tough there jobs are. AND the "FEW BAD APPLES" theory. AND I use that term loosely. For the sake of argument, I shall confine this to Miami ( but I have seen it happen in SEVERAL USA cities from one end to the other. That is Cops falsifying everything from statements to loosing Affidavits..
Not denying, there may be other places MORE corrupt than Miami. It was Miami, where I was almost beaten to death. Just about passed out from 2 Officers beating me on the back of the skull. MY BIGGEST CONTENTION: There were 4 more Officers there... standing there while they did beat on me while I was handcuffed. Then IA covering the who affair up. Loosing ALL evidence... and my IA report. In fact, closing it out, without ever performing an investigation. Later reopened to have them say ALL THE WITNESSES HAVE DIED OR REFUSE TO Corroborate their statements.
I understand the few bad apples thing.. but the other Officers stood there.. literally turning their backs EVERY time I was struck. It took me 3 years to recover from that. One last bit. Before SOME MORON tells me.. well call a crack head next time... SEE what they do for you. HERE is my reply. I have never been struck by a druggie or thief in my life.. but I was almost beaten to death by POLICE OFFICERS... SO guess what.. Can say with certainty, that ANY choice would have been better than the COPS!!!
nd with the closing thought... I can appreciate.. and even respect citizens opinions in this matter...BUT are our LAW ENFORCEMENT Officers.. and Politicians supposed to be held to higher standards???Or are we protecting these cops.. the same way we protected our soldiers in Vietnam and Korea.. that broke into natives houses.. killed the men , raped the women... and then went on their way....???
Joe M
gumbyftlaud@yahoo.com
If anyone might like to see the info I have DOCUMENTED...
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CONCERNED 03/31/2010 12:16:00 AM
I asked the question, why not the City managers salary, and the mayors salary to be included in your story. I have found 112 cities around the country with similar tax basis. The police officers do not make what Miami Beach officers do, not even close. However i also found out that they do not have the influx of visitors that the beach gets. Does the city itself make any administration dollars when its officers take these off-duty jobs?If so i think you have just answered our question. The city officials are not going to do anything about the police making extra money for working, if they are getting money for doing nothing.I did find out by the way what the city manager makes a year , he is the highest paid city manager in the country!
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concerned 03/30/2010 10:09:00 PM
Did the city give you permission to print the salaries of all employees, or just the police. Im curious to know what the mayor, and the city manager make.Please find out for us tax payers. Maybe they dont do much about the police salaries because they dont want their salaries exposed.Im on board, but dont just pick at the police officers, we want to know what the city government makes to.
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former tourist 03/30/2010 9:55:00 PM
I was introduced to this cesspool of corruption, hate, and sadism in May of 2009. It was the last day of my vacation when these three Miami Beach Police officers went nuts on me just for walking from my car to the beach. The worst thing about my case is that they went crazy when I told them I was gay... They started saying that they know what I am doing there and they wanted to know who I wanted to have sex with... They started saying: "there are no females here, what are you doing here?" ...I was like, is this a prank?! So I told them that I was gay. Then they started spinning me around, pointing tazers in my face, and humiliating me every way they could. The male officers told the female officer to put her hands in my underpants and told me not to look at what she was doing... They were so hyper and sarcastic it was sick... It lasted forever!!! When I asked where does it say that I can not walk here, they pointed at a sign and said:" haha, can't you see it says no sex with animals, hahaha" By that point I thought they were going to kill me and stopped talking. Then they threw me in the car, where i almost suffocated, while they were standing outside and laughing and calling me a “victim”... then they repositioned the cars so it was blocking mine and told me " to get the F*** out of here" and never come back". They were standing there laughing while I tried to back out without scratching their cars.
Later I found out that they changed me with an ordinance that doesn't exist at that location... after $500 of fees the charge was dropped, but these sadists are still working for the Miami Beach Police Department, some of them even making comments on here, have facebook accounts, they live and breed in our society like parasites knowing that they can get away with anything while they are getting paid with our tax dollars.
The internal affairs are not helping obviously and only made it worse by threatening and intimidating me. When I flu back to Miami Beach to finally find out what the hell happened to me, they started pressuring me not to file a complaint. For 2 days in a row I was told that I will regret it, and that it will not work in my favor, etc. They even had a nerve to tell me that they can do whatever they want, that they can arrest my friend waiting for me in the parking lot for no reason, and that they have more rights than the president!
What happened to me is not a gay issue, this can happen to anyone. People have a right to walk on the street or a park if there are no signs that prohibit access. People should not be harassed by the police just because they look gay... They charged me with an ordinance that prohibits beach access between 12m and 5am, that is posted 10 blocks away. They didn’t target other male-famale couples walking by, just me. Nowhere in that ordinance it says that single guys are prohibited to be on the beach…
Even though the charges get dropped, I still had to pay lots of fees, so the City of Miami Beach can continue its war against people who look gay.
I don't understand where are the mayor and the rest of the city leaders? It looks like these corrupted thugs from MBPD are running the whole town down there...
When I tried to reach the city manager, my letter went right back to the police department. WTF is going on down there?!
…and why the hell the city’s website says welcome to the city of 25/7 if their beach is closed to the public?????
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Alex Ramirez 03/30/2010 9:45:00 PM
Miami Beach police officers corrupt? really? This is as much news as Ricky Martin confirming that he is gay. And the Mayor of Miami Beach is a gem. You can really count on her to keep the city running. She discriminates against "different" nationalities herself. To her, if you are not Cuban... It's OK to discriminate against you. I went to the Food and Wine Festival and almost got arrested for yelling at a friend not to go the bathroom because there was no toilet paper. Really? Is that what you will write in your police report? That I was warning a friend not to go into the bathroom? These officers need to be taught some ethics, morals and manners. Start by the higher ups and work your way down to the street beat cops. You cannot blame the police officers for acting the same way their supervisors do.
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Aldo 03/30/2010 9:34:00 PM
I'm glad that a serious publication at last takes stand on police abuse as you did in your last edition, Im a taxi driver mainly on the city of Miami Beach.it would be worth to say that in multiple ocassions i have been stopped and given citations for no reasons at all.On december 28 an officer arrested me and gave two charges that are false, now I face a trial, I have never veen trated the way I was that day and that changed my perception of the laww enforcement officers. Thank you for your concern.
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wouldnt you like to know 03/30/2010 4:27:00 AM
WoW Beachvice are you a cop gangster now? threating miamibeachexposed.com like that infront of all of us? thats not a good thing to do there Mr Officer. If I was to report you and your supervisor for acting out on this comment box you have no right to threaten anyone... is that what you do to people you arrest???? well i have some bad news for you..... be aware of your sorroundings and this goes to every police officer that thinks been lazy on the job or beating up people for fun.... is what they sign up for....big brother is always watching... and I'm one of them. Video dosnt lie. and once the media puts a face out on tv or the internet for you or any other officer been corrupt there goes your easy laid back high salary police job buddy... I'll be seen you doing low pay labor work. Punk.
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Vivian 03/30/2010 1:34:00 AM
The MBPD is sure NOT what it used to be. I find that most, (not all) of the officers are young and cocky, with an attitude that says "i wear the badge, look out." I remember the cops on the beach being totally different years ago. I must also agree that the beach has changed tremendously and the crowd we have now is younger and more problematic, which when you deal with it on a day to day basis becomes a pain in the ass...and I am glad I am not a cop on the beach!!! I dont agree with a lot of people getting killed either but I hate the ACLU and their attorneys because it is because of them that we are the way we are today. More rights to idiots committing crimes and finding excuses, and they are always running to the ACLU for help.
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Victor 03/30/2010 12:37:00 AM
I am not here to write about what Police Officers do to others. All I know is what they have done to me. I lived in South Beach for a year now and I never had a problem with any of the locals or tourists that come down to visit. As a Service Member I take pride in what I do and present myself at all times. Unfortunately one night while I was walking home a Police Officer approached me and got in my face asking me questions. He was yelling in my face asking all types of questions and cursing at me. Now I am not worried about anyone getting in my face and being disrespectful towards me. I have been in the Army for 13 years active and have been deployed once for 12 months and another for 15 months. I have heard it all and have items thrown at me and my Platoon. But When I am here in the U.S I don't think I or anyone else should have a Police Officer get in your face and disrespect you for no reason at all. I told the Officer to calm down. That made him even more upset. As I turned away to walk he called me back and asked me to put my hands behind my back. I asked him if he was arresting me he said yes. I asked him what for he said because he did not like the way I looked at him. As he was writing me up all his fellow Officer were having a good time laughing. All I could think about was the sacrifice I have given to this beautiful country and here I am being humiliated by professional Officers who are hired to protect the people. As I was in jail I also wonder how many people have suffered the same faith as me. I also read the police report and it was full of lies. My charge was resisting without violence.
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Dirk Smith 03/29/2010 7:01:00 PM
In add'n. to these high salaries lets figure the cost of these cops each having a car to drive to&from work every day at our expense...some Miami Beach officers coming from as far as Loxahatchee.Could you imagine the cost savings if the cops drove their personal cars to &from work? 50% less cars,tolls&gasoline!!Its claimed citizens like to see patrol cars in their neighborhood..that kinda money buys me a lot of 357 shells
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malcom 03/29/2010 10:29:00 AM
Fact: Cops are less likely to commit a crime, than Clergy. So the next time you want to feel safe, go to the lobby of the Police station. The only thing the church will protect you from is heterosexual sex.
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For U 03/29/2010 4:44:00 AM
To be honest, Miami Beach Officers should have refused all that shit...overtime and off-duty because I see yall residents over there are some ungrateful idiots. Again, these officers are out there to protect the residents and keep the Beach a safe and nice area. It does not matter what the hell they get paid...ALL OFFICERS IS WORTH THE PAY, Well all good officers.
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MiamiBeachExposed.com 03/29/2010 12:35:00 AM
Calling people "idiots' does not help you make your case.
As far as research is concerned:NBC says "South Beach cops are essentially using the Super Bowl as leverage to get more money, a move that could financially cripple the city's tax payers."
Are you trying to pretend that refusing to overtime hours during the busiest year in Miami Beach is in the resident's best interest? What exactly is your point?
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MiamiBeachExposed.com 03/28/2010 9:43:00 PM
Let's add one important detail to this story. While the cops seem to be having NO PROBLEM raking in the overtime money that private businesses pay them, they REFUSED to work overtime for the CITIZENS in that one week this year when it really mattered: the Super Bowl week. That's right, they just did not show up to work overtime for this important event as the union voted against. It is important for us citizens to understand what the priority of our police force is. It on making money and abusing citizens, and not to protect and serve. A disgrace.
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/South-beach-Cops-Boycotting-Super-Bowl-82825987.html
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al karajo 03/28/2010 7:03:00 PM
Prize Winning Journalism Piece. Great investigating reporting.
Now to our Mayor Matti,
I voted for you. You said you did not know of corruption on your police department. For now I will give you the benefit of the doubt.
However, we need action right away:
-Investigate to last consequences
-Suspend Police Commissioner
-Fire crooks - cops or not
-End multi-employment (at least in Miami Beach)
-Hire private security agencies for private matters (increasing employment at the same time)
Again, to the journalist, congratulations.
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BocaMD 03/28/2010 6:09:00 PM
Pigs being pigs nothing new in this article.
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Steve 03/28/2010 4:25:00 PM
I absolutely love these posts that defend these stupid fucks that wear a badge and carry a gun, they are pieces of garbage that couldn't do anything better with their life then become a stupid cop, because they don't have the brain cells to make smart decisions. Like one post said...they graduate high school, and they are a bunch of thugs, but hey..if you want to be a stupid pig..here's a gun and badge..let lose on the citizens and make shit up that doesn't exist, that's the american fucken way.....Time to move to a real town outside of little cuba..!!!
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mr doughnutt 03/28/2010 8:34:00 AM
Cops are Corrupted.... theres nothing to hide.... we all have experienced a cop with a dick in his mouth... and all we could is shut up cause we always get threaten with "if you open your mouth again you going to jail" the justice system is a MOB... the officer beats u up and arrest you, then comes the lawyer asks for thousands of dollars before he or she takes ur case and then they all work a deal with the stupid judge. Its a bu$ine$$. I also have to remind the people in here since cops dont watch the news, cause thats what they teach them in the academy to hate the news media... guess you all havent been informed on the FBI stings on city officers lately been caught for abusing their power and badge... for example the 2 city of miami police veterans busted for escorting a drug van using their city marked vehicles... they corrupt... your given a badge right after high school with the power to mess up anyones lifes. Maybe FDLE should wake up and look into a couple of issues other than the corruption part... like officers abusing their certification to due side contract work... protecting the Mafia like Rothstein the lawyer was arrested for skamming people... that right there is not right... and he was paying the cops that protected him big money. Sad very sad. Its time for a change or soon thell be a civil war.
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Tim 03/28/2010 4:42:00 AM
Who cares!!!!As long as the job is getting done.Kudos guy's rake it in!This is the home of the fuckin free!!!!Or used to be.....
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malcom 03/28/2010 4:39:00 AM
To all the idiots bitching about the pay. You do not seem to understand how these things work. This article was written in a manner that did not address the differences between overtime, and off duty work. An Off duty job, is one where you are paid by a private company/individual to provide location specific services. Overtime can be any work that is forced or required by the employer. It is OFF DUTY pay, or the private sector, that is paying these officers these high sums. And if they get hurt, or their shifts are changed, they may go from $150k a year, back to their $50-60k base.
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wouldnt you like to know 03/28/2010 4:25:00 AM
Citizen.... How about the officers that have been busted in the past for soliciting hookers in uniform driving their patrol car? who gives a fuck if the newtimes is placing ads of stripclubs? I as a reader love it. Plus this is about corrupted crooked cops not about what ads newtimes places in their paper.... Get a life and stop hanging on this PIGS balls.
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More Fearful of Police Than Cr 03/28/2010 4:22:00 AM
Thank you New Times for finally addressing this important issue despite the politically sensitive nature of the subject!
I have personally witnessed the arrogance, abuse, disrespect and violence that is perpetrated and condoned by MBPD, including mid level officers who should have the experience and maturity to know better. The gravest crime, even beyond the theft from public coffers through wildly inflated salary, is the false and trumped up arrests and perjured arrest forms and subsequent court testimony, which leave lasting distrust, sense of violation and resentment.
To all those making baseless attacks against the article and NT in general, please disclose any and all relationships you may have with MBPD.
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Citizen 03/28/2010 1:40:00 AM
Crappy and not accurate article from a crappy paper that is full of ads from prostitutes and all the scum that's in this county. Just check out backpage.
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Wouldnt you like to know 03/27/2010 6:15:00 PM
BREAKING NEWS: MIAMI BEACH POLICE IS OUT IN FULL FORCE THROWING AWAY AND SHREDDING ALL THE NEWTIMES NEWSPAPERS IN THE CITY.... THEY HIDING THE REAL EVIDENCE THATS BROUGHT AGAISNT THEM!!!! THEY HIDING THE REAL TRUTH FROM ITS RESIDENTS!!!! COWARDS!!!!
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Venetian Isles 03/27/2010 5:54:00 PM
Finally, the real story comes. Enough of the six figure salaries, Police Union thug tactics, fire the crooked cops and stop having the law-abiding taxpayers pay for the lawsuits due to cops criminal activilty.
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Steve 03/27/2010 4:59:00 PM
This article is great that New Times published regarding the harrasment that not only the Miami Beach residents need to deal with, but tourists and the residents of Dade County. Not only is the MBPD Officers a piece of trash, all Officers in Dade County think they are above the law and can talk down to people, berate them, beat them up without any punishment from the courts or from their own employer. What really got me is that all the investigations that were taken place in the IA Bureau of the MBPD, all had the same conclusion, no disciplinary actions were given to any of the officers that were mentioned in this article that committed various crimes against the citizens or tourists. No wonder that Tourists don't want to visit Miami Beach, they don't want to get bashed in the head. Giving a pig a take home car doesn't require them to speed on the turnpike cutting off cars and running red lights when it's very obvious to the rest of the cars sitting at the light, waiting for it to change. What ever happened to the pig that threw away the beer bottles from the drunk driver that crashed into the bird road toll plaza? We have some great officers here, nobody respects you!!
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luigi 03/27/2010 11:55:00 AM
Wuh Happenn!!!
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Giovanna Darco 03/27/2010 9:18:00 AM
Fortunately there are men and women who actually want to go out and protect the public from the most unsavory of characters and we all know South Beach has the worst of the worst of such characters and in quantity. Pay should be a "non-issue" however it might be prudent for Police Deparatment brass to revisit the issue of "vetting" applicants for the job and save themselves lots of future troubles. It's no secret however that the pool of candidates is extremely shallow in Miami-Dade County in that having even a minor criminal record is the norm. Then when one considers the negative financial situation of many applicants, the pool is further depleted.
Let's cut police a break which doesn't mean to infer that the "bad apples" should be given a free pass, but aren't there much bigger fish to fry like the banks, drug companies and insurance companies that put our country into a downward spiral mimicking the Great Depression?
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Jack 03/26/2010 11:45:00 AM
Ya'll need to stop picking on the Miami Times, It's a darn good paper to find lying on the floor in the bathroom and you've run outta toilet paper.
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Timmy 03/26/2010 9:50:00 AM
No one likes when corruption, theft and greed are associated with a Government Agency nor any other private sector, organization or business for that matter, but this article is pure sensationalism and really lacks merit. Policing in an urban area which attracts people from around the world, nearly year round with hundreds if not thousands of parties, clubs, special events along with all the good and bad that comes with it is a task to be had and it comes with a price, both financially and stress wise for the Officers. Sure some make a good amount of money (which really is relative) but they have to deal with and put up with a lot of garbage and really they do miss out on the schedule most regular people like me have. I've seen fights break out in front of me in south beach and coconut grove for that matter and the Police did a great job at stopping both situations, granted the Taser seems to be a great help still it's something I rather not do. Humans are the most unpredictable creatures on earth and I'd hate to put up with some that are violent, crazy, drunk, are all of the above on a regular basis. 225K to deal with all the crazy crap sounds like a good base pay, no many people would risk their safety on a daily basis for a $32K base salary, well maybe just maybe in this economy they would, but as soon as things stabilized they would jump ship. And to say well that's what they signed up for is umm, pardon the pun but that is a bit of a Cop out. Crime is a social problem with many causes and not purely the responsibility of the Police to deal with. Like the saying goes, it takes a village. It's unfair to criticize an entire organization, or an entire profession over the actions of a certain few. I'm grateful for the work Miami Beach Officers do and I'm glad they are around when I visit. By the way, I clicked on the WMC Calender for events going on this week in South Florida and a great majority will occur in Miami Beach and guess who will be working these details while I party late into the night, the Miami Beach Police. Thanks for the work you guys do.
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Miami Beach Citizen 03/26/2010 8:47:00 AM
It is so obvious that this is a personal attack on the Miami Beach Police Department. Either the Miami New Times or City of Miami Beach Government has a personal vendetta against all these Officers. Who cares how much money those officers make? It is very apparent that they work long hours for their pay. If the Miami New Times wants to write an article about police corruption then do so, and be fair and include all departments in South Florida. If the overtime hours are their for the taking everyone who has commented on this article would gladly work them and expect to get paid for working them. I live north of 41st street and don't even go down to the South Beach area anymore. It is a cesspool. The city has totally let that place go down the toilet. All I saw were police cars going here.. police cars going there.. .police officers breaking up fights.. police officers stoping cars who were stoping for what looked like prostitutes on the sidewalk. This article even mentioned names of Officers who make over $100,000 a year who never have been into any trouble. If I was that Officer I'd be pretty upset about having my name printed anywhere. What the City of Miami Beach really needs is new leadership and a new outlook on where to steer its future. Memorial Day weekend is coming soon... how many of you honest working good citizens want to be in South Beach that weekend? I thought so.
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MiamiBeachExposed.com 03/26/2010 8:20:00 AM
Citizens of Miami Beach are fed up. We don't want to be forced to pay taxes to fund a police force that does not respect residents and abuses the system. We don't want our taxes to increase to pay for the pension fund of policemen who are overpaid and arrogant.
The city is celebrating it's 95th birthday party tomorrow. The mayor, city manager, and commissioners will be present. Let's crash this little party and let them know that residents are watching them. Politicians must understand that it's us who elect them, they are nothing without our vote. It does not matter how powerful and intimidating (as illustrated on this board) the union is. It's the residents who pay the bill. And we refuse to do so if they service is bad and the price tag is too high.
Where: City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive Miami Beach, 3 Floor
When: 11:30am
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Set your hatred aside 03/26/2010 6:32:00 AM
I know I am coming late to the party, but I yet to see a blog here from an officer in which they are complaining about the money they are getting. It seems to me the issue is the cut backs which has caused people who care about what they do to work an insane amount of hours, which anyone on this blog would expect to get paid if they worked more hours than they are supposed to. Even if you worked at Macys; 70 hours of work gets 70 hours of pay. I think we all should agree that if man power and personnel is cut, someone still has to patrol the area. Macys can stillf unction without two clerks. But a call for service cant be ignored. It's simple math the officer that was paid 99,000 in overtime is roughly two officers at the starting pay position. You cant not cut back positions and not expect consequences in Public Safety when there are mandates as to how many people must be in an area. The issue in this article, which pretty much seems one sided is not curtesy; no one has the right to talked down to or treated wrongly, most Officers feel that way. unfortunately one bad apple does spoil the lot, but dont classify a Department by the actions of a few...For the record I not a cop nor do I care to be but I do see allot of them at Court House where I spend countless of hours.......Set you hatred aside and read between the lines of this article, which is wrong, just plaine wrong. Sorry New Times I really used to find your articles tasteful now you are bordering on tasteless.
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Frank 03/26/2010 4:49:00 AM
Miami Beach police should be capped at $32,000. The city police force stinks. If anything the high salaries attract criminals to the job position. The city is a complete joke when it comes to crime. Many of these officers don't even live in the city and mock the residents.
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GablesIsland 03/26/2010 4:21:00 AM
Nordstroms does it :I have read so many comments about how much cops sacrifice - Here is the deal , you should not be able to moonlight, nor make overtime. That way you won't have to sacrifice, do you ever read blogs about Nordstroms or MAcy's employees complaing about missing holidays? Fine. Not only that, by why dont you guiys have to get ongoing REAL ethics courses or advanced degrees? Who else with a BA in criminal justice gets a pension?
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GablesIsland 03/26/2010 3:57:00 AM
Lori, you show your "intelligence" and class by caling me an "idiot" - this isn't about me or you, it'sabout people who are paid too much to do a job that gives a great amount of discretion to people who may or may not have the innate judgement to use it. Standards need to be much, much higher in hiring and keeping cops. They should have profesionnal development and basic educational requirements. Thanks for showing by your remarks what kind of person you are-please don't have kids and if you do i bet their idiots.
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Whine&Cheese 03/26/2010 2:13:00 AM
This is one thing that I don't understand about cops: Why whine about how you have to leave your family, work during holidays, fearful of getting shot, blah blah blah...
Hey, you knew that job had risks yet you still applied, you knew you'd have to work long hours, yet you still applied, you knew you'd have to work during holidays when other did not work, yet you applied. You knew you'd get shot, yet you applied.
It's no-ones fault but your own for applying for a job that would require you to work on days when others did not have to. It's your fault that you applied for a job that might be you shot.
It's your fault, so don't try to guilt trip the community.
Don't cry for me Argentina when you were the one at fault.
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MBER 03/26/2010 1:28:00 AM
Let's get something straight: police work is an extremely hard, very dangerous job, and many of those performing it are very underapreciated. Most are honest, good officers that deserve our thanks and appreciation daily.
That being said, this article seems well placed with researched facts, and there are those that take advantage and those that believe they are above the law, in any profession.
I would like to remind every police officer, regardless of pay, this country is built on "innocent until proven guilty" and everyone should be treated with that respect. That should also be applied to every officer as well, and we as citizens should treat them as innocent until proven guilty.
Just like Doctors that should be made to go through the invasive procedures and tests they prescribe for patients, police officers should be reminded of how they treat people they arrest, so that they can, like the doctors, handle people with the proper respect those people are due.
I think we ALL need to earn our respect, and we ALL need to forgo fraternaty when the few taint the good. Hold your fellow worker to the highest standard, and if they cannot uphold it, they should choose another profession. If that fellow worker exceeds the highest standard, then they should be conpensated for it, above and beyond others. That applies to ANY profession.
Anyone who works in a stiuation where people's lives hang in the balance need to be held to the highest of standards. Human beings are failable, and we need to be reminded that we need to adhear to the same rules as everyone else or society will fall apart.
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why 03/26/2010 12:49:00 AM
wow you dont even know Chorens , reason this reporter writes this bs is to try to get somewhere in reportin bs all over the counties . you lyin reporters should go home cut your selves , get some pussy and get a life . and if your gon report about someone at least get your facts straight ass clown . watch karma will get you , like when your family needs the MBPD or any other PD , oh wait you dont need em cus there corrupt right ? ok have a nice day ass clown
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Wouldnt you like to know 03/25/2010 10:01:00 PM
David very well said. To the Miami Dade detective: If I steal something at my job I get fired on the spot without a $18,000+ payout... Maybe they should stop that payout crap and maybe when a cop gets caught been corrupted he or she should get fired too. Nunya... theres a million cops, yes your right about that but theres 30 million regular citizens, so beat that. Miamibeachexposed.com let me know when you guys are taking this to city hall maybe a resident of Miami like myself will like to go show some support. Beachvice: do they teach you that in the academy? to treat people by calling them idiots? or is ur daddy a cop and your here dreaming to be like him someday? Oh wait I forgot YES!!! thats how most officers treat people anyways. Just look at "COPGIRL" calling us Idiots cause we have the right for our opinion.... she must think shes living in a communist country where we regular people need to shut up and have this rats with badges run our lifes. Okkkkk. Who was the officer crying he gets shot at? hey let me tell you something, our brave men and women in the military are in war right now getting shot at every day and they not banking $300,000 a year. So dont even say you diserve that pay cause you go through drama everyday. The most you guys do as cops is 90% paperwork 5% action and the other 5% is eat doughnuts.
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David Marchant 03/25/2010 9:44:00 PM
Re. "We are gonna have bad apples in every profession."
Yes, but in every profession I can think of, you get fired for theft and committing fraud. You don't get suspended for 30 days.
The fact that Officer Tubby's job involves arresting others for theft and fraud makes the lack of meaningful action in this matter all the more repugnant.
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Wouldnt you like to know 03/25/2010 9:10:00 PM
OK... now its my turn to type :) Havent you noticed that the ones defending their profession and calling this article wrong are the cops? Yeah ofcourse they going to sit there and defend their own, thats all their good for, to steal money from us taxpayers and to sit on their asses and get fat. Listen to me coppers.. I can write a book about all the times I have called in 911 for officers to show up to robberies, assaults, and drunk drivers in progress and cops only show up when the robber has left, the drunk driver has crashed and the woman getting assaulted is left bleeding. You cops are lazy, I know many of them so called friends that work for Miami beach, City of Miami, Miami Dade that tell me straight out stories on how they go drunk to work, how they hide on calls, how they get a call about an assault or robbery and they take their sweet time to show up, oh yeah and the stories on how cool they think they are when they cheat on their wifes or husbands. So going back to the big money payout, you guys dont diserve making more money than a Lawyer, Doctor or Pilot... cause Lawyers, Doctors and Pilots go to school.... you cops dont, you get hired straight out of highs chool and think you own the streets. I have met many other cops that are assholes in the mouth and sometimes I hold myself back, but honestly I feel like slapping them in the mouth at times... didnt your parents teache you manners? I pay your damn check! Yes most officers work hard... and they respect their profession but others dont and It is time every city in Florida takes this to City Hall, maybe nothing will be done since many police officers are good friends with people that work in city hall... so in the end nothing will be changed. It happened here in the City of Miami last year, Fire fighthers and Cops banking over $100,000 a year and what happened? they stopped talking about it and to Mr officer Beach Vice, you dont have time to see ur kids, ur wife, and you cry that you work too much... but then again your here commenting on this article???? How is that possible? dont tell me your sitting in ur patrol car, in your computer on city time, typing your stupid opinion. I dont care what you or any other officer has to say here, cause in the end you all look out for each other... you guys are the biggest gang known to man kind. So to finish my opnion, NEWTIMES.... good job. Keep up the good work. When this officers retire and look back at how corrupted, sad, and liars they were in their careers.... their hearts will feel guilty and they wont be so proud of themselves after all.
Thats why I got respect for people that actually work hard and sweat for their money, and dont tell me you guys work hard... cause specially in Miami Beach... I always see you officers standing around and talking about how many chicks you banged the past weekend. And for City of Miami maybe instead of drinking cafe con leche at the carreta you guys can actually be working the streets patrolling the neighborhoods thats what you guys get paid for. Oh yeah and I forgot... LAWYERS are corrupted as well, but atleast they defend us in court when a cop wants to get smart in the mouth :)
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MB 03/25/2010 9:08:00 PM
I don't believe Miami Beach cops are overpaid. How many events, clubs, bar, etc that they have going over here. You can't compare Miami Beach area with other cities in Miami-Dade, Broward or the whole state of Florida. If they are getting OT is because of all of these reasons or not having enough cops employed. As to the off-duty work they do, is they company that contracts pay for it.
Maybe all the complainers should try being a cop for a month and see if they like it. No holidays with families, always have to watch your back, dealing with drunk tourists and residents, prostitutes, crack heads, robbers, etc.
Instead of complaining put yourself in their shoes first and STOP HATING.
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Nunya 03/25/2010 8:34:00 PM
Hey miamibeachexposed, You are probably the 10 percent of the residents that have been arrested for being a idiot or not knowing when to shut up obviously. There are more of you than us. Doubt it...you forgot that the Police Dept is a fraternal org. with Millions! You bad mouth us until you call us crying that someone robbed you or stole your car. Then will see how much you need us then! You need to move to the Redlands and voice your opinions where no one can hear you. Now im sure your going to write back how im sure that I miss treat people on the street and lie, steal and beat. Sorry this isnt hollywood cowboy. Now pick up your New Times and brain wash yourself somemore!
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retired cop 03/25/2010 8:33:00 PM
I'm a retired Metro Dade Detective. I put in 30 years of midnights, missing Christmas dinners and special dates with my family because of work. Had to leave my family while manning a shelter in south Dade when nasty Andrew hit and not knowing if my family was alive the next morning. Those are just a few things that we cops go thru and don't even think about it. I don't condone corruption or abuse, it gives a bad name for the rest of the honest hard working officers that put their lives on the line daily. We are gonna have bad apples in every profession.
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Pyst 03/25/2010 8:11:00 PM
What is wrong with you people? These guys are making a lot of money, so what? They work insane amounts of hours in a thankless job to rack up those dollars. I'm glad they are doing it legally and not having to resort to being on the take to get by.
I'm pretty sure CVS paid for those security services and that all of those types of off duty jobs a paid for by those companies, not by the city.
Why the smear campaign against Sgt. Berrian? I've met him on several occasions and he is an awesome police officer who really loves this community.
Shame on you New Times.
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tanner gonzales 03/25/2010 5:13:00 PM
i completely agree with these girls .people are witing things that arent even true and it could be devistating just to be talked about wrongly in the publics eye.good thing no one likes these stupid articles .
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nena 03/25/2010 5:08:00 PM
re:to david marchant
first get a life then talk about who ever the you do know cause it looks like u dont know chorens at all so please keep ur uninteligent comments to yourself .first gets facts then speak ur mind that is if u have one .
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lATINAgirl 03/25/2010 4:52:00 PM
I BELIEVE WHO EVER WROTE ABOUT THESE COPS IS JUST PLAIN OUT UNINTELECTUAL CAUSE THEY ARE WRITING ABOUT A POLICE MAN THATS AWSOME AND A HARD WORKING MAN. WHY NOT WRITE ABOUT THE GOOD THINGS HE HAS DONE!! AND NOT ABOUT SOMETHING THAT ISNT EVEN TRUE ....MIAMI BEACH POLICE RULE !!!!!!!!!
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David Marchant 03/25/2010 4:45:00 PM
Re. "The reason why Officer Chorens was exonerated of the Theft charge is none of the many surveillance cameras at the store NEVER showed him taking anything out side. Mr. Marchant".
Give me a break! Given the totality of the evidence described in the article, are you telling me the police are so incompetent that they could not make a credible case for theft. After all, $5,000 did actually go missing.
And Manuel Chorens is not even fired as a cop, just suspended for 30 days for "falsifying his hours". I spit on the floor in contempt.
This dishonest thief and fraudster is back in uniform wandering the local streets (carrying a gun, no less) to prey on the public, rather than protect them. What a frightening thought.
The only good news is that, according to the article, Officer Donut is so overweight that, if you decided to run away, he probably would not be able to catch you, if you were fit. You'd just have to hope he was a lousy shot with his firearm.
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BeachVice 03/25/2010 9:09:00 AM
MiamiBeachExposed you are an idiot. Nowhere did anyone write here that cops on the beach dodge bullets on a daily basis. Don't misquote me and mislead everyone here. Go back and read. I wrote that I have been shot at, and if you want to know the number of times I've been shot at it's two. Two more than you have for sure. And if you wish, come out and protest city hall when are contract negotiations are going on. It's a free country. At least for now it is.
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Small Government 03/25/2010 9:06:00 AM
Ok guys... The facts are there... There is no need to debate much about it. Ofcourse the cops will try to justify their over paid jobs and the taxpayer will complain about paying the bill...
I think the focus should be on what can we do to stop this abuse. Hey, today we are looking at the cops overpayment but what about the fire fighter, other city employees etc.
We must get organized and go to the public meetings and union negotiation etc. We should demand our 'elected officials' to represent us and not the bigger power.
By the way, what a disappointment of a Major we have. She is either a liar or incompetent for the job. She is given a report with the police salaries and she claims she didn't know they were overpaid? Ah... Maybe the meaning of overpaid is different for her since anyways they are all in a different league than ours.
We, I could go on and on but basically the idea is to get together and go to the city meetings and demand for changes and better than that actually go and vote on election date so we can get this people out of power.
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MiamiBeachExposed.com 03/25/2010 8:52:00 AM
Tim, could you please add these details to your research?
1. What are the requirements to become and stay a cop? From my understanding, you go to Miami Dade College to get a degree and once you are hired, there are no follow-up tests requiring physical fitness of any kind.
2. The cops on this message board claim that they "dodge bullets" daily. How many times in history has a Miami Beach cop actually been shot?
I will be posting the union negotiation times at city hall on here. I hope people will come out to protest.
3. Please pr
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MiamiBeachExposed.com 03/25/2010 8:33:00 AM
Excellent article.
The police and firefighter union are bankrupting the city of Miami Beach, they are abusing their authority, and mistreating residents and visitors alike.
We must get organized to pressure the city officials to put an end to the abuse of taxpayers. Let's attend the contract negotiations and protest!
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Fl Officer 03/25/2010 7:21:00 AM
I wish people would speak what they know especially Edward. Anastasi was paid out accrued sick and vacation time which was earned. Do I agree that he needed to go hell yes, he tarnished the rest of our good names, am I nopt surprised he ended up the way he did. MBPD and similar departments pay into their pention which the city matches. Our sick time is accruable to a point and we do get it paid, also please note that is a something offered to ALL city employeees not juts the cops. Which is what ticks me off about Tim Elfrinks article he makes it seems the cops get all this, when these are city offered programs not just the cops; its a one sided smear campaign. But heres a little news flash, all city employees contriubuted to the pension fund. While the fund was doing economically good, the city in thier infinate wisdom decided not to contribute thier portion because the fund was so fat. The employees didnt get that option, now that there is a short fall because of their lack of contirbution they expect the workers to make it up. Also there is a cap on the amount of overtime that counts towards your pention. Here's another little bit of inforamtoin during recent contract negations the officers offererd to take no raises for the three year contract and give up some holiday pay in order to make up the cities short fall which wasnt good enough for them. So before you blame all of us, whom you dont know make sure you know what you are talking about.
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PissOff 03/25/2010 6:32:00 AM
Edward: First of all, Miami Beach officers pay for their pension themselves. It does not come from taxpayers sweetie. Also accured sick time and vacation time should be paid out even if they got fired, its their money, they earned it. It against the law to hold an officer their money...point blank.
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Edward 03/25/2010 6:21:00 AM
First this should dispel everyone's Idea that cops and government employees are not as well paid as people in the private sector.
Also, the 200 officers who are make over six figures will have a very large pension for the rest of their life at tax payers expense and since most union contracts throw in the overtime and other city related payroll and only calculate the average of the last couple of work years prior to retirement into the pension calculation, a lot of these guys with the support of fellow offices put in a lot of overtime and such as they get closer to retirement age so that they can boost their pension. For example if a cop retires at 45 after 20 years on the job and is averaging say $150K the last couple of years and he gets 50% of his pay as a pension. That guy is getting $75,000 a year for the rest of his life. The legacy costs, i.e. retiree pension and healthcare, are the reason why GM and Chrysler went Bankrupt.
Lastly, only the government allows you to accrue sick days year after year. What was it $23,000 the retired cop who got arrested for kidnapping the Russian by the FBI got as a sick pay payout.
This sort of stuff can and has bankrupt cities. Taxpayers are idiots that we continue to allow this to continue.
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PissOFF 03/25/2010 5:59:00 AM
Miami Lawyer: What in the hell you are talking about? Prosecutors and public defenders are crooks. They get paid under the table to get some of these assholes back in the streets. They are not the ones in the streets risking their lives to save others. And yall fail to realize officers base pay is about 45,000 a year..so if they make more than that its due to overtime, off-duty, and court appearances. Now if you work for a city that is short on officers, a tourist area, clubs and shops, and don't forget million dollar homes...yea they will need to do overtime to satisfy their taxpaying residents.
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Singles holidays 03/25/2010 5:57:00 AM
If you like the idea of Singles holidays but worry you’ll get bored, go somewhere that combines brilliant weather with culture. The trick is discovering the perfect location that offers holidaymakers not only great weather and beaches, but also has a historical edge.
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The Straw Buyer 03/25/2010 4:11:00 AM
Great work Tim but you can't have a discussion of bad cops in miami without a shout out to Detective Jorge Baluja of the MDPD...
http://thestrawbuyer.blogspot.com/2009/12/lets-say-hello-to-lead-detective-in.html
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Miami Lawyer 03/25/2010 4:03:00 AM
Great article! In the criminal justice system, Miami Beach has a reputation among the judges and lawyers for having the least credible, most aggressive and arrogant officers. Every group of people who have power must also have checks to their power. As far as the wages go...until we are paying our prosecutors and public defenders more than $42,000 starting (and no, there is no overtime), we really need to rethink how well we pay our police officers. Especially the ones racking up lawsuits and internal affairs complaints.
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Juan Sanchez 03/25/2010 3:32:00 AM
DaQueso, I never claimed to be a grammer specialist nor do I care to be, I am blessed with wonderful a co worker who proof reads most of my writings and lets hear for spell check. I never complained about Mr. Elfrink's gramme capalities I complained about the one sided story adn blantant lies. But I am glad you are here to focus on what really matters....
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Concerned MB Resident 03/25/2010 3:27:00 AM
Well I knew Mayor Bower had problems with her language skills, with being armstronged and making a spectacle of herself not knowing what the "k" stands for after a number in reagrds to money and who cant forget the wonderful blunder on the Spanish talk show where she claimed that her compaign promises were a lie to get elected, but come on at least keep tabs on your lies "I certainly didn't realize our police officers were making so much money," Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower says. "Most people are in a state of mind right now where they [will probably] think those kinds of salaries are just out of control." What did you do with City Manager Jorge Gozalez's Letter to the Commission "LTC" #070-2010 addressed to your and the Commisioners in which upon being requested to do so by you and the Commisioners after many conversations at different meetings a list of the top 50 highest paid officers was given to you. Your supposed to read those. But since you not sure who is making what in the city lets go a little closer to home. You City Manager is making over $300000 a year, so is your City Attorney, your Assistant City Manager is making over $200,000 a year so are many of the employees with the word Engineer attached to the title. BTW (that means "by the way") since these are salried posistion they get no over time so thats straight pay and that is listed on your website as starting salaries since all of them have been long time employees their salaries and benifits put them much higher than that. So lets stop pick on the people who are working over 60 hours a week covering and keeping the city safe, what are they supposed to do leave the residents to fend for themselves everythime you gve out a pecial permit. Cleaning up should usually start with your own home, whats the saying people who live er work in glass houses......
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Tim 03/25/2010 2:01:00 AM
I'm jumping briefly into the fray because this point has come up a couple times.
Even if you accept IA's finding that Officer Chorens didn't steal anything off the shelves -- despite video evidence and CVS's own internal investigation to the contrary -- he still stole thousands in payroll from the store by regularly falsifying his hours. As the story says, IA found him guilty of that charge, and he was suspended 30 days as a result.
That makes him a crook.
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complete crap 03/25/2010 1:44:00 AM
This article and paper is complete trash. Always have been and always will be. I am not a policeman, I am an attorney and in complete shock that the editors of this papper would allow this to make it to print. You call officers "crooks." that charge was an alligation he was not convicted of that. Thats poor reporting, just plain poor reporting.
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Shawn 03/25/2010 1:42:00 AM
How the hell can a citizen complain about an officer making money. Don't you think they should make more money since they are the ones out there trying to make the city safe and secure. There is not alot of people in the right state of mind to go out there and do the job of a law enforcement officer. i do understand there are some bad cops out there but dont judge all of them. The bad cops should be punish. I think Miami Beach does a GREAT JOB in maintaining the safety of their citizens and visitors.
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03/25/2010 1:21:00 AM
Note that "Juan Sanchez" is the MBPD spokesqueen. I think he shouldn't be saying anything about writing skill at the MNT, surely not based on his writing skills on his post here.
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Florida Officer 03/25/2010 1:12:00 AM
First of all Casius if dont like what you percieve happens here go back to your country. But to educate you so you wont be quick to judge and be as ignorate as you are. The jobs at locations such as CVS are under cover jobs in plain clothes where you try to catch people stealing. The only way to blend in is by putting stuff in bags, carts, and or baskets to give the allure that you are shopping. The reason why Officer Chorens was exonerated of the Theft charge is none of the many surveillance cameras at the store NEVER showed him taking anything out side.
Mr. Marchant MBPD has 4 shifts already, 3 of which over lap two hours, where we are forced to work a detail mandated by the lovely officials in City Hall and create numbers to make them happy and if we dont have anything to show for those two hours then we are chastized for not prodicing stats. Its just we cannot keep up with influx of people coming in to a city with all the sepcial events that are prmitted . Again I not complaining about the money or the work, I am thankful to have a job in this day It just upsets me that we are busting our butts to keep this city safe, understaff and undermanned and then we are citicised for earning overtime to fill positions we must have filled. What did our amazing City Hall think was going to happen when in one quick swoop we lost close to 100 postions. Oh sorry I missed that magical mystical tour bus in which the criminals signed a waiver that they were going to leave the beach once our staff was cut.
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Cassius 03/24/2010 11:56:00 PM
If they fired the bad cops and had PROPER IA investigations, the compensation would be a non-issue. Since we compensate (very well) what appears to be police force rife with corruption...you have to take it. If you are a good cop making good money...kudos...it's incumbent upon you to out the cops that are ruining your name.
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BeachVice 03/24/2010 8:42:00 PM
Hey GOODLORD, first of all I never CRIED about anything. I was responding to an article written by the miami new times. An article that is attacking every police officer working for Miami Beach. I make good money but I WORK hard for it and sacrifice a lot more than you. If you think you work as hard or more than me and don't get paid enough then change jobs or ask for a raise. Don't give me that crap of us crying because we are not crying about a damn thing. We are simply clarifying that the money we are making is hard earned money. I doubt very much that you sacrifice as much as we do to earn yours. Ever dodged bullets flying at you? Ever had one of your kids come to your bedside and say "dad I haven't seen you in five days". Missed your sons or daughters baseball or softball tournament because it was held memorial day weekend and you were forced to work that weekend? So screw you GOODLORD! The only crying being done here has been done by the Miami New Times.
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David Marchant 03/24/2010 8:27:00 PM
Re. "Though internal investigators found video footage of Chorens stuffing bags and taking them home, they exonerated him of theft charges."
This indicates to me that even the "internal investigators" are corrupt. I am from the UK. I moved to Miami Beach 14 years ago and quickly formed the impression that the local police are 1. physically unfit; 2. poorly trained; and 3. are as likely to commit a crime as they are to prevent one.
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Benny Tocamela 03/24/2010 8:22:00 PM
It's obvious that author, Tim Elfrink, is nothing more than a glorified blogger and a media stooge for this corrupt and ignorant Mayor and City Commission. A mayor and Commision who go on trips to Europe and "weekend retreats" to five star hotels on the tax payer's dime. A Mayor and Commission that break their arms patting themselves on the back for how well they spend money on Captal Improvement Projects yet they can't fund necessary services to their citizens. What good is that multi-millon dollar renovation of South Pointe Park when the resident or tourist gets kidnapped, robbed and raped because the manager. Mayor and Commission is cutting costs for the last ten years by paying overtime instaed of hiring more cops? If the cops are so over paid, then who's fault is it...the mayor and city manager for failing to rein in the salaries or hire additional employees to alleviate the overtime costs. This article is an obvious smear campaign to try to win over public support for the City over the Police Officers in an ongoing contract dispute. I can't wait to see what happens next time one of your communist, left-wing, koo-koo, New Times hacks get pulled over DUI after clubbing in SOBE. Karma is a bitch.
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David 03/24/2010 7:49:00 PM
You say: "The force is understaffed by a few dozen cops, they say, which leads to at least six weeks of forced overtime annually for most officers."
The solution to this may be to slpit the force into teams, those that work the usual hours, and another that starts their day later in the day or week (i.e. noon to 8 p.m., or 4 p.m. to Midnight, and works into the evenings, early mornings and weekends-- on regular pay, not overtime pay. This would eliminate the need for "forced overtime"-- which simply plays into the hands of those who want the money, and those who in the position to dole out the lucrative "overtime" slots. The City of Miami Beach could save a great deal of money, and the people that are here to enjoy the City will be better protected.
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anon 03/24/2010 6:37:00 PM
"Miami Beach cops are paid up to $225K"
That is THEFT of our tax money!!! People should be outraged.
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Biscayne Park 03/24/2010 4:07:00 PM
Really another story about MBPD, I dont know maybe try a story on Hiati, The economy, the Health Reform, Global Warming, even Jersey Shore coming to Miami. Getting really sick of the same ole, same ole. BY the way btw Good Lord, Beach Vice doesnt seem to be whining about what he does, it seems he works hard, puts in allot of hours, and is disgusted that the New Times faults him for getting paid for the time he puts in.....I guess maybe the New Times feels like these guys shouldwork for free, better yet how about if the Beach stops bringing in all the special events and gives their PD enough staff to work with then overtime would not be required, but then of course the business owners (clubs, bars, hotels, restaurants) would complain and the new times wouldnt have anything to write about
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Good Lord 03/24/2010 12:01:00 PM
Yo BeachVice: In general, I'm with you. But, man, you should tone down the self pity. I sacrifice at least all that you have mentioned for less than $100,000 a year. A lot less. Yes, my life is on the line dealing with scary people and dangerous situations. No, there's no pension nor health insurance nor any benefits whatsoever included in my compensation. I drive my own car for work, one that I pray will continue running. You moan at your 60 hours a week? You whine you have no time with your family? I work 60 hours a week easy. What I make can't support even a wife, much less a family. There's no retirement package waiting for me, officer. And I'm pretty much a star at the challenging, public and honorable profession to which I've dedicated my life, a job in a field which I needed to earn a Master's degree just to enter. Suck it up, crybaby. Lots of people have it tough. You seem EXTREMELY well paid. So much so, you'd best just be quiet.
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WILLIAM W, WATSON 03/24/2010 11:42:00 AM
I agree with Mayor Bower, we all have to give up something and she has my full support. so I've decided to give up masturbating for a month.
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M 03/24/2010 8:29:00 AM
I would not be surprised that the claims Officer Rabih El-Jourdi made against Sgt. Steven Feldman are true. This is an individual that can be a true racist jack ass and the Miami Beach Police Department should re-open up the case and do more deep internal investigation against Sgt. Feldman.
