When Seconds Count, Miami-Dade Police Are,...Well..

[twyacht]

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Miami-Dade-Police-Officers-Caught-on-Camera-Allegedly-Ignoring-Emergency-Calls-189754261.html

VIDEOS AT LINK

Miami-Dade Police Officers Caught on Camera Allegedly Ignoring Emergency Calls
By Myriam Masihy
  Tuesday, Feb 5, 2013  |  Updated 8:33 AM EST

 Miami-Dade Police said it is not commenting on the investigation.

Five police officers and one sergeant with the Kendall squad were allegedly caught on camera ignoring emergency dispatch calls. The video, obtained by NBC 6 South Florida, shows incidents like one on Oct. 5, 2010 where Officer Dario Socarras apparently ignored a residential burglary call and chose to meet a woman at the Dadeland Mall parking lot. The video shows the officer hugging and kissing the woman in what the police investigation calls a public display of affection.

That is classified as departmental misconduct or conduct unbecoming of an officer, according to police.

Kendall Cops Suspended, Investigated

A little later that day, Officer Socarras, Officer Jose Huerta and their Sergeant Jennifer Gonzalez were videotaped drinking coffee at a Casa Larios when an emergency call came in with an alert about an unconscious 5-month-old, police said in investigation records obtained by NBC 6.

Socarras was dispatched to the scene and despite being with his sergeant, he continued drinking his coffee. Nine minutes later he was cleared from the call, according to police.

Moments later the dispatcher asked Socarras to check out a signal 37, or a suspicious vehicle. He said in a radio transmission that he was en route, but investigators said it took him 25 minutes to respond.

At the end of the investigation Sgt. Gonzalez and officers Dario Socarras, Jose Huerta, Ivan Tomas, Fabian Owens and Jeffrey Price all received a relief of duty memorandum dated Dec. 28, 2010.

Officer Socarras, who was also accused of doctoring reports to reflect that he had responded to the calls, wrote a memo to his lieutenant saying that at no time did he intentionally violate departmental rules or regulations.

Socarras, Huerta and Gonzalez have been fired by the Miami-Dade Police Department, according to the internal affairs report. Several more officers have been disciplined and some are expected to appeal their punishment.

The Dade County Police Benevolent Association said it is waiting for the disciplinary process to conclude before it comments, and Miami-Dade Police said it is not commenting on the investigation.

Miami-Dade resident Jeff Bretzer said he is upset that some officers are not upholding their duty to protect and serve.

"If I have a reason to call the police and they're not that responsive or if they weren't in a timely fashion, it just wouldn't be much use," he said.

But Bretzer said he is pleased the Miami-Dade Police Department looked into officers' responsiveness.

"You want to think that they are going to be doing something to correct the problem that is going on," he said.

*****

Really? 

[bulldog75]

I have seen this from other agencies around me. Since I am a supervisor now, if I caught one of my officers doing this he would be terminated quickly. Our average response time is one minute unless we are at the county jail with a prisoner. Then the county will respond and secure the scene until we can clear the jail and get to the scene. The bad thing about that is that the county guys are that there are two on the road at a time. So they may be 45 minutes away. If that happens then they call one of us that is off duty and we can usually respond in about 10 minutes from home.  We take this seriously because we are watched by citizens and politicians all the time and it is in our evaluations. Our evaluations determine whether we get pay raises too.

[Timothy]

I have seen this from other agencies around me. Since I am a supervisor now, if I caught one of my officers doing this he would be terminated quickly. Our average response time is one minute unless we are at the county jail with a prisoner. Then the county will respond and secure the scene until we can clear the jail and get to the scene. The bad thing about that is that the county guys are that there are two on the road at a time. So they may be 45 minutes away. If that happens then they call one of us that is off duty and we can usually respond in about 10 minutes from home.  We take this seriously because we are watched by citizens and politicians all the time and it is in our evaluations. Our evaluations determine whether we get pay raises too.

Bulldog,

This is what puts you above and beyond the average COP.  We do our share of bashing of the PD around here but I for one appreciate you and your dedication to the citizenry you serve.

Exemplary service in anything is rare!  Thanks for what you do for the people of your district!

Timothy

[tombogan03884]

Cops like Bulldog are the result of a selective hiring program based on getting good cops.
The cops in the article are the result of a long standing Miami Dade practice of hiring to get a proper ethnic mix.
There have been cases in Miami and NY both where applicants got waivers for felony convictions and prison terms if they were the right race.