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Anti Federalist
10-26-2012, 06:08 PM
Three Medley cops ordered fired for traffic accident cover-up

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/21/v-fullstory/3058912/three-medley-cops-ordered-fired.html

One night last fall, Leovigildo Bravo Fraga was driving to work when a Medley police car, turning left at an intersection, crashed into his mini-van.

The result: Fraga, 49, was accused of failing to yield, arrested on a charge of drunk driving and sent handcuffed to the police station.

But the case unraveled quickly. Bravo was “unarrested” when fellow police from Hialeah, called in to assist the Medley cops, realized Fraga was not drunk.

And an auto insurance adjuster later noticed that Medley police reports and scene photos did not jibe with the evidence: The Medley cop, not Fraga, was at fault in the accident. A criminal probe also uncovered surveillance video of the crash – and it showed Fraga was not at fault.

Ultimately, Miami-Dade prosecutors said they could not prove three Medley cops committed crimes. But the Medley police department has fired Officer Freddy Romero, Sgt. Jorge Perez and Lt. Joseph Olmedo for writing false police reports and other misconduct.

Said Fraga: “My car is still damaged and nobody’s paid me anything. My license is suspended and I don’t know why. I have to depend on friends to take me to work.”

The episode is a black eye for the police department of Medley, the eight-square mile Miami-Dade industrial town just west of Hialeah.

John Rivera, president of the Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association, which is representing two of the three officers, called the firing “harsh and unfair.”

The three officers are also suing Medley, saying the investigation is severely flawed and the police chief violated the city’s charter by ordering their firings.

“This is a biased witch-hunt and willful violation of every concept of fairness,” said their lawyer, Jose M. Herrera.

The incident was detailed in over 800 pages of internal documents obtained by The Miami Herald:

On Oct. 8, 2011, Fraga was driving south on Northwest 72nd Avenue at about 11 p.m. The traffic light was green at the intersection of Northwest South River Drive, where officer Romero was trying to turn left.

Romero, on duty and driving his marked patrol car, failed to yield, striking Fraga’s car. Neither car sustained serious damage, and no one was hurt.

The auto wreck was Romero’s fourth in his 18 months as a Medley cop. The crash opened him up to serious discipline. He called Sgt. Perez, who immediately claimed Fraga’s breath smelled of beer.

Fraga, an airport cargo loader, admitted he had indeed drunk two beers — seven hours earlier during a barbecue and before a nap.

Nevertheless, Romero himself administered a roadside sobriety test, which he said Fraga failed.

Romero later claimed he never actually arrested Fraga. But Romero handcuffed Fraga, read him his Miranda rights and drove him to the Hialeah police station, logging him in as an “arrestee.”

“Your assertion that Mr. Fraga was never under arrest is inconsistent with your treatment’’ of him, Medley Police Chief Jeanette Said-Jinete wrote in her final discipline report.

At the Hialeah police station, an officer specializing in DUI gave Fraga a breath test. Twice, his blood alcohol level came back at 0.00 — sober.

Faced with a man who was clearly not drunk, Medley officers released Fraga but cited him for the traffic crash. Fraga, his car towed, had to pay $151 to the tow yard to retrieve it.

Herrera, the cops’ lawyer suing the city, said he believes Fraga, who works the night shift, was impaired “by exhaustion.”

Perez wrote in his report that Fraga was traveling at least 60 mph, a fact shot down later by the surveillance video.

In his traffic crash report, Perez also wrote that motorist Nicole Beltran witnessed the accident, even though the woman told police that day she never saw what happened. The sergeant even claimed he called Beltran twice for additional info — a lie, based on phone records.

At the time, Lt. Olmedo was the acting chief because Said-Jinete was out of town.

The investigation revealed that Olmedo quickly approved the report and authored a memo riddled with lies, including that Romero had been pulling Bravo over when the accident happened, and that “the incident was non-preventable.”

Olmedo, the investigation revealed, also broke Medley rules by filing the report directly with the department’s insurance company, not with the town’s legal department.

The coverup did not surface until an adjuster with United Automobile Insurance noticed that Romero’s claim did not match the accident report and photos. The company denied Romero’s claim, sparking red flags. The chief’s office asked Hialeah police to initiate an internal-affairs probe.

“Frankly, upon review of the police report, I was surprised that Mr. Romero was not faulted for the accident. He did turn left in front of the other party and he did have a duty of greater care” under state law, a claims manager wrote to the city.

As Chief Said-Jinete ordered Olmedo suspended last year, she recalled, he stood up from his office chair.

“I f---ed up, Chief. You don’t even have to do an investigation. Just demote me to an officer and send me to the range,” Olmedo said, according to Said-Jinete’s report detailing the findings of an investigation.

The possible crimes: unlawful compensation, official misconduct and fraudulent insurance claim.

The final investigation was presented to Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Johnette Hardiman, of the public corruption unit. The evidence showed “very sloppy police work” but could not sustain a criminal case, according to her May 30 final memo.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/21/v-fullstory/3058912/three-medley-cops-ordered-fired.html#storylink=cpy

tod evans
10-26-2012, 06:13 PM
Back on "The-Job" in a matter of months....:mad:

youngbuck
10-26-2012, 06:22 PM
At the VERY LEAST, the cop needs to be charged with kidnapping, and the other two as coconspirators. Being fired is not enough. Normally, people resist kidnapping with deadly force. It would have been perfectly justified in this case. Filthy f**kin thugs, I swear.

aGameOfThrones
10-26-2012, 07:46 PM
John Rivera, president of the Miami-Dade Police Benevolent Association, which is representing two of the three officers, called the firing “harsh and unfair.”

Yeah, cuz ruining a mundane's life is fair.


The auto wreck was Romero’s fourth in his 18 months as a Medley cop. The crash opened him up to serious discipline. He called Sgt. Perez, who immediately claimed Fraga’s breath smelled of beer.

:rolleyes:


Fraga, an airport cargo loader, admitted he had indeed drunk two beers — seven hours earlier during a barbecue and before a nap.

STFU!!!!


Nevertheless, Romero himself administered a roadside sobriety test, which he said Fraga failed.

Romero later claimed he never actually arrested Fraga. But Romero handcuffed Fraga, read him his Miranda rights and drove him to the Hialeah police station, logging him in as an “arrestee.”

“Your assertion that Mr. Fraga was never under arrest is inconsistent with your treatment’’ of him, Medley Police Chief Jeanette Said-Jinete wrote in her final discipline report.

At the Hialeah police station, an officer specializing in DUI gave Fraga a breath test. Twice, his blood alcohol level came back at 0.00 — sober.

:rolleyes:


Faced with a man who was clearly not drunk, Medley officers released Fraga but cited him for the traffic crash. Fraga, his car towed, had to pay $151 to the tow yard to retrieve it.

Even when they are wrong, they're Right. :rolleyes:



Herrera, the cops’ lawyer suing the city, said he believes Fraga, who works the night shift, was impaired “by exhaustion.”

LOL.

AGRP
10-26-2012, 07:56 PM
And an auto insurance adjuster later noticed that Medley police reports and scene photos did not jibe with the evidence: The Medley cop, not Fraga, was at fault in the accident. A criminal probe also uncovered surveillance video of the crash – and it showed Fraga was not at fault.


They need to charge the surveillance video owner with wiretapping and insurance adjuster with hindering an investigation. The driver was clearly high on marijuana. We know theres no test for that and it causes white girls to date black guys. Freedom isnt free.

Henry Rogue
10-26-2012, 09:00 PM
I don't what people here think of government unions, but i'm not a fan. It galls me to see them protect LE committing crimes. although there wouldn't be a LE union if there wasn't any LE.

AFPVet
10-26-2012, 09:16 PM
At the VERY LEAST, the cop needs to be charged with kidnapping, and the other two as coconspirators. Being fired is not enough. Normally, people resist kidnapping with deadly force. It would have been perfectly justified in this case. Filthy f**kin thugs, I swear.

You're absolutely right.

ronpaulfollower999
10-26-2012, 09:26 PM
I was watching Judge Judy the other night (yeah I know) and this woman was suing another woman because she turned too sharply and hit the plaintiff. Turns out, the defendants parents work for the police department and she called them to come over to the accident scene. I believe the defendant was driving with a suspended license and without insurance, but she got not ticket (because of her parents). Judge Judy was a bit peeved, and the plaintiff won the case.

A bit different than the Op story, but demonstrates how cops lie on a daily basis.

Anti Federalist
10-26-2012, 11:12 PM
Yeah, cuz ruining a mundane's life is fair.

Even when they are wrong, they're Right. :rolleyes:


Said Fraga: “My car is still damaged and nobody’s paid me anything. My license is suspended and I don’t know why. I have to depend on friends to take me to work.”

Yup yup yup.

jodealbell
11-10-2012, 02:35 AM
Why do some cops make things that can ruin their name?.. This cops should be sued.

MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2
11-10-2012, 06:25 AM
A bit different than the Op story, but demonstrates how cops lie on a daily basis.


They even claim it as part of their jobs. Simply put, they're very often dirtbags and the worst of them are sociopaths.

Pericles
11-10-2012, 08:56 AM
Just another day in the USA.