Tyreek Hill incident becomes campaign fodder for Miami-Dade Sheriff race

The unfortunate police takedown of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill at a traffic stop earlier this month is already becoming a campaign issue in the race for Miami-Dade Sheriff. Pero, por supuesto.

Especially after the officer’s record of past abuse allegations came to light in recent days.

Both candidates in the Nov. 5 sheriff’s race have have issued statements of concern over the way Hill was ripped from the driver’s seat, forced to the ground and handcuffed with a knee in his back.

“The officers of the Miami-Dade Police Department commit themselves to protecting our community with dedication, integrity and professionalism,” said Miami-Dade Assistant Director Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz, the Republican candidate, using the words “disturbing” and “unacceptable” to describe the footage from the officers’ body-worn cameras.

“The behavior seen in the video has no place within the Miami-Dade Police Department. Period. Once the investigation is concluded and we have a complete understanding, swift action must be taken and measures implemented to make certain this never occurs again. In the past, I have advocated for training that provides tools and strategies for our officers that help prevent officer misconduct and reduce mistakes. As Sheriff, I will be taking immediate steps to implement them.”

The only problem with this statement is that Cordero-Stutz has been with MDPD for almost three decades, most recently as the department’s Assistant Director in charge of the transition to the sheriff”s office. She has spent some of that time in internal affairs. And the officer involved in the traffic stop — who has been put on paid administrative duty while the incident is investigated — has had numerous complaints against him in his own 27-year career, dating back to 2004.

Officer Danny Perez, who has been suspended six times, has had 13 use of force investigations in his career. Apparently, Cordero-Stutz’s advocacy hasn’t worked so far.

Miami-Dade Chief of Public Safety James Reyes, the Democrat candidate for sheriff, came out with a statement of his own after the Sunday incident. Then he came out with another one two days later.

“All our residents desire to feel that our police department understands use of force and protocols, and we cannot allow one incident to define the heat work done by the thousands of brave women and men who serve Miami-Dade” Reyes said.

One incident? How about 13 use of force investigations? Many of those caused “bruises” and/or “abrasions” and/or “lacerations” to the faces, knees and foreheads of the people he interacted with. Does Officer Perez force everybody to the ground roughly?

Even former Police Director Juan Perez, who has endorsed Cordero-Stutz in the race, weighed in on the matter in a WSVN Channel 7 interview, where he said the officer should have known better.

“Whatever he was thinking at the time, that probably wasn’t the right thing to do, and then officer reaction, that wasn’t the right thing to do because that’s not the look that you want at any time,” Perez said. “It wasn’t the right thing. You don’t want to see that occur on a regular traffic stop, that’s for sure.”

Ya think?

“Both sides did do stuff to escalate rather than de-escalate the matter. However, we have to do better, right?” Perez said in the interview. “We have to be the ones that come above the fray.”

And then he backtracks a little. “It looks a lot worse than what it was.”

Unless you are Tyreek Hill.

The problem with this sudden position of indignation is that both Cordero-Stutz and Reyes are high-ranking members of the Miami-Dade Police Department. In other words, they are part of the culture that allows it. The only saving grace for Reyes is that he’s new, having been appointed chief of public safety less than a year ago. Whereas Cordero-Stutz has been there forever, including in internal affairs.

In an interview with CBS Miami, Reyes said that the incident presents “an opportunity for us to have very difficult conversations with our community in terms of what their expectations and how we can serve them but also an opportunity internally in terms of setting clear expectations into what the performance should look like in such an incident.

Cordero-Stutz seemed more defensive.

“The vehicle was clearly driving at an excessive rate of speed and the vehicle has very dark tints. So we can say that there was clearly a reasonable cause for pulling the individual over at the time,” she said on the news segment. “It’s very hard for me understanding — knowing as someone who was actually in internal affairs — that there is a process. We need to gather all the facts and not jump to conclusions.”

“I know there are things that occurred here that I am unhappy with, that I will not stand for.”

Reyes gets points for the quick release of the body cam video, which was available within 48 hours, which is unheard of. But how much of that credit should go to MDPD Director Stephanie Daniels? And why isn’t she running for sheriff?

Whoever wins the Nov. 5 race will become the first sheriff in Miami-Dade since the office was eliminated by voters in 1966 due to rampant corruption.

James Reyes, Miami-Dade sheriff, Rosanna Cordero-Stutz

Tyreek Hill incident becomes campaign fodder for Miami-Dade Sheriff race added by Ladra on September 17, 2024
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