It seems pretty common that Miami-area cops mishandle evidence and critical police property. Mere days after a group of Miami Police Department civilian employees were fired for driving away with property stored in evidence lockers, a City of Miami Beach worker, Jason Bruder, was hit today with nine misdemeanor charges of falsifying public records. Charging documents from the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office say Bruder was caught falsifying lists of items in a crime scene squad "evidence cabinet log" in nine instances. A police spokesperson says the charges involved "neither narcotics nor money."MBPD first suspended Bruder, a 13-year civilian employee of the department, July 15. As a crime scene technician, he was tasked with collecting fingerprints and forensic evidence from crime scenes. MBPD issued a release in July announcing Bruder had been suspended with pay after he was caught keeping evidence inside special lockers that only he could access. The department said in July … [Read more...] about Miami Beach Police Employee Charged With Falsifying Public Records After Hiding Evidence
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El Paso County coroner seeking to block release of Deputy Micah Flick’s autopsy, continuing pattern of shielding public records
How did El Paso County Deputy Micah Flick die?Law enforcement has answered the question with the bare minimum — that Flick was fatally wounded in a shootout while the Beat Auto Theft Through Law Enforcement task force was attempting to arrest suspected car thief Manuel Zetina on Feb. 5. But details such as who shot Flick, the number of gunshot wounds he sustained, and how three other law enforcement officers were wounded in the same scuffle remain unanswered.And they could forever remain unanswered if El Paso County Coroner Robert Bux has his way.Bux is petitioning the 4th Judicial District Court to block the release of Flick’s and Zetina’s autopsy reports. Such reports routinely include information about the number of injuries sustained, bullet trajectory, toxicology, among others. The Gazette and the Colorado Springs Independent had requested the reports under the Colorado Open Records Act, and are partnering to hire legal counsel to fight for transparency.Bux … [Read more...] about El Paso County coroner seeking to block release of Deputy Micah Flick’s autopsy, continuing pattern of shielding public records
El Paso County Coroner seeking to block release of Deputy Micah Flick’s autopsy in pattern of disregard for public records
How did El Paso County Deputy Micah Flick die?Law enforcement has answered the question with the bare minimum – that Flick was fatally wounded in a shootout while the Beat Auto Theft Through Law Enforcement taskforce was attempting to arrest suspected car thief Manuel Zetina on Feb. 5. But details such as who shot Flick, the number of gunshot wounds he sustained, and how three other law enforcement officers were wounded in the same scuffle remain unanswered.And they could forever remain unanswered if El Paso County Coroner Robert Bux has his way.Bux is petitioning the 4th Judicial District Court to block the release of Flick’s and Zetina’s autopsy reports, which routinely includes information about the number of injuries sustained, bullet trajectory, toxicology, among others. The Gazette and the Colorado Springs Independent had requested the reports under the Colorado Open records Act, and is partnering to hired legal counsel to fight for transparency.Bux also has … [Read more...] about El Paso County Coroner seeking to block release of Deputy Micah Flick’s autopsy in pattern of disregard for public records
Corruption-riddled state police overtime program remains obscured as MassDOT continues to flout public records law
As the number of state troopers accused of abusing overtime programs to pad their paychecks has increased -- from 21, to 30, to 42 -- two major questions remain unanswered. How much money was at stake? And what steps did the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which funded Massachusetts State Police Troop E's patrols on the Massachusetts Turnpike, take to ensure its money was being spent responsibly? While an ongoing probe by State Attorney General Maura Healey's Office has prompted state police to decline comment on the amount of money stolen, records of program funding, audits and MassDOT financial reports could shed light on those questions. But for months, both MassDOT and state police have failed to explain how much was spent on Accident Injury Reduction Effort (AIRE) patrols, a now-cancelled program to fund overtime traffic enforcement on the Mass. Pike that dozens of troopers allegedly abused. And for weeks MassDOT has flouted state public … [Read more...] about Corruption-riddled state police overtime program remains obscured as MassDOT continues to flout public records law
Public records show police records clerk accused of leaking Niblock investigation
Devan Patel [email protected] Published 9:02 p.m. UTC Jun 1, 2018 Records released as part of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office investigation into former Marco Island City Manager Lee Niblock have revealed one of the suspected sources of a leak at the city’s police department. Five days after notifying City Council on Feb. 8 about an investigation into an employee, an email from Police Chief Al Schettino to the city’s legal counsel showed the department was preparing to fire records clerk Heather Comparini, suspected of disseminating information without authorization. In termination notes attached to the email, Schettino detailed a conversation he had with City Attorney Alan Gabriel after Gabriel inquired about whether the department sent out an email about Niblock resigning. “Alan went on to say that the correspondence he was referencing was a text message he was made aware of from a councilor originating from Heather Comparini stating … [Read more...] about Public records show police records clerk accused of leaking Niblock investigation