Pubdate: Sat, 08 Sep 2001
Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX)
Copyright: 2001 Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas
Contact:  http://www.star-telegram.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/162
Author:  Catherine Wilson, Associated Press Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption)

13 CURRENT AND FORMER MIAMI POLICE OFFICERS ACCUSED OF COVERING UP WRONGDOING

MIAMI - In the city's worst police scandal since the days of "Miami Vice," 
13 current and former officers were accused by federal prosecutors Friday 
of planting guns, lying to investigators and otherwise trying to cover up 
four shootings in which three people died.

In one of the shootings, a SWAT team fired 123 bullets into an apartment 
during a 1996 drug raid and then lied about finding a gun in the hand of 
the dead 73-year-old man inside, the FBI said.

The investigation also involved the deaths of two young black men who were 
shot in the back by officers after stealing purses on a highway ramp.

All of those charged were veterans assigned to SWAT teams, narcotics units 
or special crime-suppression teams in the late 1990s.

Prosecutors said that in at least three cases, police planted guns at the 
scene to justify shootings by officers.

"These officers put a stain on the badge of every hardworking, honest, 
faithful, honorable police office who puts his or her life on the line 
every single day," U.S. Attorney Guy Lewis said.

Lewis said the officers "planted weapons, they lied about their roles in 
the shootings, they lied about what they saw, they falsified reports, they 
tampered with crime scenes."

He also said the officers stole money, guns and other property from people 
in unrelated cases and later planted the weapons at police-involved shootings.

Eleven officers were arrested Friday on an indictment charging them in a 
plot to obstruct justice and violate civil rights. Two retired officers 
pleaded guilty to conspiracy earlier this week and are cooperating with 
investigators.

"This is painful, but this is something we have to go through to get 
better," Police Chief Raul Martinez said.

Miami Mayor Joe Carollo said he sent a letter to Lewis urging the Justice 
Department to launch a "top to bottom review" of the Miami Police 
Department. He said he did not know how soon the probe could be carried 
out, saying he was sure "the U.S. Attorney would take the right steps."

The mayor also said he expected more officers to be charged.

All but one of the 11 indicted officers were freed on $100,000 bail. If 
convicted, they face five to 25 years in prison.

Several officers refused to comment. Defense attorneys dismissed the 
allegations as more spectacle than substance.

"It's like a rerun of everything we've seen before. It's a lot of hype," 
said attorney Janice Sharpstein, who represents two officers.

The case is smaller than the 1980s "Miami River Cops" scandal in which 
uniformed officers stole cocaine from drug traffickers and sold the drug 
themselves. Three drug boat guards drowned when they jumped into the Miami 
River to avoid the gang, an episode that gave the ring its name. 
Eventually, more than 100 Miami officers were arrested, fired or disciplined.

The popular TV drama, "Miami Vice," chronicled the Miami drug underworld 
and police corruption. The series ran from 1984-1989.

The latest arrests expanded on a March indictment charging five Miami SWAT 
officers with conspiracy to obstruct justice for allegedly lying to 
investigators after the deadly 1996 drug raid. The city settled a lawsuit 
with the man's family for $2.5 million last year.

The investigation also included the police shooting of a homeless man, who 
was wounded in the leg. Officers said he was holding a weapon to the head 
of a friend, but it turned out to be a small radio. Jesus Aguero, the only 
officer held without bail Friday, was fired for allegedly planting a gun 
after the shooting.

"Make no mistake. This circle of officers is not yet closed," said Hector 
Pesquera, the FBI chief in Miami. "Time is running out for those who have 
not come forward with the truth."

Relations between police and the public have been delicate in Miami for 
years. Riots erupted four times in the past two decades after police shot a 
black man or officers involved in a shooting were cleared.

Police officials on Friday asked the U.S. Justice Department for a review 
of departmental procedures. Similar investigations were launched in Los 
Angeles, Cincinnati and the Washington, D.C.

Activist Hattie Willis, president of Communities United, commended the 
police chief for seeking the federal investigation but asked: "Can we ever 
heal the wrongs that have been done to these families?"
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager