>> IN THE CITY OF MIAMI CITIZENS WHO FEEL THEY HAVE BEEN MISTREATED BY POLICE CAN FILE A
COMPLAINT WITH THE DEPARTMENT.
THEN INTERNAL AFFAIRS
INVESTIGATES AND USUALLY SIDES
WITH THE POLICE OFFICER.
>> BUT THERE IS ANOTHER OPTION,
THE CIVILIAN INVESTIGATIVE
PANEL.
WE’VE BEEN SPEAKING ABOUT AN
INDEPENDENT GROUP THAT LOOKS
INTO CITIZEN’S COMPLAINTS OF
ABUSE OF TREATMENT BY POLICE AND
ALSO ISSUED RECOMMENDATIONS
AFTER.
RODNEY JACOBS IS THE ASSISTANT
DIRECTOR OF MIAMI CIP.
IS HE ADVOCATING RIGHT NOW THAT
MIAMI DADE COUNTY REINSTATE ITS
CIVILIAN OVERSIDE BOLTER.
HE JOINS US NOW VIA SKYPE.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU ABOARD.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> ALL RIGHT, SO WHAT WOULD A
COUNTY BOARD DO THAT WOULD
ADVANCE THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE
AND HELP PEOPLE WHO FEEL THEY
HAVE BEEN ABUSED BY POLICE
OFFICERS?
>> WELL, THE COUNTY BOARD WILL
DO SIMILAR THINGS THAN OUR CITY
DEPARTMENT DOES.
WE WILL INVESTIGATE SWAYSES THAT
INVOLVE POLICE OFFICER
MISCONDUCT.
POLICE WILL BE ABLE TO COME INTO
OUR OFFICE, AND REALLY LOOK AT
SITUATIONS THAT OTHERWISE MAY GO
UNNOTICED.
I THINK THAT’S AN IMPORTANT
MESSAGE RIGHT NOW CONSIDERING
THAT THERE IS NOT A LOT OF
OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE TO PLACE
COMPLAINTS INTO A SYSTEM AND
HAVE THOSE LOOKED AT.
THEN AND OF ITSELF, I HEARD THE
DIRECTOR MENTION THAT THERE IS
INTERNAL AFFAIRS SYSTEM THAT
ALLOWS PEOPLE TO HAVE THAT
VETTED BUT THERE IS MULT TEUD OF
REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO
GO TO INTERNAL AFFAIRS SO I
THINK THIS PROVIDES ANOTHER
VIABLE OPTION AND ALLOWS FOR
ADDITIONAL LAYER OF
TRANSPARENCY.
>> I WANT TO-- BOTH THE DOUBLE
EDGE SWORD OF PEOPLE WHO SAY
YOUR CIVILIAN VEGGIVE PANEL DOES
EXCELLENT WORK, THOROUGH WORK,
IS SO CRITICAL TO THE
INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS FOR PEOPLE
WHO FEEL LIKE THEY NEED A VOICE
AND ON THE OTHER HAND, TALKS
ABOUT HOW YOUR AME
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS BOARD
ARE NOT, FIRST OF ALL THERE IS
NO MANDATE FOR ANYONE FROM THE
CHIEF, MAYOR, COMMISSION TO
FOLLOW YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND
IN FACT VERY FEW TIMES HAVE
THEY.
PLES, ADDRESS THAT IF YOU WOULD.
>> WELL, THERE ARE TIMES WHERE
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DOES
LISTEN OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
BUT I THINK ANOTHER LARGER
ASPECT OF THE WORK THAT WE DO IS
PROCEDURAL JUSTICE.
THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE CAN
PARTICIPATE IN A SYSTEM THAT
THEY BELIEVE IS FAIR AND ALLOWS
THEM TO HAVE PEOPLE VET THEIR
SITUATION.
WE BELIEVE THAT CIVILIAN
OVERSITE SAY GREAT TOOL TO
BOLSTER THAT NOTION OF PROARGAL
JUSTICE.
ALTHOUGH THEY MAY NOT LISTEN OUR
INVESTIGATIONS, OFTENTIMES THEY
DO REOPEN CASES, OFTENTIMES THEY
DO DISCIPLINE OFFICERS BUT WE
JUST TRY TO DO OUR BEST WITH THE
TOOLS THAT WE HAVE WITHIN OUR
POWERS TO ENSURE THAT COMMUNITY
MEMBERS FEEL AS THOUGH THEY HAVE
A MECHANISM, AN OPPORTUNITY TO
HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD AGAINST
POLICE MISCONDUCT.
THE REASONING WHY POLICE CHIEFS
MAY NOT LISTEN TO OUR
RECOMMENDATIONS, RESTS IN A LOT
OF STATE LAW, SO I URGE PEOPLE
TO LOOK AT THOSE ISSUES AND TAKE
IT TO THE LOCAL ELECTED LEADER.
>> AS A FOLLOWUP PART OF THE
STATE LAW WHAT WE CALL POLICE
BILL OF RIGHTS, A POLICE OFFICER
WHO IS ACCUSED IS NOT, DOESN’T
HAVE TO SHOW UP FOR AN INTERVIEW
OR AN INVESTIGATION.
CAN DECIDE NOT TO PARTICIPATE,
IS THAT RIGHT?
>> YES, THE POLICE OFFICER CAN
DECIDE NOT TO GIVE STATEMENTS TO
OUR OFFICE.
DIPICALLY IF AN OFFICER GIVES
THE STATEMENT TO INTERNAL
AFFAIRS WE FEEL AS THOUGH THOSE
STATEMENTS DON’T NECESSARILY
THAT WART OUR PARTNERS, WE HAVE
WITNESSES IN THE COMMUNITY, WE
ARE ABLE TO SPP EVIDENCE FROM
OTHER INJURES DICTIONS IF
NECESSARY, AS WELL AS DOCUMENTS,
SO WE FEEL AS THOUGH OUR
INVESTIGATION STILL GOES FORWARD
THOROUGHLY EVEN WITHOUT THOSE
STATEMENTS IN SOME CASES.
>> YEAH, RODNEY, I REMEMBER BACK
TO THE PRETRADE AREA OF THE
AMERICA’S DEMONSTRATIONS IN
WHICH IN MY OPINION MIAMI POLICE
UNDER JOHN TIMONI WERE I THINK
HARSH IN THE WAY THEY TREATED
SOME PROTESTORS.
WHEN CHIEF TIMINI WAS SPPED TO
APPEAR BEFORE THE CIP, THIS WAS
BEFORE YOU WERE THE DIRECTOR, HE
SIMPLY REFUSED TO ANSWER THE
SPP.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN A CASE LIKE
THAT?
>> IN A CASE LIKE THAT OBVIOUSLY
WE COULD TAKE IT TO LITIGATION
IF NECESSARY.
THE C, P, AND WE HOPE THAT THE
COUNTY CIP THAT WE GET ALSO HAS
INDEPENDENT COUNCIL.
BUT YOU KNOW, NOW THERE
IS-- THAT THAT WART THAT ABILITY
TO A CERTAIN EXTENT.
WE WOULD HOPE THAT THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT JUST BECOMES
COLLABORATIVE.
WE HEARD THE DIRECTOR JUST
SPEAK.
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH ANOTHER LAYER
OF TRANSPARENCY WOULDN’T HURT
ESPECIALLY IF THERE IS NOTHING
TO HIDE.
I FEEL LIKE WE ARE ALL ON THE
SAME TEAM HERE TRYING TO WEED
OUT THE BAD PAP APPLES.
SO WHY NOT WORK TOGETHER.
WHY NOT WORK IN TANDEM IN ORDER
TO ENSURE THAT OUR POLICE
DEPARTMENT IS THE BEST.
THERE SHOULDN’T BE ANY DEBATE
ABOUT THAT.
>> WHAT DOES THE C, P IN MIAMI
NEED THAT YOU DON’T HAVE RIGHT
NOW IN YOUR ESTIMATION.
>> WE COULD USE SOME MORE
INVESTIGATORS.
WE COULD USE SOME MORE RESOURCES
THAT ALLOW US TO DO OUR JOB MORE
EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
WE DO NEED THOSES THINGS.
WE UNDERSTAND THERE IS BUFNLG
CONSTRAINTS DUE TO THE COVID
SITUATION I AM AN EXECUTIVE SO I
NEVER SAID I DON’T NEED MORE
RESOURCES.
>> ROB KNEE JACOBS, CITY OF
MIAMI CIP, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME,
WE APPRECIATE IT.
>> THANK YOU.