No Discussion
Commish Mum on Police Conduct During FTAA Protests

“I was really surprised the CIP brought up issues about the First and Fourth Amendments.”

By Omar Sommereyns

By the time the Miami City Commission got to a presentation by the Civilian Investigative Panel about that voter-mandated oversight board’s findings on police conduct during the 2003 Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) protests, the evening hours were depressingly nigh and the officials seated at the dais were looking burnt as crisp potato skins.

Except, that is, for commission Chairman Joe Sanchez, who had vanished from his post right before the item, one of the last on the Jan. 11 agenda, came up.

CIP Chair Larry Handfield and fellow panel members presented their findings and offered recommendations for police officials to improve how they deal with massive public demonstrations. Included was a recommendation to create a better test of an officer’s understanding of First and Fourth Amendment rights (which were allegedly violated during the protests).

The CIP also recommended employing a more effective joint information system to deliver a unified message relating to operations and procedures when several law enforcement agencies are cooperating at one time.

Perhaps those commissioners had done their fair share of discussing, debating, swaggering and berating for the day. Or perhaps their bellies were aching and they couldn’t muster the strength to react to the CIP’s pressing report or invite members of the Miami Police Department to step up for a brief Q&A session. Whatever the reason, even with top-ranking members of the city’s finest, including the often elusive Chief John Timoney, patiently waiting in the audience, the commish remained mum.

“I would have liked to discuss that item, but you know, the commission left the presentation to the very end, when everybody was ready to go home,” commented Commissioner Tomas Regalado, days after the meeting. “And this was an item that was already deferred so many times, and I know that some of the other commissioners are quite uncomfortable with that issue.”

After the meeting, Chief Timoney would not comment to the press, saying only that he attended the presentation to respond to questions the commission may have had. He directed queries to his deputy, Frank Fernandez.

“I was really surprised the CIP brought up issues about the First and Fourth Amendments,” Fernandez said. “Our candidates definitely receive that type of training and if they don’t pass that test, they don’t become an officer. It really concerns us that they think we need more training in that area.”

As for how the MPD dealt with the 2003 protests, Fernandez added, “Our officers acted appropriately and did an excellent job. There are areas we can improve upon and we always read through the CIP recommendations. We’re always open to suggestions.”
Still, the CIP/MPD relationship has been shaky in the last couple of years and Handfield has complained about the lack of rapport. Fernandez, however, didn’t seem too affected.

“It doesn’t bother us that the CIP is around,” he said. “We’re watched by a number of groups — the U.S. Department of Justice, the State Attorney’s Office — so to have one more isn’t uncommon. Now, what do we gain? I don’t know. I don’t know what we have gained from having the CIP.”

Comments? E-mail omar@miamisunpost.com.