MIAMI — Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has called for an the investigation of police-related shootings to be taken out of the hands of the Miami-Dade Police Department and given to the state.
Gimenez sent a memorandum Jan. 23 to Police Director J.D. Patterson instructing the county’s top cop to begin talks with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) on developing a Memorandum of Understanding which would govern their relationship.
He also told Patterson to consult with State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle “to ensure a seamless process.”
“It is my strong opinion that a thorough and expeditious investigation by an independent agency which leads to a conclusion statement will strengthen the community’s trust of such a process and faith that the investigation of any event that may be unjustified would reach an appropriate conclusion,” Gimenez wrote.
The memorandum cited no specific reason that would warrant such a major shift from how MDPD deals with police-involved shootings and the death of suspects while in police custody.
GImenez said in his memorandum that he raised the issue of bringing the FDLE into the picture during a meeting with the state law enforcement arm “for the purpose of having an independent agency investigate such events as they do in other jurisdictions, leading to greater transparency.”
The mayor called on his police chief to discuss with the FDLE “their policies and procedures as it relates to investigating such events, how this can be implemented, the respective duties and support needed to facilitate such investigations…”
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