TAMARAC, Fla. – A Tamarac commissioner who used an awards ceremony to publicly berate a Broward Sheriff's Office deputy will not be reprimanded, a commission decided Monday.
During a September commission meeting, when officer of the month awards were being handed out, Commissioner Mike Gelin called Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Gallardo back down to the front to remind him of an incident from four years earlier.
"You probably don't remember me, but you're the police officer who falsely arrested me four years ago," Gelin said. "You lied on the police report. I believe you're a rogue police officer. You're a bad police officer, and you don't deserve to be here."
Gelin was arrested in July of 2015 for resisting without violence after filming the scene of a battery with his cellphone.
In the cellphone video, which was released last week, Gallardo can be heard telling onlookers to get back. Gelin is defiant and said he did not have to move.
In his report, Gallardo wrote: “I advised that he could continue to record but he would have to move back...”
But audio in Gelin’s video seems to contradict that, and sounds like Gallardo says to “turn it off.”
The state attorney did not move forward with case. No charges were filed.
MORE: BSO Standard Operating Procedures section 4.8 - Crime Scene Procedure
Gelin maintains he did nothing wrong and stands by his decision to confront Gallardo inside City Hall.
Some have defended his actions. The CEO of MIA Media Group, Dexter Bridgeman, said “Speaking up for himself was indeed courageous. He told the story for countless people who were falsely accused and arrested.”
It is legal in Florida to openly film police officers. But a spokesperson for the Broward Sheriff’s Office said deputies have to make sure active scenes are safe, and will ask members of the public to move if their presence interferes with their duties.
If the Tamarac commission agrees that Gelin was out of line and violated its code of civility for singling out Gallardo last month, he could be censured.