Police association wants Miami’s top cop replaced, but not everyone agrees

MIAMI – The Miami Community Police Benevolent Association is accusing Miami’s current Chief of Police Jorge Colina of the “past use of a racial slur,” which it says has “manifested into a continued cultural of misconduct that he has allowed to emanate within the police department.”

The historically black police organization is asking for the chief to be dismissed immediately and is calling for a national search for a new chief. The expression of “no confidence” echoes statements made by the association’s president last November, who urged for an investigation into claims of a hostile work environment and discriminatory practices at the department.

Since then, the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer has demanded calls for racial equity and reforms to the criminal justice system. Last month, Colina released a video message that he posted on Twitter expressing how deeply disturbed he was by the Floyd case.

“I don’t think anyone can see that video and not be disturbed by it. It is very evident that what occurred there is wrong."

But some police of color on the force aren’t in agreement with the association. “We don’t want the decisiveness that the MCPBA is pushing,” Major Keandra Simmons of the Miami Police Department said.

Assistant Chief Cherise Gause said: “The MCPBA does not speak for all black officers in this department. We are here to represent a different perspective because we have not experienced what they are describing under Chief Colina’s leadership."

Yet another officer, Major Chiquita Butler, community engagement director for MPD, said: “This is the time for peace, unity. We are here to encourage people that we are here to heal, to help, and our main goal is to serve and protect, not create rhetoric.”

All four were promoted by Colina. Of the 24 people promote since Colina became chief in 2018, Miami Police Department listed that 10 are black, 12 are Hispanic, and one is white. During a news conference held Friday by the MCPBA, the group claimed that Colina has demoted more blacks than Hispanics, but they did not dispute the information Local 10 received from MPD: that one black office and one Hispanic officer were demoted and another black office retired, although MCPBA believes that instance was a forced retirement, they said. However, all three were replaced with black officers.

On Friday, Colina used the video message platform again to put into context racial slurs he used in 1997. The video was sent to the entire police department.

"In 1997, I was an undercover police officer, shocking as that may sound," Colina says in the video message, shot from inside his department office.

"I was teaching a class. I started the class by saying that I was going to be using language that could be very offensive and that was the point. When you are working undercover you may have to act and say things that you wouldn't normally say otherwise, whether they make you uncomfortable or not, and then I gave many examples of what that could be. And a lot of that language was offensive, but again that was the point of the class. And although I was the highest rated instructor and although there were no complaints.

“I was called by the chief of police who was concerned with some of the language that I used. Although the chief recognized that this was making a teaching point and not me speaking at a party, water cooler or dinner table, he was uncomfortable with some of the language I used so I was given a reprimand for tact and consideration.”

Colina on that video also addressed the members of the MCBPA who spoke at a news conference on Friday afternoon.

“Instead of taking this as an opportunity to unite, you want to incite,” Colina said.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said there has been a months long personal dispute between some association members and the chief. Commenting o the allegations, Suarez said: “This occurred 23 years ago when the chief was doing a training as he said in his video and was reprimanded for that 23 years ago. I’ve worked with him and I’ve known him for at least six years. Everything I have seen in my time with him, working with him, has demonstrated that he doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. On the contrary; our department has the most number of high-ranking African American officials in its history and he has done a variety of things as a police chief to make sure that the African American community is not inordinately targeted by police practices. I think it is unfortunate that they chose today when they aired their grievances last November and we have been in continuous discussions.”

President S. Jean Poix of the MCPBA confirmed that not all 300 members of the organization voted and that the vote was done by an executive board. That board is made up of 7 people.

The Association said its next step is to take all of this before the City Commission.