Police Shootings / Possible Abuse Threads [merged]

A former Florida police captain with a long history of civilian complaints, including false arrests and harassment, has joined the state’s state guard under governor Ron DeSantis.

Javier Ortiz, 44, joined the Florida state guard in February, the Miami Herald first reported. Ortiz’s enrollment comes months after being reinstated by the Miami police department, after he was initially dismissed for slew of conduct complaints.

As a member of the Florida state guard, Ortiz could be sent to assist during natural disasters or with other statewide emergencies, the Herald reported.


A spokesperson for the Florida state guard could not be reached by the Guardian in time for publication.

Several people have questioned why Ortiz is allowed to join the Florida state guard given his past misconduct.

“I can’t wrap my mind around how concerning this is,” Rodney Jacobs, the director of Miami’s civilian police review panel, said to the Herald about Ortiz joining the state guard.

Jacobs added: “Are they being vetted?”

In 2022, Ortiz was fired by the Miami police department after an internal investigation found that the veteran police officer had been the subject of more than 70 complaints since being hired in 2004, NBC Miami reported.…..

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...n-desantis-state-guard?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other