The general public is in an uproar over the soccer stadium deal. Meanwhile a rather pungent story crossed the Miami Herald's ticker tape: "After graduating from the Miami Police Academy, recruit is busted for identity theft."
"Yurien Martinez Gallardo, 34, had just graduated from the six-month training program at the Miami Police Academy, but had yet to hit the streets with a field training officer, according to the department.
“He hadn’t even been sworn in yet,” said Miami police spokesman Delrish Moss.
The U.S. Secret Service, which investigates identity theft, arrested Martinez. He was charged along with 19 other defendants, most of whom had worked in the wireless communications industry.
A conspiracy indictment accuses them of stealing the personal information of customers, including Social Security numbers, to buy cellular phones at discounted prices and resell them for a profit."
So, where would Mr. Gallardo get the idea that cell phone fraud was a good idea for a police recruit?
Way back in 2011, the Miami-Dade Police Department itself was targeted with a DOJ investigation of the mis-use of $24 million, money generated through fines against polluters and law breakers. We wrote about it at the time and so did the Herald, "… the police department is flatly rebuffing two IG recommendations: that it stop using green-fund money to pay expenses such as monthly cellphone and aircard bills, and that it repay the misused public dollars. "We continue to stand by our original recommendations that the Trust Funds be reimbursed," Mazzella said in a Dec. 21 memo to (then mayor Carlos) Alvarez. The police department isn't obligated to follow the IG's recommendations, unless the mayor or the county commission act. And there's little push coming from the county executive's office."
When the culture of corruption starts at the top and has filtered even into the ranks of police recruits who haven't been sworn in to duty, it is no wonder that Miami taxpayers are objecting to at any expansion of special interest domination of our politics. The Miami Dade police never did repay the $24 million.
"Yurien Martinez Gallardo, 34, had just graduated from the six-month training program at the Miami Police Academy, but had yet to hit the streets with a field training officer, according to the department.
“He hadn’t even been sworn in yet,” said Miami police spokesman Delrish Moss.
The U.S. Secret Service, which investigates identity theft, arrested Martinez. He was charged along with 19 other defendants, most of whom had worked in the wireless communications industry.
A conspiracy indictment accuses them of stealing the personal information of customers, including Social Security numbers, to buy cellular phones at discounted prices and resell them for a profit."
So, where would Mr. Gallardo get the idea that cell phone fraud was a good idea for a police recruit?
Way back in 2011, the Miami-Dade Police Department itself was targeted with a DOJ investigation of the mis-use of $24 million, money generated through fines against polluters and law breakers. We wrote about it at the time and so did the Herald, "… the police department is flatly rebuffing two IG recommendations: that it stop using green-fund money to pay expenses such as monthly cellphone and aircard bills, and that it repay the misused public dollars. "We continue to stand by our original recommendations that the Trust Funds be reimbursed," Mazzella said in a Dec. 21 memo to (then mayor Carlos) Alvarez. The police department isn't obligated to follow the IG's recommendations, unless the mayor or the county commission act. And there's little push coming from the county executive's office."
When the culture of corruption starts at the top and has filtered even into the ranks of police recruits who haven't been sworn in to duty, it is no wonder that Miami taxpayers are objecting to at any expansion of special interest domination of our politics. The Miami Dade police never did repay the $24 million.
4 comments:
A City of Miami Fire Chief is in prison for 4 years convicted of mortgage fraud WHILE ON DUTY. Concurrently, she is getting paid a $145,000 per year pension. Yup, she was using a Fire Department fax machine to scam banks while she was getting paid $220,000+ by the City.
Miami Police Academy is where all rejects go to choose and learn their favorite criminal activity when they get on the force. My question is why are police hires not being required to have at lease a bachelors degree from an accredited university just as it is done in other civilized countries or at least do IQ tests.
Violence at the hand of police officers is completely out of control, time to require drug and alcohol testing of officers after use of force.
You are idiots. If you know anything about mdcounty hiring procedures, you would know that they can go through 1500 applications before they manage to come up with enough officer candidates that are psychologically and emotionally fit enough to even begin training. They have 9 months of tough physical training, and if they fail their written tests, they are out on their sweet tushes. They already do drug tests. And by the way, other county employees have to suffer the wonderful process of stripping in a medical office and doing a pee test too, just to work for the public.
Yes, some ethically challendged folks get through the process, but they get weeded out or end up in jail.
Far as the grant issues, that is not just a local issue. Every grant in the world (unless you are very blessed) comes with grant managers who approve or disapprove disbursement of funds.
If the money is not used appropriately, then someone from the grantor of the funds was not asking for accountability.
The general misuse of funds throughout the grant making world has made it onerous and formidable to not only get funded, but to document the use of the grant money. Non-profits have to have people specializing in the accounting of grant objectives as well as providing the documentation of the cash flow. If the grantor does not ask for accountability then the bad is on them.
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