Several Miami-Dade, Florida police officers have been caught on camera allegedly ignoring emergency calls. One Sergeant and five officers have reportedly been dismissed due to the allegations.
Sergeant Jennifer Gonzalez and officers Ivan Tomas, Fabian Owens, Jeffrey Price, Jose Huerta, and Dario Socarras were involved in the internal investigation. All five were members of the Miami-Dade Kendall squad.
As reported by NBC News , the sergeant and officers were all observed drinking coffee and otherwise taking breaks when they should have been responding to emergency calls received from dispatch. Officer Socarras was allegedly caught ignoring a burglary call, choosing instead to meet an unidentified woman in a parking lot. The officer was reportedly taped kissing and hugging the woman as the emergency call went unanswered.
One of the emergency calls allegedly ignored by the Florida police officers reportedly involved an unconscious infant:
“Officer Socarras, Officer Jose Huerta and their Sergeant Jennifer Gonzalez were videotaped drinking coffee at a Casa Larios when an emergency call came in with an alert about an unconscious 5-month-old, police said in investigation records … Socarras was dispatched to the scene and despite being with his sergeant, he continued drinking his coffee. Nine minutes later he was cleared from the call, according to police.”
As reported by NBC Miami , Officer Socarras has also been accused of falsifying reports to reflect that he had responded to calls when the calls were allegedly ignored.
The Dade County Police Benevolent Association has reserved comment pending the conclusion of the investigation.
The Miami-Dade police officers caught on tape allegedly ignoring emergency calls are expected to appeal their termination.
View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com .
