The officer who has been placed on administrative duty following the traffic stop that led to Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill being removed from his vehicle and detained from handcuffs, has previously been investigated for force violations.
According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the officer — while the recipient of many commendations for his service for things like safe driving, assisting other agencies, teamwork, dedication to duty and professionalism — has been suspended six times in his career and received multiple written reprimands.
The suspensions all came between 2004 and 2018, during which time he was also the subject of at least six Internal Affairs investigations, according to records reviews by The Sentinel. He was investigated for complaints of conduct unbecoming, force violations and discourtesy, with five of the six complaints being sustained after the Internal Affairs investigation. He was also found in another 2018 investigation to have violated the body-worn camera procedure.
In a statement following his being placed on administrative duty earlier this week, the officer’s attorney said, “We urge all parties to refrain from making public statements that may misrepresent our client’s actions and mislead the public about Mr. Hill’s detainment. We call for our client’s immediate reinstatement.”
Hill, meanwhile, has called for the officer to be removed from the Miami-Dade Police force, both personally and through his attorney.
“Each action that a law enforcement official takes is governed by standard operating procedures,” attorney Julius Collins said in an issued statement on Tuesday night. “We are of the opinion that the officer’s use of force was excessive, escalating, and reckless. We are demanding that the officer be terminated effective immediately.”
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, echoed the same sentiment.
“For me, personally, I believe the police officers that did that to Tyreek shouldn’t be in that position — they should be let go,” Rosenhaus said, during an appearance on “The Dan Le Batard Show. “Look at the guy who kicked him; that guy should be fired. That’s out of control. The guy that jumped in and put him in a chokehold? There’s no place for a police officer to have a badge that operates like that, when Tyreek wasn’t being aggressive, or violent or fighting back in any capacity.”
The regional police union put out a statement supporting the officer and the Miami-Dade Police Department, saying that Hill put others “in great risk of danger” with his driving, then was repeatedly “uncooperative” with law enforcement, and that he was cited as speeding at a “visual estimation of 60 mph.”
