I am not a University Professor teaching courses on morals and ethics, I am a journalist, but my more than half a century of following the highways and byways of life have taught me the difference between good and bad. When I encounter injustice of any nature I react. My weapons are not guns or sabers, I use the pen.
Alas there are too few hours in the day to cover every story that deserves to be brought to the attention of the public.
Crime is a problem in every state, crime happens. Crime is an unfortunate fact of life. But what happens when it is law enforcement themselves that commit it?
In the case of the rather tightly knit Miami South Beach PD the answer is to officially sweep it under the rug.
Before I get into the details, I think you should watch two very short clips from a surveillance camera. Normal and zoomed.
What do you see? I see two men walking, then stop (likely because of some sound or verbal request). They turn around, but are clearly very nervous, so much so that one decides to stand behind the other. Then, one falls to the ground.
You have just watched the cold blooded killing of Hussein Shehada. Hussein, his brother Samer and their girl friends had decided to take a vacation in Miami South Beach. Sure it was 4am, but to the best of my knowledge if you are on vacation you can choose whatever hours you want to take a walk.
So who was the cold blooded killer that is off camera? The answer is a Miami South Beach PD patrolman in full uniform, Adam Tavss. Following Miami Beach procedure Adam Tavss was placed on a 72 hour leave. He returned to duty and on his very next shift managed to ‘dispatch’ another ‘bad guy’.
Even by Miami Beach PD’s rather lax rules this second senseless killing created just a bit of internal strife. By this time I had heard a whisper on the grapevine that Adam Tavss had a liking for recreational pharmaceuticals. What does Miami Beach do? They take his death ray away from him and put him in the Evidence Room. Well guess what folks, along with the broken china and spent bullet casings, this is also the home for bags of white powder. The official records of the next stage are not in my possession, but my little birdies tell me that an inventory came up short.
Adam Tavss found himself on administrative leave. In what sounds like something out of pure science fiction, he is then busted for running a Grow Op in his home!
Miami Beach PD have buried Adam Tavss. But the cold killing of Hussein Shehada still hangs around. How do we deal with this?
Using the tried and true principle of if you don’t have the answers, bury the the problem in an Irish Peat Bog for a couple of years and claim that you are running an investigation!
Of course it should go without saying that it will be an ‘internal’ investigation. Well, it makes sense, who wants some outsider causing all sorts of a ruckus in your sand box?
Miami Beach PD have finally released their Independent External report. I for one wonder if they are trying to recruit Charlie Sheen as their PR guy! The report can be read here.
The Miami Herald also offered this rather stupid and lack luster article.
The Hussein Shehada killing was a story that tugged at me. I have spoken to his brother Samer, the two girlfriends, and other family members and friends.
This is a sham, someone needs to be held accountable.
I am so ticked off, here are a few links to fill in the gaps:
http://www.bloggernews.net/121753
http://www.bloggernews.net/121757
http://www.bloggernews.net/121761
Simon Barrett
(4 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
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2 users commented in " Shame Shines As Brightly As A Miami Beach PD Badge "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackJustice cannot be covered up like dirt on animal stool. We must all face the reality that police in urban areas can be as dangerous as the criminals. One of the principal causes is the lowering of standards in hiring police officers and a penchant for hiring ex-military men who have served in the war zones. The police are ending up with cheimically-addicted policemen trained to kill with little or no moral compass.
Big city police departments such as NY, Chicago, L.A. and Miami are littered with these policemen/time bombs that explode from time to time randomly killing minorities as if they were hunting targets. It is not likely there will be a cultural change in the future with the never ending supply of ex-soldiers looking for jobs where their violent training can be useful to their careers.
Its funny how the internet allows anyone to give their opinion without taking the time to review the FACTS of a case. If you read through the report you will see that 15 people were interviewed and all 15 stories match with the exception of the so called victims.
The girlfriend who was beat up by her boyfriend on the night of the incident contradicted her own testimony but when confronted with charges of purgery came clean. Ok, what was she trying to hide or cover?
The brother says he had no intentions of looking for the people that beat up his brother. He said they only went to buy cigarettes at the corner market. If you know the area you can easly conclude that was not true, thier hotel is on 17th and Collins they purchased the cigarettes on 15th and Washington and the shooting occured on 11th and Washington. If they just went to get cigarettes why did he shove a coat hanger down his pants and walk the opposite way from the hotel once he purchased his cigarettes. Why did he change directions when they saw police officers? This sounds suspicious don’t you agree? Its obvious by the 911 calls and the witnesse reports that these men were agressive and suspicious. How would you handle the situation if you had no cover and had to put your life on the line? What if you had at least 3-4 calls from dispatch stating that these men were armed?
Its obvious that the system is flawed because this officer had no business being out on the street after his first shooting. He should have had medical attention and a phycological clearance before returning to work. If you read ALL of the stories related to this officer you will see he was a normal guy that did lots for the community and completely fell apart after the shootings. The departments should take care of their own and not sweap anything under any rug including the mental state of officers after such traumatic events.
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