MIAMI (WSVN) - Members of the Miami Community Police Benevolent Association are calling for Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina to be fired after they claimed he used racist slurs during a training session in 1997.
It’s the latest in the back and fourth between leaders of the Black Police Union and Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina.
Ramon Carr, the Vice President of the Miami Community Police Benevolent Association, said, “We’re not talking about promotions. We’re talking about black men dying. We’re talking about systemic racism in police work.”
On Friday, The MCPBA called for the chief to resign.
They claim Colina used a racial slur while addressing fellow officers during a training exercise back in 1997.
The MCPBA pulled a document filed with the police disciplinary review board in 1997 when then officer Colina was reprimanded for using language some found offensive.
Stanley Jean-Poix, the president of the MCPBA, said, “We do not want to lead this kind of culture because guess what? There’s another generation of possibly racist officers serving the community.”
Colina said, “I was teaching a class, and I started the class by saying I was going to be using language that could be very offensive.”
Friday, Colina addressed officers in a video message and gave context for why he was written up.
Colina said, “I was given a reprimand for tact and consideration for the language that I used. Not because I’m a bigot or racist but because they aren’t happy with some of the language that I used.”
“When you’re working undercover you may have to act and say things that you wouldn’t normally otherwise whether they make you uncomfortable or not, and then I gave many examples of what that could be,” he said.
While Colina claims the MCBPA is just out to get him, the organization is pushing back, saying the problem is much bigger.
They allege racism in the department, unfair treatment of black officers, And lack of black officers in leadership positions.
Colina said more than a third of MPD’s executive staff are black officers.
In January, Miami Police Capt. Javier Ortiz was suspended when the MCPBA brought their concerns to the city commission months after they took a no confidence vote against the chief.
Now, said Colina, the group is just playing dirty politics, but the MCPBA said their allegations are nothing new.
Colina said, “You have a group of individuals that would take the murder of George Floyd and use that for their own self-serving purposes to push their own agenda is disgusting.”
Jean-Poix said, “We went in front of city hall January 17. George Floyd wasn’t dead yet. These issues and protests weren’t even an issue. At the time people thought we were crazy.”
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.