Jun 24, 2008 9:46 pm US/Eastern
Miami Police Cmdr. Quits During Crime Stats Probe
Commander Lorenzo Whitehead resigned on Tuesday after being contacted about this story.
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
A criminal investigation of the Miami Police Department has been ongoing since the fall of 2007, over charges it falsified crime reports to make the city appear safer than it actually is. Now, a high-ranking police officer has resigned and could be facing arrest.
"I have learned from two sources, two reliable sources, that FDLE has found probable cause to arrest a command level staff person in the Miami Police Department," said police union president Armando Aguilar.
The police officers union initially brought the charges that cops and their commanders are withering under pressure to downplay the crime picture in Miami.
CBS4 has learned the officer is Miami Police Commander Lorenzo Whitehead. Public corruption prosecutors confirm that Whitehead has been named by the FDLE. Whitehead resigned earlier today after being contacted about this story.
A spokesperson for state attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said they are reviewing the materials and will then make a determination about how to proceed.
For his part, Whitehead declined to comment on this story, telling
CBS4's Gary Nelson, "I have been instructed, per the Chief of Police, to refer your questions to the Public Information Office."
The PIO said it has no information on the FDLE's investigation of the Miami Police Department. Also, FDLE declined comment except to say that their investigation is ongoing.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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