# ‘you’re A Bad Police Officer’: Official Confronts Deputy At Awards Ceremony



## Shula (Sep 29, 2019)

*ENERGY*!!!!  Would have loved to have seen this in person! The looks on their faces are priceless. 

The first time that officials in a southern Florida city publicly commended county deputies for their exemplary work turned out to be memorable — but not for the reasons leaders had intended.







© City of Tamarac Commissioner Mike Gelin of Tamarac, Fla., center with microphone, accused Deputy Joshua Gallardo, right, of making a false arrest in 2015.
In Tamarac, Fla., about 15 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale, city commissioners started their meeting in the City Hall chambers on Wednesday with a presentation of certificates for deputies from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, including Joshua Gallardo.


After Mayor Michelle J. Gomez and the commissioners took a group photo with the deputies, one of the commissioners, Mike Gelin, took the microphone and addressed Deputy Gallardo directly: “You probably don’t remember me, but you are the police officer who falsely arrested me four years ago.”

“You lied on the police report,” Mr. Gelin continued, according to a video posted by the city. “I believe you are a rogue police officer. You are a bad police officer, and you don’t deserve to be here.”

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As Mr. Gelin spoke, the mayor covered her mouth with her hand and looked down. His words were met with silence.

Ms. Gomez quickly grabbed the microphone and told the deputies that city officials appreciated “everything that you do for us.” It was the first ceremony the city hosted to recognize outstanding deputies.

Deputy Gallardo nodded and gave Mr. Gelin a thumbs up before walking back to his seat.

Minutes before the confrontation, Deputy Gallardo had been named “April 2019 Deputy of the Month” for arresting a man from El Salvador who had a murder warrant and was wanted by the international law enforcement organization Interpol.

Mr. Gelin, who was elected as a commissioner last year, said on Saturday that the confrontation was not planned. It was the first time he had seen Deputy Gallardo since his arrest in 2015 and his decision to say something was “in the moment,” he said.

In July 2015, Mr. Gelin said he was at a Starbucks when he saw two men fighting across the street. By the time he went to help break up the fight, he said there were around 15 to 20 bystanders and several officers at the scene.

Mr. Gelin, who is black, said he was recording the scene with his phone when Deputy Gallardo, who is white, demanded that he stop. Mr. Gelin continued recording until the deputy arrested him and charged him with resisting without violence.

Deputy Gallardo wrote in a police report that he responded to a call of a victim who was bleeding from his ears and skull. Mr. Gelin, who was recording, approached the deputy from behind and was handcuffed when he refused to leave the area, the report said.

Mr. Gelin said he was in jail for nine hours, and prosecutors dropped the charge after seeing the video from his phone.

“I was profoundly affected by my wrongful arrest,” he said. “It was a traumatizing experience and I think about it a lot. I had a flashback at the meeting and thought it was the right thing to do to call out the officer.”

Mr. Gelin acknowledged that he could have handled the situation better on Wednesday but said that he wanted to make it a learning opportunity.

“Wrongful arrests have lifelong impacts on people and happen more than people would want to believe,” Mr. Gelin said. “I need to be a voice for the people who don’t feel like they have a voice or the courage to express their voice.”

Since the meeting, Mr. Gelin said he had received hundreds of messages. Some have been racist and hateful, but many have been supportive and grateful, particularly from those in minority communities.

In an email, the mayor said she believed Mr. Gelin’s remarks “were highly inappropriate.”

“This was neither the time nor the forum to air personal grievances,” she wrote. “This is NOT the way we treat employees or people who work for our city. There are proper channels to follow, but the commissioner chose not to use them.”

Sheriff Gregory Tony met with Mr. Gelin on Wednesday after the meeting and defended the deputy, Mr. Gelin said, adding that the sheriff said he would open an internal investigation into the 2015 arrest.

Sheriff Tony and Deputy Gallardo were not immediately available to comment on Saturday.

In a statement on Friday, the Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Association called Mr. Gelin “an insult to law enforcement.”

“It is outrageous that Commissioner Gelin acted in an official capacity to berate a deputy who was just recognized for apprehending a known gang member wanted for homicide who has previously been deported,” Jeff Bell, the president of the union, said.


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## NijaG (Sep 29, 2019)

Shula said:


> *ENERGY*!!!!  Would have loved to have seen this in person! The looks on their faces are priceless.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Arresting a gang member doesn’t make you a saint who can’t have questionable morals and  Racial bias.


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## Laela (Sep 29, 2019)

Is the mayor wearing a doo-rag?


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## FriscoGirl (Sep 29, 2019)

Laela said:


> Is the mayor wearing a doo-rag?



it looks like a cancer patient scarf.


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## Kanky (Sep 30, 2019)

He needs to sue as well. Public shaming isn’t enough.


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## naturalgyrl5199 (Oct 8, 2019)

My friend was in the room and said the guy had an agenda, and it wasn't appropriate. I told her lying on people and false arrest isn't appropriate either.


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