What kind of misfits is MDPD hiring these days?

[Unregistered]

MDPD goes from one embarrassment to another. Who is responsible for background investigations these days? What has happened to the days when spit shine shoes, short haircuts and experience in police matters differentiated you from the criminals? These days, our MDPD badge is a license to steal, sell drugs, drive drunk, etc. Who supervised this rocket scientist here. Bet before he was arrested he was thought of as a "great officer" and a "qru guy".

Miami-Dade detective faces trial on charges of protecting pot ring
BY JAY WEAVERJWEAVER@MIAMIHERALD.COM
04/05/2015 9:16 AM 04/05/2015 10:43 AM


›‹
Alex Santiesteban, member of pot-growing clan.

Onetime Miami-Dade County narcotics detective Roderick Silva, who faces trial this month on charges of protecting a notorious pot ring, might have been too smart for his own good.

Almost six years ago, Derrick Santiesteban, the boss of a family-run grow-house racket, contacted Silva to fill him in on rival gang members posing as cops who had ripped off about 50 pounds of pot from his southwest Miami-Dade home.

Santiesteban wanted the police detective to help him recover the hydroponically grown shipment stolen on June 25, 2009, according to prosecutors. But Silva warned him that arresting the robbers “would likely bring down scrutiny on” his pot syndicate — so Santiesteban told the detective “to just forget it,” prosecutors say.

Three days later, the leader of the rival gang, Fidel Ruz Moreno, was found fatally shot on the street in the Hammocks area. Silva, who learned about the murder immediately, waited a full day before reporting snippets of his relationship to the Santiesteban clan to Miami-Dade investigators.

Prosecutors believe Silva went to county homicide detectives in an attempt to cover his tracks and that he lied to them. He also refused “to go on the record” with his statement, saying he feared retaliation if he testified against Derrick Santiesteban, according to a police report.

Silva’s statement, however, would expose him as a possible suspect. He was immediately reassigned to the Miami-Dade Police Department’s records unit.

Silva, now relieved of duty, was charged last year with aiding and abetting the Santiestebans’ marijuana-distribution conspiracy and with extortion for accepting $1,500 from the family to keep quiet.

Silva, 45, who joined the Miami-Dade force in 2003, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted on both counts. His trial starts April 20 before U.S. District Judge Robert Scola. It was continued from last month, possibly to allow more time to work out a plea deal between lead prosecutor Pat Sullivan and Silva’s defense attorney, Nathan Diamond. He declined to comment Friday.

The prosecutor disclosed Silva’s police statement earlier this year in a court motion seeking to introduce evidence about the former detective’s use of cocaine at social gatherings with Santiesteban family members to show they “trusted” him. Diamond — whose defense maintains that Silva used Derrick Santiesteban as a “confidential source” — countered that the cocaine allegation was unrelated to the charges against his client and would harm him in the eyes of a jury.

But Scola, the judge, sided with the prosecutor, allowing that evidence at trial.

Scola concluded “the evidence of Silva’s cocaine use ... is offered to show his acceptance into the Santiesteban family, his co-conspirators’ trust in him, and his motivation to provide information and support to the enterprise.”

The former detective is the brother of one of the key members of the Santiesteban family’s operation, David Silva.

According to the federal indictment, Roderick Silva tipped off the organization about upcoming police raids, allowing them to dismantle and move their indoor hydroponic grow-house operations.

Silva, who is alleged to have been paid by the gang, also passed along the locations of rival marijuana grow houses, information the Santiestebans used in home-invasion robberies, the feds say.

He also gave the clan tips on how to avoid police and even passed along misinformation to his fellow detectives about the Santiestebans’ large-scale operation.

The Santiestebans — headed by patriarch Gilberto Sr. and joined by sons Derrick, Gilberto Jr., Alexander and Darvis — were charged along with 16 others over the past three years. All but Roderick Silva have been convicted.

Investigators say the Santiesteban clan operated 20 indoor hydroponic marijuana grow houses, yielding at least 1,146 potent pot plants that produced millions of dollars in profits from a distribution network in the Northeast.

Miami-Dade police and Drug Enforcement Administration agents took down the outfit after they began investigating the gang’s murder of the rival doper, Ruz.

The group was accused of fatally shooting him in June 2009 after the man had ripped off about 50 pounds of marijuana from Derrick Santiesteban as he and his wife were packaging the load at their southwest Miami-Dade home to transport to New York.

All of the gang members are serving long prison sentences, including Derrick Santiesteban, who received a life sentence. He is expected to testify for the prosecution against Silva, zeroing in on their conversation after rival gang members posing as cops who stole his pot shipment.

“Conspirator Derrick Santiesteban will testify at trial that he had exterior surveillance cameras on his house, which recorded the police-impersonators stealing his marijuana,” according to court papers filed by prosecutors.

“He will further testify that he met up with defendant Roderick Silva to discuss how [the] defendant could aid him in recovering his marijuana, and that he showed the tape to [Silva].

“He will testify that [Silva] told him that perhaps law enforcement authorities could find and arrest the police-impersonators, but if so, arresting them would likely bring scrutiny on him, Derrick.”

Santiesteban told the narcotics detective to ignore his plan. A few days later, the rival doper, Ruz, would be murdered.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/loca...#storylink=cpy

[Unregistered]

Garbage what you think.

[Unregistered]

Don't blame the new guys for everything.

[Unregistered]

Goes to show that the way the background checks are being done is crap. I've always wanted to work for MDPD I was actually working in a very well paying job 9-6 pm making about $80K a year and when the crash came our company reduced it's work force by 3/4 I was one. I had to take the first job out there to keep a roof over my family's head but it was only for $33k a year and took a beating in my retirement as well. I said to myself this is the perfect time to live my dream of being part of the MDPD. So I applied when it came down to the nitty gritty after talking to the final step which was the psychologist he said he'd recommend me for duty. I thought I was in then the bomb came they couldn't take me because there were a couple of issues with my credit. I explained the situation with me making enough to currently make my mortgage and keep the lights on but I wasn't a deadbeat. The Sergeant told me that's my problem not his.

[Unregistered]

Goes to show that the way the background checks are being done is crap. I've always wanted to work for MDPD I was actually working in a very well paying job 9-6 pm making about $80K a year and when the crash came our company reduced it's work force by 3/4 I was one. I had to take the first job out there to keep a roof over my family's head but it was only for $33k a year and took a beating in my retirement as well. I said to myself this is the perfect time to live my dream of being part of the MDPD. So I applied when it came down to the nitty gritty after talking to the final step which was the psychologist he said he'd recommend me for duty. I thought I was in then the bomb came they couldn't take me because there were a couple of issues with my credit. I explained the situation with me making enough to currently make my mortgage and keep the lights on but I wasn't a deadbeat. The Sergeant told me that's my problem not his.

Blah, Blah, Blah. They keep people with bad credit out to avoid people ending up like Mata. If you are serious about the job apply everywhere, not just one Department.

[Unregistered]

Before you make any judgements let's wait for the trail to be over and see the outcome. Let's not forget the last group of MDPD officers to be federally accused and the outcome of the case. If you really think your getting the true facts and accounts of this case you should start buying property on Mars. The Miami Herald and these nibblet stories are just another way to drag cases thru the mud. The only thing you see and hear out of this case is how they been hard prosecuting this cop for the last 4 to 5 years. Let's wait to see and hear the facts of this case, it could be interesting and maybe just another example of bad IA work! Like many that have and continue to Pop up daily. Yes the best of the worst heading these groups of investigators. The Golden Beach Crew, the Hialeah Park OT crew, the Commissioner Hardimen Crew, the Many OT violator cases, the SRT Mango Massacre closed but ongoing case, the Miami Lakes SRT 8oz Pot Raid Homicide, the Beach Shooting, the bullet riddled car shooting, the MilkMan Case, the recent ECB credit Fuad case, the numerous "Many" DUI cases, and the many other cases that seem to go no where. Yes if you've worked with this officer and other that have been down those dark alleys, DV calls, 2's, and 3's then it just fare to see the outcome of a trial before we prosecute based on Media reports, we owe him that much. Remember just like those you arrest daily, your innocent until proven guilty and the Herald and Media aren't the Justice Department even though some unducated individuals may seem to think so!

Let's raid that Blue Velvet Club and you'll see who's hating out with who, and doing what with what? Let's start handing out surprised drug test see what we find instead of announcing it months before. See who's got your back around here, let's look back on some of these recently hired characters and we'll see who's pushed that paper trail along. This place would flip if these things get done, it's better to worry about Tattoos, short black socks, beards, long hair, and extra vehicle lights on cars of some officers. Let's Chase out, demote, fire, and take vengeance on those who have great moral character, great ethics, and hard workers. Let's promote the crap and give special details to slugs, rookies, and family friends so this department can flourish once again! And yes let's appoint the best we got to the Top, a ethical and moral violator on record to guide all this great soles to the Top. Plus his band of merry nitwits who continue to show how unqualified they really are.

Oh, and please try not to say your short of man power on the air, you could find yourself ROD? Just keep drinking that Kool Aide folks, soon we might all be memebers of the Church of Scientology with Tom Cruise instead of the United Way!


Now back to Wicked Tuna!

[Unregistered]

Before you make any judgements let's wait for the trail to be over and see the outcome. Let's not forget the last group of MDPD officers to be federally accused and the outcome of the case. If you really think your getting the true facts and accounts of this case you should start buying property on Mars. The Miami Herald and these nibblet stories are just another way to drag cases thru the mud. The only thing you see and hear out of this case is how they been hard prosecuting this cop for the last 4 to 5 years. Let's wait to see and hear the facts of this case, it could be interesting and maybe just another example of bad IA work! Like many that have and continue to Pop up daily. Yes the best of the worst heading these groups of investigators. The Golden Beach Crew, the Hialeah Park OT crew, the Commissioner Hardimen Crew, the Many OT violator cases, the SRT Mango Massacre closed but ongoing case, the Miami Lakes SRT 8oz Pot Raid Homicide, the Beach Shooting, the bullet riddled car shooting, the MilkMan Case, the recent ECB credit Fuad case, the numerous "Many" DUI cases, and the many other cases that seem to go no where. Yes if you've worked with this officer and other that have been down those dark alleys, DV calls, 2's, and 3's then it just fare to see the outcome of a trial before we prosecute based on Media reports, we owe him that much. Remember just like those you arrest daily, your innocent until proven guilty and the Herald and Media aren't the Justice Department even though some unducated individuals may seem to think so!

Let's raid that Blue Velvet Club and you'll see who's hating out with who, and doing what with what? Let's start handing out surprised drug test see what we find instead of announcing it months before. See who's got your back around here, let's look back on some of these recently hired characters and we'll see who's pushed that paper trail along. This place would flip if these things get done, it's better to worry about Tattoos, short black socks, beards, long hair, and extra vehicle lights on cars of some officers. Let's Chase out, demote, fire, and take vengeance on those who have great moral character, great ethics, and hard workers. Let's promote the crap and give special details to slugs, rookies, and family friends so this department can flourish once again! And yes let's appoint the best we got to the Top, a ethical and moral violator on record to guide all this great soles to the Top. Plus his band of merry nitwits who continue to show how unqualified they really are.

Oh, and please try not to say your short of man power on the air, you could find yourself ROD? Just keep drinking that Kool Aide folks, soon we might all be memebers of the Church of Scientology with Tom Cruise instead of the United Way!


Now back to Wicked Tuna!

If it's the Mata case you want to wait for a trial you may be waiting a long, long time. He pled guilty and is facing up to life in prison with a minimum mandatory 10 years. More than likely since he "took responsibility" he will get the minimum with an additional 5 years of supervised realease (the feds way of saying probation).
This information can be seen on pacer. So the Herald report is extremely accurate.
Ok now you can get back to Wicked Tuna.

[doc justice]

Drum roll please!!!

[Unregistered]

Blah, Blah, Blah. They keep people with bad credit out to avoid people ending up like Mata. If you are serious about the job apply everywhere, not just one Department.

See you're missing the point, I never did say that I didn't apply anywhere else, in 2009 I was picked up by the City and doing very well. Paid off my debts saved my credit. I've always been a straight shooter never swayed from the law. Guess what I'm trying to say when you're a dirt bag it doesn't matter if you have good credit or bad. It's all on moral character if you have none your fubar.

[Unregistered]

They persecuted Roderick for almost six years. After he tipped them on the homicide they turned it against him. They don't record those statements because the FBI can then write their version of what was said. They then told all of the gang members that Roderick gave them up. Then they used the angry criminal's testimonies to indict him. They also used phone records from a guy that was an informant for him. Every detective has phone records with his informant.

There were no audio recordings, no video recordings, no bank records, no hard evidence.

Because one criminal stated that he gave him money there was an extra 20 year charge for being an officer. He was facing 30 years.

The government wins 95% of trials and it's not because they have an airtight case. These trials are just a formality. Those government friendly courthouses are basically a public hanging for police officers.

You can always tell the weakness of the government's case by the difference between the minimum mandatory and the plea deal. His case went from a 30 year sentence to a 3 year deal that may end up being half of that.

I know Roderick. He's an incredible friend and a compassionate officer. He's a better officer than most of the guys I still work with. He was friendly to everyone even his informants but there is no way he would do all the crap they say he did.

Roderick wasn't going to risk not seeing his kids graduate and get married. The only way to guarantee that was to take the deal. Roderick ate a plate full of shit pilled about a foot high just to guarantee his family. He was railroaded.