MIAMI HERALD Where’s the evidence? Guns & cash missing from SWPD evidence room.

[MIAMI HERALD]

West Miami-Dade
MIAMI HERALD
AUGUST 18, 2015

Where’s the evidence?
GUNS, LIQUOR, CASH among 7,000 items missing from Sweetwater police room

BY CHARLES RABIN AND BRENDA MEDINA
crabin@MiamiHerald.com

For the past several years, random cops have had unfettered access to the Sweetwater Police Department’s evidence room. Signing a log sheet when entering or leaving wasn’t required. Cameras to record visits were broken or pointed the wrong way.

During that time, liquor bottles were mysteriously filled with only water, and tens of thousands of dollars disappeared. So did 19 weapons and 19 bicycles.

In all, 7,877 items that should have been safely tucked away in the small rectangular room down the hall from the chief’s office are missing, an audit by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement found.

The audit also found that:

▪ Evidence was not logged properly or documented.

▪ There was an incomplete list of receipts and a lack of case numbers.

▪ And an internal control as simple as making certain two officers were present every time someone entered the room wasn’t enforced.

So far, there is no indication that missing evidence has harmed any prosecutions. But the findings place future cases in jeopardy, said Acting Sweetwater Police Chief Placido Diaz. And in at least one instance, Diaz said, a man who had more than $5,000 confiscated from him and has asked that it be returned isn’t getting his money back anytime soon.

“I consider the property stolen unless I find it,” Diaz said at a news conference Wednesday at City Hall. “If it’s a criminal violation, we will treat it as such. If it is an administrative violation, we will treat it as such.”

Diaz said the city has the serial numbers for most of the missing guns. And if any of them show up having been used during the commission of a crime in another city, Sweetwater can trace it through a national database.

At the same news conference, Sweetwater Mayor Orlando Lopez said police personnel most likely removed or “stole” the property.

“No one else had access to that property,” he said.

Many details in the FDLE audit have not been made public. The agency has refused to release its findings, citing an exemption called “active intelligence.”

In this case, it’s to protect the names of people in the report who are being investigated. Someone familiar with the FDLE findings said the city and an outside law enforcement agency are investigating officers who had access to the room.

The audit, a 500-page report according to Sweetwater officials, covers mostly from 2010 through 2015, and was undertaken at Diaz’s request in early June and completed by the end of July. The information from the report made public was released by Sweetwater. The city also released a brief summary from FDLE, showing how it went about the investigation, and the actual numerical findings.

Diaz, who took the helm of the city’s 109-person police force in May, has already instituted controls to halt tampering in the evidence room.

He assigned police officer Ciro Pineda to oversee chain of custody and the opening and closing of the room’s only entrance. The room — about 10 feet by 30 feet with wooden shelves, a cage for weapons and a vault for valuables and money — now has a new deadbolt lock and alarm system. New evidence is being stored with the Miami-Dade Police Department until the issues are cleared up.

Until October 2013, the evidence room was overseen by Sweetwater police officer Catalino Rodriguez, who left the department after being appointed to a commission seat. For the past two years, a civilian has been in charge.

For Sweetwater, the latest alleged indiscretions only add to a city besieged by turmoil the past two years.

In August 2013, Mayor Manuel “Manny” Maroño was arrested by federal agents, accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks in a sham government grant scheme. Three months later, he admitted his guilt and accepted a prison sentence of three years.

Shortly after Maroño’s arrest, in October 2013, Police Chief Roberto Fulgueira stepped down amid state and federal investigations into public corruption and civil rights violations. Fulgueira had been at the helm for eight years.

Then in December 2013, an El Nuevo Herald investigation found that the city was bolstering its budget with $168,000 in towing fines accumulated through Southland Towing Co., which was owned by a business partner of Maroño.

This past May, Police Chief Jesus “Jesse” Menocal, left when Mayor Jose M. Diaz — a commissioner who replaced Maroño — was not permitted to run again after a Miami-Dade court ruling known as the “resign to run” law.

Diaz, the acting police chief, said he asked FDLE to conduct the audit only after learning of a second evidence room — one the public and most cops were completely unaware of — that the city rented a few blocks from the police station at 500 SW 109th Ave.

An investigation in 2013 found the evidence area in that room was filled with counterfeit luxury clothes, handbags, and machines used to determine if currency is fake or not. After Maroño was arrested, a police department commander said the mayor had authorized the use of the warehouse earlier that year.

Later, then-Mayor Diaz admitted that federal authorities were investigating the disappearance of thousands of dollars in cash from the city’s evidence rooms. Diaz said the missing money came from either seized assets or from fines recovered from the Southland Towing scandal.

On Wednesday morning, Acting Chief Diaz said the FDLE investigation didn’t include anything from the second evidence room, and that all that property had been removed and secured.

“They took the property to a trailer and locked it with four wood screws,” he said, “which isn’t the right way to handle it, either

[Unregistered]

The FEDS should go in there and work undercover to jail all these corrupt crooks in uniform.

[Unregistered]

the feds should go in there and work undercover to jail all these corrupt crooks in uniform.

working on it

[Unregistered]

First ones to be arrested will be former chiefs Roberto + Tard and el Loco comm Cata. Can't wait. Wouldn't surprise me if Diaz gets 39 too.

[Unregistered]

First ones to be arrested will be former chiefs Roberto + Tard and el Loco comm Cata. Can't wait. Wouldn't surprise me if Diaz gets 39 too.

Are they going to inventory the evidence / property room at the tards homes?

[WE THE PEOPLE]

This is not new.

After manny maroÑo's arrest the city of sweetwater police department initiated a wide open investigation on the secret evidence room as well as the money and lost vehicles that were towed by southland, the towing company.
It is very funny that pumpkin head declares that the fdle found
these violations due to his request... When the reality is that this has been an open federal and state investigation since 2013.

Liar!!

[Unregistered]

To the F.D.L.E. & the FBI: Who was that a civilian has access to the police files:?

Who has given him the authority to do so?
Why hasn't the chief put a stop to this, knowing how many laws and charters he is violating?

Non-other then Richard Pichardo, that's who.

1- Richard Pichardo looking at police officers files with even being a city employee
2- Pichardo could be removing/inputting documents from police officers files.
3 - Pichardo in violation of "hipa". Officers have medical records in their file.
4 - Pichardo is not a sworn officer nor a contract employee in very sensitive areas of the police department.
5 - Pichardo has access to evidence / property room materials.
6 - Pichardo is in violation of civil rights ad police officer L.E.O. bill of right.
It is unfortunate that nothing has changed in a place that COULD be an awesome department

[EL DUENDE]

This is the truth.

After manny maroño's arrest and before pumpking head era, the city of sweetwater police department initiated a wide open investigation on the secret evidence room as well as the corruption, the missing money and the lost vehicles that were towed by southland, the towing company.
It is very funny that pumpkin head declares that the fdle found
these violations due to his request... When the reality is that this has been an open federal and state investigation since 2013.

Liar!!

[ALI]

MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT JONH RIVERA

Sweetwater novel

Just like Homestead, Sweetwater PD is operating in a fog these days. Sadly, and unlike Homestead, the place was improving and becoming a more professional department under the leadership of Jessie Menocal. Morale was high and the personnel were motivated. Then, the world of politics came into play and the new Mayor, Orlando Lopez, won purely on a technicality and immediately unjustly fired 15 officers for no reason other than they didn’t support him for office. Polling indicated that Lopez was going to lose the election by a huge margin, but here in the greater Miami-Dade area controversies and uncommon things are commonplace. The mayor’s decision to fire the officers was overturned by the Council by a vote of 6 to 1.

However, I have a funny feeling that Mayor Lopez suffers from a disease recently revealed as Gimenezitis, a condition of severe narcissism, which affects the brain matter. So, stay tuned – this one might become as juicy as Homestead before it’s all over.

MESSAGE FROM OUR VICE PRESIDENT PABLO LIMA

City of Sweetwater

Yes, the City of Sweetwater is back to its old ways during the days of Mayor Manuel Marono’s “maranas” (shading dealings). By the way, he is in jail right now for those maranas. The City had started its long road to professionalize and cleaning up its tarnished image under the leadership of Mayor Jose M. Diaz. Mayor Diaz is an honest professional whose only interest was only to the City of Sweetwater residents and the City’s employees. Due to a technicality, Mayor Diaz was unable to run for re-election for mayor and the maranas started all over with the present default mayor by the name of Orlando Lopez. Mr. Lopez has been nickednamed “pumpkin head,” you be the judge as to why. Mr. Lopez’ first act was to hire all his colonies, whether qualified or not. Mr. Lopez then forced out several highly qualified city professionals, including Chief Jesus Menocal to make room for his pumpkin patch. Chief Menocal is a highly qualified professional who rose through the ranks and is well-liked by the officers and the community. I was also told that Mr. Lopez even has former Lieutenant Richard Pichardo writing departmental memoranda for the new chief. Yes, the same Lieutenant Pichardo that was fired over a year ago that had the City’s missing horse at his house for almost a year. It appears that Mr. Pichardo is conducting city functions although doesn’t appear on the payroll. HUMMM!!!

As part of the pumpkin patch, Mr. Lopez hired Mr. Palcido Diaz. On Mr. Diaz’ first day in office he unjustly fired 15 officers. The City commission, under the leader of Vice Mayor Jose M. Diaz passed a resolution 6-1 to re-hire back all of the officers. Guess who was the one that voted against the resolution, Isolina Marono, Manny’s mother! As of this writing, we are still awaiting the chief to carry out the commission’s directive — just another sad day in Sweetwater politics.

[DICK TRACY]

Placido Diaz a/k/a BAKER PUMPKIN HEAD" you are making the most ridiculous role of your entire life.
Plácido "THEY DON'T WANT YOU " you have to leave, whether you like it or not.
Mr. Placido Diaz a/k/a "Baker Pumpkinhead" you are not ratified as a Police Chief by the elected officials of the city ( the Commissioners), you have to leave my friend, whether you like it or not.
If you decided not to leave in a nice way, a judge will order it!, and you are going to be forced by the court to leave the office.

The "strong" mayor is the city administrator, but he must obey and comply with the City’s Charter; like it or not, if he refused to comply with the chapter a judge a or governor will forced him to do so or removed.

THE CITY OF SWEETWATER IS NOT ORLANDO LOPEZ's PRIVATE BUSINESS.
THE CITY IS A GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION OWNED BY OUR TAXPAYERS AND RULED BY THE APPROVED CITY CHAPTER.