Florida HP Stop of Miami Policeman Driving 120 mph

[cruisingbull]

First, I consider myself a great supporter of ALL LEO's. Y'all have committed to performing a job which is often aggravating and unrewarded, and you continually find yourself in life-threatening situations.

That said, I cannot understand how some LEOs are criticizing the FHP officer who stopped a speeding (120 mph?) Miami cop, threatening to deprive her of Back-Up on subsequent calls and/or chastising her for drawing her weapon when initially confronting the Miami cop in his car.

As the situation has been reported in thw news, the perp (yes, I am using that term in this case) was traveling, in a Miami PD marked car, at speeds in excess of 100 mph, without using flashing lights or siren. I don't know how long before he pulled over... The FHP officer approached the car with her weapon drawn. WELL, OF COURSE... IMO, she exercised remarkable restraint, and perhaps broke protocol, when she holstered her weapon after the Miami cop presumably identified him in some fashion as a fellow LEO. Had it been me, I would have ordered him out of the car, told him to assume the position, frisked him, and confiscated his weapon if he had one, before I obtained some confirmation of his identity. She didn't know him from Adam, IIRC, and he could have been an escaped felon who had stolen the patrol vehicle.

And what on Earth was the dispatcher doing advising her to fall back and discontinue pursuit when the FHP person initially called it in. If she knew something, Dispatch should have informed the FHP officer, and WHY would Dispatch choose to ignore a vehicle speeding at over 100 mph IN THE FIRST PLACE?!!?

IMO, ANYONE attacking this FHP officer, for performing her duty, is both unthinking and a discredit to the uniform he/she wears.

Kudos to all those who wear the badge to protect us all, facing risk and danger as the normal condition of employment. Without such folks, chaos would quickly ensue.

However, there is a culture among many officers that the law does not necessarily apply to them as it does to the rest of us, and that if a fellow cop breaks the law, it is incumbent upon other cops to ignore it rather than deal with it (Note that a FHP supervisor directed Trooper Donna Watts to back off her pursuit of a car weaving through traffic at 100 to 120mph, just because it was a cop car!). Few things could be more detrimental to a healthy police force.

I applaud and cheer what Trooper Watts did when she pursued and detained Officer Lopez, and I am completely disgusted by officers writing on this forum that they would not answer a call from assistance from Trooper Watts because of what she did. She performed her duty. Others should perform theirs.

You know, we hate Congress when it exempts itself from the burdens it places on the rest of us, and reserves special privileges for itself. We correctly say that such Senators and Representatives are not representing us at all in such things, and that they are corrupt. The same applies to anyone in authority who does the same. When cops arrest others for doubling the speed limit and excuse themselves, they do the same. When cops arrogantly berate a driver for the "danger" he presents by going 10 over the limit on a freeway, they do the same. When they belittle a driver who explains he was late for some appointment, and then protest when one of their own is ticketed for speeding because he is late for a job in Coconut Grove, they do the same.

Officers should know that the population hates that kind of hypocrisy in cops no less than in Congress.

The law is the law. If you're not on a call, don't do what you would ticket or arrest the rest of us for.

[USNavyRet]

This unfortunately is another example of the 'Above the Law' mentality that 'some' LEO's assume. I know that the majority of LEO's out there know the difference between right and wrong, but then there are those who just don't get it. Many a day I am traveling to work and I see marked police cars exceedeing the speed limit (ie 55 in at 35) on there way away from the city they patrol, so they are most likely going home.

This is upsetting to me to see that, knowing darn well that if that were me and I passed their vehicle, I would ge pulled over. So I applaude the FHP office that regardles of what dispatch instructed her to do (that also needs to be investigated), to stop the vehicle and put and end to his 'Fast and furious' ride on the turnpike.

I realize that LEO's serve the community in some very dangerous situations and very often put themselves in harms way dealing with the issues in our socity, but that does not give them one ounce of ability to violate the same laws that they themselves are sworn to enforce.

Being retired military, (21 years) I understand team work and what that requires. I served in Vietnam, and unfortunately, I am well aware of what 'Hell' and 'War' is like. And any officer that would not respond to another officer's request for assistance, because they were enforing the same laws that they were sworn to uphold, should not only be removed from the force, but be proscuted for aiding and abetting the person that was breaking the law.

As far as I an concerned they are traitors to the badge and as just as guilty as the perp.

My son was involved with the Sheriff Explorer program when he was in high school. He came home one day asking how it is that they can drive 90 to get to their events but we can't drive 90 to get to ours... Needless to say, that was a long talk about how some people are two-faced and have one standard for themselves and another standard for everyone else... but that doesn't make it right. Even if it is an LEO that is doing it.

I applaud Officer Watts for enforcing the law regardless of who it is that is breaking it.

Congratulations to the trooper for doing her job. So some cops think being late for work is justification not only for speeding but for driving so fast that you are putting the public at risk?? Seriously??

I am a retired LA County Deputy Sheriff who now lives in southern Nevada. I have absolutely NO PROBLEMS with the actions of the FHP trooper. For heavens sake the only *problem child* here was the moron doing 120+ MPH. And as to the trooper ordering the *SUSPECT* out at gun point----totally correct. The driving pattern of the *SUSPECT* coupled with his refusal to pull over for her lights/siren for approx 7 miles gave her good reason to fear that the patrol car could be stolen, as well as the uniform the *SUSPECT* was wearing. And here is a point for the idiot driving the Miami PD unit---not to long ago a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper was driving just like you, I believe going home to eat dinner. The big difference was he was not stopped by another copper. He only stopped when his patrol car crashed into another motorist killing the people in that car. The now-former officer is now doing time in a Nevada state prison----be thankful you only got a gun pointed at you!!!!!!!!!!

I am a retired Trooper and I agree mostly with the Fl. Trooper stopping the Miami PD car for an outrageous speeding violation. And the Miami officer deserved a ticket. But, if she had stopped me in the same situation and stuck a pistol in my face, we would have had a big problem. I would have not submitted meekly to arrest.

[Open minded]

FHP should fire trooper Watts. She broke more laws then the car that she was unsure of did. Pathetic.

According to Florida State Statutes
316.192 Reckless driving.--
(1)(a) Any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving.

So what I do not understand is how was Florida Highway Patrol Watts wrong for following the law? I mean the laws are written to be enforced... right? I mean at least that's what I thought.. The problem with you police officers is that your so used to doing whatever you want and taking advantage of the authority that's giving to you that you are too caught up in your "COP" world to realize that FHP Watts actions were correct. Step out of your world and start thinking reasonably ... 120mph is not justified because you are late to your off duty job. No one is in danger therefor there was no reason to drive at excessive speeds. Being late to an off duty job sounds like a personal problem to me. If I was doing 120mph every time I am late.. I would probably have my license suspended and have thousands of dollars in tickets. To me all you police officers bashing patrol Watts should be ashamed of your self's for your lack of values. Your bashing a woman for standing up and doing something someone never did. A real woman thats gonna put all you pigs in your PLACE.

In my first post, I worded this poorly:

However, there is a culture among many officers that the law does not necessarily apply to them as it does to the rest of us, and that if a fellow cop breaks the law, it is incumbent upon other cops to ignore it rather than deal with it (Note that a FHP supervisor directed Trooper Donna Watts to back off her pursuit of a car weaving through traffic at 100 to 120mph, just because it was a cop car!).
The FHP supervisor commented in the background that Watts should back off. There is no evidence in the recording that Watts ever received such an order. The Supervisor, though, illustrates the corruption of allowing LEO’s to violate the law at will.


I am a retired Trooper and I agree mostly with the Fl. Trooper stopping the Miami PD car for an outrageous speeding violation. And the Miami officer deserved a ticket. But, if she had stopped me in the same situation and stuck a pistol in my face, we would have had a big problem. I would have not submitted meekly to arrest.
Thank you for your service, and recognizing the fault of Officer Lopez. However: You’re suggesting to any officer that wants to uphold the law impartially that they are wiser to approach a vehicle with an unknown driver, maybe a cop, maybe not a cop, but either way NOT A LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, without being ready to defend himself/herself. That’s incredible to hear from a retired trooper. Every pullover I’ve seen after the driver had driven at high speeds and initially refused to stop, officers approach with guns drawn and aimed. LEO's are not exempt. LEO's had better submit meekly . . . just like they expect everyone else to do. If all LEO's obeyed the law they are committed to uphold, this wouldn't be an issue.


FHP should fire trooper Watts. She broke more laws then the car that she was unsure of did. Pathetic.
"Open minded," eh? Then you're up for discussion, right? Although I notice your post is the shortest one here. How about backing up your claim about all the laws Trooper Watts broke? Which laws? And on what basis should she be fired? How were her actions pathetic? Care to defend your views??

It's about time someone steps up to the plate!!! I've seen miami - dade, city of miami, hollywood, & many more department officers speeding way above the limit, running red lights ( that almost cause an accident)!! They were hired to SERVE & PROTECT us, not to do what they feel like doing!!! This officer & the Trooper that was telling her to BACK DOWN should be FIRED with no question asked!!! These other officers that are threatning Trooper Watts should be FIRED as well!! They show,out right, that THEY are not as sworn to duty, interested in SERVE & PROTECT the public!!! It's abuse of the badge they wear & to officers such as Trooper of the year, Trooper Watts & others who RESECT THE RIGHT TO WEAR A BADGE!!!!! Hats off to Trooper Watts! Thank you for doing YOUR job!!! God bless!!!

you're an idiot!

[NorthFL LEO]

Most of you have no understanding of what really happened.

1. Watts lost sight of the Police Car for several minutes, she doesn't even know if she "caught up" to the same car.

2. When she was told to break it off, (which at the time of day, traffic, speeds, and lost sight of vehicle the sergeant would have advised whether it was a Police Car or a civilian car), she turned off her lights and siren and continued to chase down a police car.

3. When she caught up to Lopez who was going 78 MPH according to Watts, she was told to get his Tag # and Car # and they would call his agency. In other words, don't pull him over. She violated this order, by pulling him over, pointed a gun at him, and detained him for nearly 40 minutes.

5. After the stop she was told that if Lopez was in uniform, to get his name and contact and release him. She violated this by detaining him for nearly 40 minutes and charging him.

Lopez was wrong for going 78 MPH in a 70 zone. That is all that can be proven by the video and by Watts' testimony. Even on her own video, she couldn't tell in the beginning if the car was a Miami PD, or a DOT car.

If it was Lopez that passed Watts, his GPS will show what his true speed was. He will then be punished by his agency and rightfully so. If he was speeding that fast he does deserve some type of punishment by his agency.

FHP needs to review the actions of Watts and take appropriate actions against her for disobeying orders as well as policies and procedures.

please stop all that bullshit already we are getting tired of reading the same shit if the fhp stop the miami cop good for her if he was speeding them he's **** so is finish ok let's focus on something else no this shit fhp versus mpd or we can take to the ring to see who's going to win.

I am not a LEO. But the anti-FHP sentiments of some here are frankly shocking. The Miami cop was going over 120 without lights or siren. He did not pull over when directed to do so. He had absolutely no excuse for driving that way. Why do Miami cops feel that they have immunity from grossly reckless driving? I know that if I was going 85, I would get no sympathy. Sorry LEO's, the laws apply equally to you as well. Maybe you should be allowed to use cocaine, rape women, run stop signs, park in handicap parking, not pay taxes, whatever . . .? Obviously not. So too bad if you have to obey the speed laws and get stopped like a normal citizen when you drive at 120 mph in traffic. Reminds me of the incident in Miami beach where an on duty officer was drinking and ran over a couple on the beach. His fellow officers let him go home and did not detain him. How many citzens would have been treated that way? None. So bottom line, quit your complaining and start accepting the reality that the laws apply to you too, and just because you are an LEO, you don't get immunity.

1. Watts lost sight of the Police Car for several minutes, she doesn't even know if she "caught up" to the same car.

Lost sight of the police car? You don't know that. All you know is that the video from the dash cam isn't as good as eyesight, and he isn't visible in the video for a few minutes.

The opinion of some at FHP that she should back off? All that does is illustrate the corruption. Oh, it's a cop, don't ever stop a cop, let him go and drive however he wants to drive!!! Simple corruption.

And all this rubbish about how it might not have been Fausto Lopez that passed her, and maybe the fastest he was ever going was 78 -- when she repeatedly told him he was going 120-125, he NEVER denied it. Not like he was just keeping his mouth shut either. He kept offering excuses and explanations trying to justify himself, and never once thought to mention, "Oh by the way, I wasn't driving that fast, maybe it was a different car you saw" - really???? If that's your argument, you've got one stupid Miami cop on the force down there. I believe I would have mentioned that fact while I was arguing, if I were him.

You're just upset that your supposed right to drive however you like is being questioned. And that's outrageous.

This was not a "minor infraction". This was not worthy of "professional courtesy". This undisputed act was caught on video and was so egregious of a sworn police officer it warrants "professional disciplinary action". This was not a "long time, level-headed, reasonable officer" that Mr. Mattewman would like us to think he is. This is a ****y, arrogant, irresponsible and just out of rookie-hood( 6 yrs. on the job) individual who has no respect for the law that he is suppose to enforce or the safety of general public. If Mr. Lopez is not terminated as a result of this gross negligence then at the very least he should be assigned a desk job and taken off the streets. Shame on the FOP, his lawyer and other supportive officers for sticking their necks out for someone caught live on camera doing wrong. Their is nothing to dispute, hide or distort, simply watch the video!

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/05/2 ... z1cwIuTbeu (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/05/2488922_p3/trooper-vs-miami-cop-police-public.html#ixzz1cwIuTbeu)

WITH 40 YEARS ON THE JOB, AND A MEMBER OF THE PBA IN BOTH JERSEY AND FLORIDA, I WANTED TO GIVE MY OPINION ON THE MIAMI/FHP INCIDENT.

WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE "BROTHERHOOD" WE ALL SHOULD HAVE BETWEEN US, i BELIEVE THE MIAMI IDIOT SHOULD HAVE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY, APOLOGIZED TO THE FHP TROOPER, AND PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE WAY TO HIS OFF DUTY DETAIL.

THE TROOPER HAD TWO CHOICES AT THAT POINT, LET HIM GO, WITH A POLITE, SLOW IT UP BROTHER WARNING, OR JUST TAKE HIS INFO AND REPORT HIM TO HIS AGENCY AND LET THEM HANDLE IT, WHICH THEY WOULD HAVE DONE. THE NEWS AND PAPERS WOULD NEVER KNOWN ABOUT IT, WHICH MAKES ALL POLICE LOOK LIKE IDIOTS.

THE FHP TROOPER COULD HAVE POSSIBLY GOTTEN THE TAG, CAR NUMBER AND REPORTED IT THAT WAY ALSO.

HE WAS 100 PERCENT WRONG GOING THAT FAST, AND SHE DID WHAT ANY NORMAL, SENSIBLE POLICE OFFICER WOULD DO. END OF STORY

got stopped on the pike a couple days ago for speeding. Trooper saw I was a Miami Police Officer. I thought this was going to go bad!.......surprised to be let off with a very courteous and professional warning. Koodos to that FHP Trooper for not lowering himself to the level that I expected.

Curious: what was the limit, and what was your speed?

In my opinion this is being over thought,

Was the Miami officer wrong? Absolutely

Was the FHP Trooper wrong? Yes and no

Apparently things are different in Texas as a licensed officer for the state of Texas this issue would have been handled completely different. However I work in an area with less than 100 officers for all city, county, and different state agencies. If we saw something such as this we would contact the officer directly in a safe condition possibly late on, or make contact via dispatch or radio to see if there was an emergency not a felony stop and find out what the reasoning was for said infraction. If the issue could not be resolved it would be taken to the adminstrations for an internal review of the actions, this is why interenal affairs was implemented in the first place right?

There are times when it is easier to get to a call without lights and sirens, because when civilians see them around where I work all the do is lock up the brakes in the middle of traffic and cause a major traffic hazzard. This is not an excuse for the MPD officer, however this will cause undue friction for all law enforcement when the people on patrol have to rely on each other, IA is hated enough as it is let them be the ones to bring the heat on the officer.

WITH 40 YEARS ON THE JOB, AND A MEMBER OF THE PBA IN BOTH JERSEY AND FLORIDA, I WANTED TO GIVE MY OPINION ON THE MIAMI/FHP INCIDENT.

WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE "BROTHERHOOD" WE ALL SHOULD HAVE BETWEEN US, i BELIEVE THE MIAMI IDIOT SHOULD HAVE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY, APOLOGIZED TO THE FHP TROOPER, AND PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE WAY TO HIS OFF DUTY DETAIL.

THE TROOPER HAD TWO CHOICES AT THAT POINT, LET HIM GO, WITH A POLITE, SLOW IT UP BROTHER WARNING, OR JUST TAKE HIS INFO AND REPORT HIM TO HIS AGENCY AND LET THEM HANDLE IT, WHICH THEY WOULD HAVE DONE. THE NEWS AND PAPERS WOULD NEVER KNOWN ABOUT IT, WHICH MAKES ALL POLICE LOOK LIKE IDIOTS.

THE FHP TROOPER COULD HAVE POSSIBLY GOTTEN THE TAG, CAR NUMBER AND REPORTED IT THAT WAY ALSO. You sir, do you honestly believe his agency would of handled it if reported to them. SERIOUSLY? Miami is the "septic tank" of the U.S.! When ever a serious felony or misdemeanor is commited where does the perp run to? SOUTH TO MIAMI, thats where....

HE WAS 100 PERCENT WRONG GOING THAT FAST, AND SHE DID WHAT ANY NORMAL, SENSIBLE POLICE OFFICER WOULD DO. END OF STORY

She should have handled this incident different; as a consequence, a tremendous rift in coherence has emerged between both departments that are supposed to work in unison.
It's out of question that Lopez was at fault, but after Watt's verified his identity there was no need for her to place him in custody and delay the event for almost an hour where the public was observing. This incident should have been dealt between both departments in an expedited manner, without letting the media interfere and portray the event in their way. It has been bad, nefarious for the credibility of both departments and the public trust has been undermined, hurt. Therefore, there no winners here.

She should have handled this incident in a different way; as a consequence, a tremendous rift in coherence has emerged between both departments which are supposed to work in unison.
It's out of question that Lopez was at fault, but after Watts verified his identity there was no need for her to place him in custody and delay the event for almost an hour in open view, where the public was observing. This incident should have been dealt between both departments in an expedited manner, without letting the media interfere and portray the event their own way. It has been bad, nefarious for the credibility of both departments and the public trust has been undermined, hurt. Therefore, there are no winners here.

What all of you are failing to realize is that this off duty officer was driving a City of Miami police car, which is in Dade County, at high rates of speed through Broward County. He was 15-20 miles from his jurisdiction. He was outside of his county and surely outside of his city. In my opinion, they shouldn't be able to drive their cars home. They surely shouldn't be able to drive them out of their own county. It is a GROSS waste of tax payer money. Who was paying for the gas he just wasted traveling at 120 miles per hour to another job, in another county? Since when are we providing cars to officers to drive to other jobs? Wonder why we need to raise taxes with all of the wasted spending?

This is an everyday occurence in Broward County. Officers from Miami are constantly traveling at high rates of speed on their way home and it is only a matter of time before someone gets killed.

Officer Watts should get a promotion for being one of the VERY few officers that actually enforce the law equally. Her supervisor that ordered the traffic stop halted, should be terminated. Mr. Lopez should have been terminated already and his law enforcement credentials should be permanantly revoked. His attitude, while polite, was very arrogant in the fact that she shouldn't stop a marked patrol car for any reason. He was wrong and he should be fired for having that mentality alone. What makes him special? The badge? The Gun?

I have to say that I have a bad taste in my mouth for police officers because of stuff just like this. Trooper Watts should be commended for being honest and loyal to the citizens in which she was hired to protect. At least we know there is one honest Trooper serving the citizens of Broward County.

Rather than setting up DUI check points this week, lets set up a "stop the cops from speeding check point". Lets do a test and see how many Miami cops they can catch flying through Broward County!

As a citizen, I recommend Trooper Watts for "Officer of the Year" for having the guts to do what is right, which is enforcing the laws equally!

....If he was speeding he should be ticketed, but I see LEOs SPEEDING all the time, and I doubt they're all go to a call....I think this incident will only fuel infighting amongst the departments, but hey; look on the bright side, maybe they'll start shooting at each other :evil:

I am a retired Trooper and I agree mostly with the Fl. Trooper stopping the Miami PD car for an outrageous speeding violation. And the Miami officer deserved a ticket. But, if she had stopped me in the same situation and stuck a pistol in my face, we would have had a big problem. I would have not submitted meekly to arrest.


I agree with you 100 % on the speeding issue (if you want to take it that far) but at gun point or even handcuffed, there would definitely be a problem. Either one is a recipe for disaster.

Smacky Wrote " But, if she had stopped me in the same situation and stuck a pistol in my face, we would have had a big problem. I would have not submitted meekly to arrest."

Oh! Smacky, that's how we all feel when any of you pull out a weapon on us, it must feel great to be exempt of being subjected to it, Miami Police Officers have work very hard to earned a reputation of being corrupted, pre-potent and above the law.

To tell you with all respect, that in Miami the time has come to fear the police more than the criminals themselves. Very sad!

Well, done Officer Watts!!!

I see only two solutions to this controversy caused by the lack of tact from Trooper Watts who mishandled Lopez's wrongdoing and let the media interfere, which has been detrimental to the credibility of both departments.

Well, the first solution could be the throwing of a big party where officers of both departments could socialize and interact amicably. The other solution: a boxing match where Troopers and MP officers could retaliate and forget everything about the dispute afterward.

After reading some of the posts I can fully understand how we are all presumed to be guilty of all charges by civilians before any case disposition is made. Of special note are many young cops (along with some old-timers) who are ready to believe anything printed in the news and ready to convict fellow officers based on these embellished statements. Are they in for a rude awakening! First of all, based on the reported story neither officer was right. Imagine if both cars were involved in an accident due to the speeds involved causing their own and civilian deaths. The reason many jurisdictions have no chase rules for minor incidents is due to the history of chase related injuries and death. If we use a speeding police car as probable cause to initiate a chase then we will be spending all our time chasing each other. Let's face the facts - one cop (Miami) was allegedly exercising poor judgement and discourtesy and should have been dealt with administratively by his own department after notification by the FHP; the other cop (FHP) was exercising poor judgement by initiating an unnecessary dangerous chase and failing to comply with orders to cease that pursuit and she also should be dealt with administratively. The fact that she drew her weapon and no cross department shoot-out occurred is another miracle. If she thought that a police car and uniform was stolen the he could have thought that some EDP did the same and was chasing him. If both had equal levels of poor judgement at the same time then we could have read headlines about a weird shoot-out on the Florida highways. It is time to step back from the raw nerves and emotions that this incident has precipitated. Let each department hopefully deal with their own personnel and let's stop messing with each other. It is time to return to the days of reasonable "Professional Courtesy" and put our verbal and literal guns back in the holster.

The other trooper who called MP because his brother is a supervisor there, is at fault as well. It was very unethical. He shouldn't use his family ties for official duties or personal gain.

Consequently, a fair counseling couldn't have been administered to Vokaty.

I was a LEO for 31 years and a Superviser for 22 of those 31 years.
If in fact Lopez was driving at 120 MPH, as alleged by Watts, than he is an Ass .... and needs to be disciplined by his Department.
If in fact Watts continued the pursuit after being instructed to discontinue the pursuit than she should be disciplined for failing to obey an order. In order to catch up to Lopez than I would have to assume she is going to have to drive at least 120 MPH or better to catch him. Are we going to endanger our own life, and the lives of others, for a Traffic Infraction??? The superviser made a good call for calling off the pursuit.
If I was Watts I would definitely have had my gun unholstered in approaching the suspect vehicle. Once Lopez was properly IDed I would have holstered my weapon.
Watts should have never handcuffed Lopez. That was clearly uncalled for. I know a whole lot of cops that would have escalated this matter to a whole new level if another cop tried to put the cuffs on them for a Traffic Infraction while they were driving a Marked Vehicle. That could have a pretty ugly ending. The verbal berating of Lopez by Watts was pretty sickening. I don't know how Lopez put up with that. If Watts felt as strongly as she did about the conduct of Lopez she should have put it to paper, through her Chain of Command, and let the Miami P.D. handle the matter. A Summons/Arrest is not how we should treat our Brother/Sister LEOs for a Traffic Infraction.
I can't believe in this day and age, with budget constraints the way they are, that Lopez would be authorized to drive a Department Car to his Off-Duty Employment Gig???
I don't know a lot about the Miami P.D., but if I was the person in charge, I would be somewhat concerned that so many people are calling my Department so Corrupt....

Then, the Miami Police Chief comes out with a new policy virtually granting "Diplomatic Immunity" to troopers in his jurisdiction; after his officer was mistreated by those troopers. Unbelievable!

It's sad to see so many LEO's stating that Officer Lopez is Guilty. It is an ALLEGATION. I'm sure the Trooper will TestiLIE in court. If she was in a stopped vehicle, there is no way that she did not lose sight of the vehicle that passed her at 120 mph. She stated that it was either a Miami PD or DOT, she wasnt sure. I don't know the policies in Florida, but, I wouldn't want to be a FHP that has to go into a Miami Police Station, & I am sure most Local PD's share Miami's feelings.

Here in NY, Police vehicles are Emergency vehicles, & are immune to the VTL, so another agency, City, County, or State, have no authority to stop it, & I am wondering if it is the case in Florida also?

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I am former LEO from Massachusetts and come from a long family line of same. I have NEVER seen such shameful actions on the part of any LEO directed against another. The bottom line is the FHP trooper should have taken down the Miami cruiser's number and sent it up proper channels. Period.

IMHO, Ms Watts is a loose cannon, dangerous to any and all LEOs around here. This wing nut should be taken off the public way before someone gets hurt, including herself.

I have never seen such a despicable act committed against a fellow LEO And the fallout between to two agencies is predicable after seeing the complete lack of action against EITHER office by each of their agencies. This type of Police MISSmanagement can only jeopardize the safety of BOTH agencies' staff and the public they serve.

Its time for management to step up to the plate and discipline the Miami Police officer and get that loose wingnut of an FHP Trooper disarmed.

As to you public readers, don't even bother replying. You don't understand and never EVER will you. And that's not your fault either. OUR job is to protect YOU, period.

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Folks, please understand that Watts own video tape proves she went off the reservation, to be polite, with her acts. Her tape she says a car with a blue light bar blew past me at 120 mph, don't know if it is a COP or DOT car. Then advises she lost sight of the car. In Florida , if your are following an offender for a misdemeanor you can follow them to the state line and arrest them. But the law says you lose sight of the offender, you have to get a warrant to make the arrest. Please remember this. Her sergeant for the first time tells her to stop. Now, your thinking yeah he said that because it was a cop. No, just about all police entities in the U S, DO NOT CHASE VEHICLES FOR A TRAFFIC VIOLATION. Some, will not even chase a vehicle for a non violent felonies. She keeps advising and the tape has a voice asking if she still has her siren on. Remember, she was ordered to stop. So she turns off the siren and lights, and speeds up. She finally catches A police car, and clocks it going at 78 mph. Again she said she doesn't know if it is a cop or dot car remember? She gives the tag wrongly, advises this car is city of Miami, and gives a vehicle number. AGAIN her sgt. tells to stop the pursuit, she has the info. She continues and sees the cop car changing lanes, cop seeing an emergency vehicle behind him with lights and sirens says he was trying to get out of the way. He stops, she stops and runs up and aims her firearm at a uniformed cop riding a marked police vehicle OVER A TRAFFIC VIOLATION. By this time the city of Miami knows about a cop car of theirs is in something but have no reports of a stolen city car. She aims her gun till the officer exits with his arm raised. And then, tells him he is under arrest for going over 120 mph, handcuffs him. He says no mamm, no mamm. She is your hero now i am sure. But you see, her 120 mph isn't based on being behind the suspect car and using your certified speedometer to a know the actual speed. It was based on a guess. And guesses in court? Get my drift? So her "reckless driving" charge has even less validity. The court rulings say speed in of it's self is not reckless, and the 120 is guesstimate anyway. But the biggest screw up besides the gun to the face of a uniformed cop, was her arrest. She lost sight of the offending vehicle she first saw. She had no idea the car she sees now is the one she saw before. SHE HAD TO GET THE WARRANT TO ARREST! Remember I asked you to remember that little gem before? And now, you arrest someone without authority of law, it is called false imprisonment. Yes, and it is a felony, and cops have been arrested, tried and convicted of such in the past. And try her times/distances according to her own words. One is all i am going to post. You travel 7 minutes at OVER 120 mph, the minimum distance you travel is 14 miles, not the 11 and then 12 miles she states This isn't trying to excuse a cop or dot car speeding past a trooper. It is trying to point out the facts the media left out. And you know what, even cops have the right to be presumed innocent till their day in court. And if the day ever comes, and I hope not, someone is kicking in your door at 4 am with you inside Screaming to police dispatcher on the phone, where are the cops. You sure as hell won't give a caca how fast the cops went to get there. But people what if she in her hectic, excuse me, crazy traffic stop had accidently shot lopez in the head, Would the headlines, TROOPER KILLS UNIFORMED COP RIDING A MARKED POLICE CAR OVER A TRAFFIC VIOLATION make you happy? ASK any cop you know if they have ever heard of a cop aiming his firearm at a uniformed cop riding a marked vehicle over a traffic violation. Tough enough job that cops do already, and do not need to worry about WATTS with a gun.