An entire Miami-Dade Police squad in Kendall has been disciplined after officers were caught out kissing girlfriends, shopping and drinking coffee while ignoring emergency calls including attending to an unconscious five-month-old baby.
One sergeant and two officers have been sacked for dereliction of duty, while three others have been suspended without pay.
The embarrassing incidents, which were caught by Internal Affairs in 2010, are considered one of the worst incidents of delinquency in the department’s history.
The officers were followed and caught on surveillance video reports Miami CBS Local.
Investigators used tracking devices on the officers’ cars to follow their movements.
One of the most disturbing cases was when one officer, Dario Socarras, was filmed drinking coffee for nine minutes while allegedly ignoring emergency dispatch orders on a call for an unconscious five-month-old baby.
He was also reportedly seen twice ignoring armed robbery and residential burglary calls so he could meet his girlfriend - video shows the pair kissing and cuddling as other officers were forced to respond to the emergency calls for help.
Other criticisms include not immediately responding to a call where a five-year-old child was locked inside a vehicle and investigators allege that Huerta would claim to be tied up on a call, such as a traffic accident, when in fact he was free to respond to calls the dispatcher had waiting.
His supervisor, Sgt. Jennifer Gonzalez, was also recorded ignoring her duties as one video shows her shopping while on duty at stores like Target and Lowes.
She was even seen being helped by a store assistant to load her purchases into a squad car.
Her issues include her brushing off work to rendezvous with her boyfriend, and visiting her parents in Cutler Ridge, far away from her patch, when she should have been on the job, according to CBS.
Five officers and Sgt. Gonzalez were allegedly caught ignoring dispatch calls, according to media reports.
NBC6 confirms Socarras, Gonzalez, and Officer Jose Huerta have been fired, according to MDPD internal affairs documents, and others have been disciplined.
The officers were finally disciplined in September 2012.
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