It’s official!

Ousted North Miami Police Chief Gary Eugene filed his civil rights lawsuit against his now former employer in the U.S. District Court on Thursday, July 6, 2017.

As you can imagine, this is a very big deal.

Not only did Chief Eugene name the City as a defendant, but he is also suing City Manager Larry Spring and Councilman Scott Galvin … personally.

And yeah, it’s definitely personal.

Here are some of the highlights:

The Chief first chronicled a brief history of his career, then described the details of “the unfortunate shooting of Charles Kinsey” by one of Commander Angel Rivera’s incompetently trained SWAT team members, Jonathan Aledda.

Chief Eugene then described the events that took place once the various investigations were initiated.

The Chief began the narrative by calling out The Big Lie told by Assistant Chief Larry Juriga about Commander Emile Hollant’s involvement.  Throughout the complaint, Chief Eugene reiterated the fact  that Commander Emile Hollant did not witness the actual shooting, and did not lie about his involvement in the incident.

He also emphasized the fact  that, despite Juriga’s surreptitious attempts to have Hollant charged with a crime, the Commander was immediately cleared by the State Attorney’s Office, which emphatically stated that “Commander Hollant did not lie and that there was no intent by Commander Hollant to mislead or obstruct investigators of command staff.”

Interestingly, Chief Eugene also described his objection to the hiring of a “consultant to assist with the IA investigation” by City Manager Spring, who initially claimed that “the consultant’s job was to review the existing policies of the department and to make recommendations, if necessary.”  This “consultant” was hired on a part time  basis of 29 hours per week at an hourly rate of $75.00, or $113,100.00 a year, is which more than a full time  assistant chief’s base pay.

Eugene then reminded Spring that the city had already contracted with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to review the department’s policies.  When he insisted that the hiring of both the consultant and PERF “was unnecessarily duplicative and a gross waste of public funds,” City Manager Spring ignored his objections.

Incidentally, on January 10, 2017, the North Miami Mayor and Council had already signed a Resolution to contract with PERF to “provide a Use of Force and Crisis Intervention Policy/Training Review” at a cost of $84,718.00.  As Chief Eugene pointed out, combined with the salary of Adam Burden, taxpayers were now shelling out an additional $113,100.00 to do the job of a professional company that their representatives had already hired.

But, hey, it’s not the City Manager’s money.  Why should he care?

The Chief soon figured out, however, that this “consultant” was actually brought in to steer the Internal Affairs investigation  of Commander Hollant, as already reported by Biscayne Times reporter Mark Sell earlier this month.

Chief Eugene also objected “against changing the IA investigation process in the midst of an ongoing” investigation.

Again, he was ignored.

We now know that this consultant is former Miami Assistant Police Chief Adam L. Burden.

Even more troubling, Burden just happened to be the former husband of NMPD Major Franzia Brea,  who just happened to be appointed to the three member Disposition Panel, which just happened to sustain the false allegations made against Commander Hollant.

And, no, I could not make this stuff up if I tried.

Strangely, when Burden was hired a little over a month after the Aledda shooting, he had not been certified as a law enforcement officer since June 30, 2012, at which time his certification became inactive.  Sergeant Diana Roman, who was running the Internal Affairs investigation of Commander Hollant, was uncomfortable with a civilian supervising the police investigation of witnesses.  When she complained to the State Attorney’s Office about this, city officials quickly made sure Adam Burden was hastily re-certified and sworn in as a North Miami Police reserve officer.

In his lawsuit, Chief Eugene also defended himself against the city’s insinuation that he gave conflicting statements to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the NMPD Internal Affairs division.

In fact, on page 7 of the lawsuit, Chief Eugene stated that after he gave his statement to IA investigator Diana Roman, he asked for a copy of the transcription so he could “review the transcribed statement for its accuracy, due to his accent, prior to finalizing it.”

Not surprisingly, however, Chief Eugene was denied the chance to review it, and as such, “it remains rife with errors and omissions.”

In the meantime, Chief Eugene also learned that “personnel from the City of North Miami Police Department” again ran to the State Attorney’s Office in an attempt to get charges filed against Commander Hollant.

He also discovered after the fact  that Sergeant Diana Roman went behind his back to ask the State Attorney’s Office to “change the verbiage” of its close out memo so that it would not state that “We conclude that Commander Hollant did not lie.”

Fortunately, Assistant State Attorney Howard R. Rosen refused her request.

In his lawsuit, Chief Gary Eugene also stated that the City Manager forced him to appoint Larry Juriga as acting chief when on May 6, 2017 he took an approved medical leave pursuant to the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Knowing full well that Juriga would take advantage of his absence by stepping up his persecution of Commander Hollant, he specifically told Juriga “to not take any major decisions and to call Chief Eugene before making any such decisions, especially the Internal Affairs investigation of Commander Hollant  – which Chief Eugene made clear that he wanted to review and decide for himself.”

Sure enough, and defying yet another direct order from the Chief, Juriga hastened to finalize the Internal Affairs investigation of Hollant and to make sure the Disposition Panel would sustain the false allegations that he himself made against the Commander  in the first place.

On June 14, 2017, mere hours before Chief Eugene was scheduled to return to work, Juriga signed and arranged to have hand delivered to Commander Hollant a Notice of Intent to Terminate and Right to Pre-Determination Hearing, in which Juriga stated, “I am hereby notifying you of my  intent to terminate your City employment.”

Laughably, in his letter to Hollant, Juriga also wrote, “To ensure your constitutional right to due process in accordance with City policy and the Police Officers’ Bill of Rights … you will have the opportunity  to provide me  with any information you believe may mitigate or negate the findings in the report and/or my  intent to terminate you.”

Most disturbing of all, at the pre-determination hearing held last Friday, Commander Hollant was given the opportunity  to present his case …

To the very same person  who accused him of wrongdoing …

And who then testified against him  to Internal Affairs …

And who then made the decision to fire him …

And who was the very same accuser  to whom the Commander had to then plead his innocence at Friday’s hearing.

If nothing else, this blatant violation of his “constitutional right to due process” will sure come in handy when Commander Emile Hollant files his lawsuit in federal court later this month.

Just saying.

Speaking of lawsuits and due process, let’s circle back to Chief Eugene’s case against the City of North Miami, City Manager Larry Spring and Councilman Scott Galvin.

In a laundry list of Counts, the Chief asserted that the Defendant City and Defendant Spring violated his due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.  The Due Process Clause grants an employee with the right to “a pre-termination hearing or ‘…some opportunity for the employee to present his side of the case … before termination takes effect.'”  As such, Chief Eugene alleged that he was fired with no notice of the charges against him, no explanation of the City’s evidence, and no opportunity for him to present his side of the story.

Chief Eugene further alleged that the Defendant City and Defendant Spring deprived him of his “liberty* or property without due process of law” when it “made and disseminated several false statements of facts” listed on a Memorandum given out during a June 21, 2017 Community Council Forum.  In that Memorandum, the City boldly claimed that the Chief made inconsistent statements, lost managerial control over the police department, colluded with an officer to circumvent the IA investigation of Hollant, and made hiring decisions based on “outside influencers.”  Eugene asserted that these “statements are completely false and bear no relation to reality.”

The Chief also alleged that Defendant Galvin violated his right to liberty* or property without due process of law when he publicly, and in his official capacity, “informed the public – including CBS4 – that Chief Eugene was fired for giving conflicting statements under oath.”

The Chief alleged that Defendant Galvin’s statement was “knowingly false and/or made with reckless disregard for its truth/falsity, made with the intent to harm Chief Eugene’s reputation and his ability to obtain future employment.”

*As noted in the lawsuit, “the concept of liberty recognizes two particular interests of a public employee: (a) the protection of his good name, reputation, honor and integrity, and (b) his freedom to take advantage of other employment opportunities.”

Chief Eugene also alleged that by firing him “on the day he returned from an approved Family Medical Leave Act leave of absence,” the Defendant City retaliated against him for exercising his right to medical leave under federal law.

And finally, the Chief alleged that the Defendant City retaliated against him in violation of the state Public Whistleblower Act for “disclosing his concerns to City Manager Spring about the Defendant City engaging in gross financial waste of public funds and about violating the rights of Commander Hollant,” as guaranteed by the Florida Public Whistle-blowers Act., as well as the Police Officers’ Bill of Rights.

Chief Eugene is asking the court to reinstate his employment, award him damages for lost past and future wages and benefits, and to have all offending information removed from his personnel and internal affairs files, attorneys’ fees, costs and interest.

As is his right under the Constitution of the United States, Chief Gary Eugene is demanding a trial by jury.

The outcome of the Chief’s lawsuit is now in the hands of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida, which takes civil rights violations very, very seriously.

All of this could have been avoided if Larry Juriga and his apple-polisher Commander Angel Rivera hadn’t conspired to blame Commander Hollant for the shooting in order to cover up for Rivera’s incompetent “leadership” of his SWAT team.

Ironically, the legal proceedings of this case – especially when the defendants and witnesses are deposed under oath, could very well be the catalyst that will finally expose Larry Juriga’s lies and eradicate the insidious corruption that has tainted the North Miami Police Department for far too long.

Yeah, this is gonna be entertaining.

Break out that popcorn.  It’s about to get real.

Stephanie

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Kòmanse eklate mayi a! NMPD Chèf Gary Eugene dosye nan peyi Etazini Tribinal Distrik

Li nan ofisyèl!
Te ranvèse North Miami Chèf Polis Gary Eugene depoze l ‘dwa pwosè sivil kont patwon kounye a ansyen l’ nan Tribinal la Distri US nan Jedi, 6 Jiyè, 2017.
Kòm ou ka imajine, sa a se yon kontra trè gwo.
Se pa sèlman t ‘Chèf Eugene non vil la kòm yon akize, men li se tou rele lajistis City Manadjè Larry Sezon prentan ak Manm Konsèy Scott Galvin … pèsonèlman.
Apre sa, yeah, li la definitivman pèsonèl.
Men kèk nan endike yo:
Chèf nan premye chronicled yon istwa tou kout sou karyè li, Lè sa a, dekri detay yo nan “tire a malere nan Charles Kinsey” pa youn nan manm ekip SWAT kòmandan Angel Rivera nan incompetently ki resevwa fòmasyon, Jonatan Aledda.
Chèf Eugene Lè sa a, dekri evènman yo ki te pran plas yon fwa envestigasyon yo divès kalite te inisye.
Chèf la te kòmanse naratif la pa rele kouche a Big te di pa Asistan an Chèf Larry Juriga sou patisipasyon kòmandan Emile Hollant la. Pandan tout plent lan, Chèf Eugene repete lefèt ke kòmandan Emile Hollant pa t ‘temwen tire aktyèl la, epi yo pa t’ kouche sou patisipasyon li nan ensidan an.
Li te tou mete aksan sou lefèt ke, malgre tantativ furtif Juriga la gen Hollant chaje avèk yon krim, kòmandan an te imedyatman otorize pa Biwo Avoka Eta a, insistans deklare ke “kòmandan Hollant pa t ‘kouche ak sa ki te gen okenn entansyon pa kòmandan Hollant twonpe oswa anpeche envestigatè nan anplwaye lòd. ”
Enteresan, Chèf Eugene te dekri tou objeksyon l ‘yo anbochaj la nan yon “konsiltan ede ak ankèt la IA” pa Manadjè Spring City, ki moun ki okòmansman te deklare ke “travay konsiltan an te revize règleman yo ki deja egziste nan depatman an ak fè rekòmandasyon, si nesesè. ” Sa a “konsiltan” te anplwaye sou yon baz a tan pasyèl nan 29 èdtan nan yon pousantaj èdtan nan $ 75.00, oswa $ 113,100.00 yon ane, se ki plis pase peye baz yon plen tan asistan chèf la.
Eugene Lè sa a, sonje Spring ki te lavil la deja kontra ak Polis Egzekitif Rechèch Forum nan (PERF) yo revize règleman depatman an. Lè l ‘ensiste ke anbochaj nan tou de konsiltan a ak PERF “te san nesesite repete ak yon fatra brit de fon piblik,” Vil Manadjè Spring inyore objeksyon l’ yo.
Dmeran, sou 10 janvye, 2017, North Miami Majistra a ak Konsèy te deja siyen yon Rezolisyon nan kontra ak PERF nan “bay yon Sèvi ak nan Force ak Entèvansyon Kriz Règleman / Fòmasyon Revizyon” nan yon pri de $ 84,718.00. Kòm Chèf Eugene vize deyò, konbine avèk salè a nan Adan chaj, kontribyab yo te kounye a bonbadman soti yon lòt $ 113,100.00 fè travay la nan yon konpayi pwofesyonèl ki reprezantan yo te deja anplwaye.
Men, hey, li nan pa lajan Manadjè Vil la a. Poukisa yo ta dwe li pran swen?
Chèf nan pli vit kalkile, sepandan, ki te sa a “konsiltan” aktyèlman mennen nan di dirije ankèt la zafè entèn nan kòmandan Hollant, kòm deja rapòte pa Biscayne Times repòtè Mak Vann pi bonè mwa sa a.
Chèf Eugene tou objeksyon “kont chanje pwosesis la ankèt IA nan mitan an nan yon kontinyèl” envestigasyon.
Yon fwa ankò, li te inyore.
Nou kounye a konnen ke konsiltan sa a se ansyen Miami Asistan Chèf Polis Adan L. chaj.
Menm plis boulvèsan, chaj jis rive yo dwe mari a ansyen nan NMPD Gwo Franzia Brea, ki moun ki jis rive yo dwe nonmen nan twa manm Dispozisyon panèl la, ki jis rive yo kenbe siksè akademik akizasyon yo fo te fè kont kòmandan Hollant

Epi, pa gen okenn, mwen te kapab pa fè bagay sa a moute si mwen te eseye.
Etranj, lè chaj te anplwaye yon ti kras plis pase yon mwa apre fiziyad la Aledda, li pa t ‘janm sètifye kòm yon ofisye ki fè respekte lalwa depi 30 jen 2012, nan ki tan sètifikasyon li vin inaktif. Sèjan Diana Women an, ki moun ki te kouri ankèt la zafè entèn nan kòmandan Hollant, te alèz ak yon sivil sipèvize ankèt la polis nan temwen. Lè li pote plent ba Biwo Avoka Eta a sou sa a, lavil ofisyèl byen vit te fè asire w Adan chaj te prese re-sètifye ak prete sèman nan kòm yon ofisye rezèv North Miami Lapolis.
Nan pwosè l ‘yo, Chèf Eugene tou defann tèt li kont allusion vil la ke li te bay deklarasyon konfli nan Depatman Florid pou Law Enforcement ak divizyon nan NMPD Zafè Entèn.
An reyalite, nan paj 7 nan pwosè a, Chèf Eugene deklare ke apre li te bay deklarasyon l ‘yo IA anketè Diana Women an, li te mande pou yon kopi transcription a pou li te kapab “revize deklarasyon an transkri pou presizyon li yo, akòz aksan l’ yo, anvan finalize li. ”
Se pa etonan, sepandan, Chèf Eugene te refize chans a yo revize li, ak jan sa yo, “li rete abondance ak erè ak omisyon.”
Nan entre-temps la, Chèf Eugene te aprann ke “pèsonèl soti nan vil la nan North Depatman Lapolis Miami” ankò kouri al nan Biwo Pwokirè a Eta a nan yon tantativ yo ka resevwa akizasyon ki fét kont kòmandan Hollant.
Li te tou dekouvri apre lefèt ke Sèjan Diana Women te ale dèyè do l ‘mande Biwo Pwokirè a Eta a nan “chanje vèrbyaj a” nan fèmen soti memo li yo konsa ke li pa t’ vle deklare ke “Nou konkli ke kòmandan Hollant pa t ‘bay manti.”
Erezman, Pwokirè Eta Asistan Howard R. Rosen refize demann li.
Nan pwosè l ‘yo, Chèf Gary Eugene tou deklare ke Manadjè Vil la te fòse l’ chwazi mete Larry Juriga kòm aji chèf lè sou li a, 6 me 2017 li te pran yon konje medikal apwouve dapre Fanmi federal la ak Konje Medikal Act (FMLA-).
Lè ou konnen plen byen ke Juriga ta pran avantaj de absans li pa kite moute pèsekisyon li nan kòmandan Hollant, li espesyalman te di Juriga “pa pran okenn desizyon pi gwo ak yo rele Chèf Eugene anvan ou fè nenpòt desizyon sa yo, espesyalman ankèt la zafè entèn nan kòmandan Hollant – ki Chèf Eugene te fè klè ke li te vle revize epi deside pou tèt li “.
Asire w ase, ak defye ankò yon lòt lòd dirèk nan Chèf la, Juriga prese finalize ankèt la zafè entèn nan Hollant ak asire w panèl la Dispozisyon ta kenbe siksè akademik akizasyon yo fo ke li menm li te fè kont kòmandan an nan plas an premye.
Sou, 14 jen 2017, èdtan sèlman anvan Chèf Eugene te pwograme pou li retounen nan travay, Juriga siyen, li ranje yo gen men lage nan kòmandan Hollant yon Avi entansyon mete fen ak Dwa a Pre-Detèminasyon Odyans, nan ki Juriga deklare, “Mwen kap Avèk prezant sa mwen avize ou sou entansyon mwen an mete fen nan travay City ou. ”
Laughably, nan lèt li a bay Hollant, Juriga tou te ekri, “Pou asire dwa konstitisyonèl ou nan pwosè kòmsadwa an akò avèk politik City ak Bill Ofisye yo Polis ‘sou Dwa … ou ap gen opòtinite pou bay m’ ak nenpòt enfòmasyon ou kwè pouvwa bese oswa anile rezilta yo nan rapò a ak / oswa entansyon mwen an mete fen nan ou. “

Pifò twoublan nan tout, nan odyans lan pre-detèminasyon ki te fèt Vandredi dènye a, kòmandan Hollant te ba li chans pou yo prezante ka l ‘…
Nan moun nan anpil menm ki akize l ‘nan mechanste …
Ki moun ki Lè sa a, avèti l ‘nan zafè entèn …
Ki moun ki Lè sa a, te pran desizyon an nan dife l ‘…
Apre sa, ki moun ki te akize nan trè menm ki moun kòmandan an te gen Lè sa a, plede rann li jistis nan odyans Vandredi a.
Si pa gen anyen lòt bagay, sa a vyolasyon flagran nan li “dwa konstitisyonèl nan pwosesis akòz” ap asire w vini nan sou la men lè kòmandan Emile Hollant depoze pwosè li nan tribinal federal pita nan mwa sa a.
Jis di.
Pale de pwose ak pwosè kòmsadwa, se pou yo sèk tounen nan ka Chèf Eugene a kont vil la nan North Miami, Vil Manadjè Larry Sezon prentan ak Manm Konsèy Scott Galvin.
Nan yon lis lesiv nan Counts, Chèf nan pwoklame ke akize City ak akize sezon prentan an vyole dwa pou pwosè kòmsadwa li, anba Katòzyèm Amannman an nan Konstitisyon an nan Etazini. Clause pou pwosè kòmsadwa akòde yon anplwaye ak dwa a nan “yon pre-mete fen tande oswa ‘… kèk opòtinite pou anplwaye a prezante bò kote l’ nan ka a … anvan revokasyon ap anvigè. ‘” Kòm sa yo, Chèf Eugene swadizan ke li te revoke ki pa gen okenn avi sou akizasyon yo pote kont l ‘, pa gen okenn eksplikasyon sou prèv vil la, e pa gen opòtinite pou l’ nan prezante bò kote l ‘nan istwa a.
Chèf Eugene plis swadizan ki akize City ak akize sezon prentan an prive l ‘nan li “* libète oswa pwopriyete san yo pa pwosedi jis nan lwa” lè li “te fè ak distribiye plizyè fo deklarasyon de reyalite” ki nan lis sou yon Memorandòm bay soti pandan yon 21 mwa jen, 2017 Kominote Konsèy Forum. Nan ki Memorandòm, Vil la avèk fòs konviksyon te deklare ke Chèf la te fè deklarasyon konsistan, pèdi gestion kontwòl sou depatman an lapolis, colluded ak yon ofisye kontourne ankèt la IA nan Hollant, yo fè anbochaj desizyon ki baze sou “influentes deyò.” Eugene pwoklame ke sa yo “Deklarasyon yo konplètman fo ak pote okenn relasyon ak reyalite.”
li Chèf tou te pretandi ke akize Galvin vyole dwat li nan libète * oswa pwopriyete san yo pa pwosedi jis nan lwa pa piblikman, ak nan kapasite ofisyèl l ‘yo, “enfòme piblik la – ki gen ladan CBS4 -. ki Chèf Eugene te revoke pou bay deklarasyon konfli sou sèman”
Chèf la te pretandi ke deklarasyon akize Galvin a te “fè espre fo ak / oswa ki fèt ak mank respè ensousyan pou verite li yo / enfidelite, te fè ak entansyon pou wè malè rive repitasyon Chèf Eugene la ak kapasite l ‘yo jwenn travay nan lavni.”
* Kòm te note nan pwosè a, “konsèp nan libète rekonèt de enterè patikilye nan yon anplwaye piblik: (a) pwoteksyon an nan bon li non, repitasyon, onè ak entegrite, ak (b) libète l ‘pran avantaj de opòtinite pou travay lòt . ”
Chèf Eugene tou te pretandi ke ke te tire l ‘ “nan jou a li te retounen soti nan yon konje apwouve Fanmi Konje Medikal Lwa nan absans,” akize a City reprezay kont li pou fè egzèsis dwat li nan konje medikal anba lwa federal.
E finalman, Chèf la te pretandi ke Vil la akize reprezay kont li nan vyolasyon nan Lwa eta a Piblik Denonsyatè pou “divilge enkyetid l ‘yo City Manadjè Spring sou akize a City angaje nan fatra brit finansye a fon piblik ak sou vyole dwa yo nan kòmandan Hollant , “kòm garanti pa Lwa sou Repa Siflèt-souflè Piblik Florid., osi byen ke Bill Ofisye yo Polis ‘sou Dwa.
Chèf Eugene ap mande tribinal la yo retabli travay l ‘yo, akòde l’ domaj pou pèdi sot pase ak salè nan lavni ak benefis, ak gen tout enfòmasyon ofiske retire nan pèsonèl l ‘, li zafè entèn dosye, frè avoka, frè ak enterè.
Kòm se dwat li, anba Konstitisyon an nan peyi Etazini, Chèf Gary Eugene ap mande yon jijman pa jiri.
Rezilta a nan pwosè Chèf la se kounye a nan men yo nan Tribinal la Distri US nan Distri Sid Eta la Florid, ki te pran vyolasyon dwa sivil trè, trè oserye.
Tout sa te kapab evite si Larry Juriga ak li pòm-sireur kòmandan Angel Rivera pa te fè konplo blame kòmandan Hollant pou tire a yo nan lòd yo kouvri moute pou enkonpetan “lidèchip” Rivera nan nan ekip SWAT l ‘yo.
Iwonilman, pwosedi legal yo nan ka sa a – espesyalman lè defandan yo ak temwen yo rive wete sou sèman, te kapab trè byen se katalis a ki pral finalman ekspoze manti Larry Juriga a ak detwi koripsyon an trètr ki te tache Depatman Lapolis North Miami pou byen lwen twò lontan .
EAH, sa a se pral dwe amizan.
Kraze soti ke pòpkòn. Li nan sou yo ka resevwa reyèl.
Stephanie