Miami Police Chief Manny Morales speaks out about recent allegations
MIAMI - City of Miami Police Chief Manny Morales broke his silence Tuesday, saying he had to speak out about allegations that he had been using his position to open investigations to target employees and influence the outcome of investigations.
Morales told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that it was important to address some issues in order to protect his reputation.
"The only thing I have been waiting for was today to get in front of the Civil Service Board and protect my reputation," he said. "It's easy for any officer to make allegations and put words on paper. Let me tell you words have consequences. I have always tried to do the right thing. And those words have consequences. Those individuals violated department rules and they were held accountable and when they were, they threw out accusations."
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Morales testified before the Miami Civil Service Board and said, "I am confident that there was not any retaliation."
South Florida PBA Attorney Griska Mena is representing Lt. Brandon Lanier and Officer Wanda Jean Baptiste. They say they were suspended and transferred to other duties after reporting about racism and corruption.
Lanier also testified before the Civil Service Board, saying there was a pattern of how he was treated unfairly.
Lanier had been Director of Internal Affairs until he was transferred to duties in Overtown in January of last year and then move to patrol in October.
Morales said he had been "lead astray" by the previous administration and even failed to attend meetings. Morales said he lost faith in Lanier's ability.
It's not clear at this point what the Civil Service Board will do.
The PBA Attorney said that a number of subpoenas for people to testify had not been served.
