Dismissal

From the Sun-Sentinel-

Afraid she would fall asleep at the wheel after a late night visiting with friends, Deborah McCarthy pulled into a church parking lot in Deerfield Beach about 2:30 a.m. and called her husband to tell him she was taking a catnap before heading home to Boca Raton.

Her decision would lead to a terrifying overnight stay in jail in a case of mistaken identity, as revealed in a recent Broward Sheriff's Office investigation.

At 3 a.m. June 16, Deputy James Engle saw a red Ford Explorer in the parking lot of the Zion Lutheran Church. He radioed in the license tag to dispatch.

This is basically the same story that I blogged about here. Deputy Engle winning a well deserved Knucklehead award. The Deputy didn't notice discrepancies in birthdays, middle initials, height or eye color and therefore Ms. McCarthy got arrested.

So what will happen to Deputy Engle?

McCarthy complained about her arrest, prompting the investigation. Her complaint was sustained by Internal Affairs, which recommended that both the deputy and dispatcher be counseled.

The dispatcher deserves counseling, Engle deserves to be fired for taking away a person's freedom because of his own incompetence. Incompetence that is too often seen in Broward County law enforcement. Read stories like this and this for other examples. The County Sheriff is also under federal investigation. If our police and legal system aren't held to the highest standards, there is no justice in Florida or anywhere. Jailing someone without proper cause should be grounds for dismissal otherwise anyone can lose their freedom.

Maybe its time for warnings to be issued in Broward County like they were for visitors to the New Orleans in the 1990's. Don't trust the police department, for they will break the law just as easily as they enforce it. It is that sad a state of affairs in Broward County at present.

Linked to- Pirate's Cove, Bright & Early, Basil's Blog,