Report: Thousands of Florida cops keep jobs, despite ‘moral violations’

The Lookout

Florida cop German Bosque has been arrested three times, fired five times, and was flagged in a record-breaking 40 internal affairs disciplinary investigations. And he's still on the beat.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune's two-part investigation into Florida's police disciplinary system reveals that thousands of Florida officers have stayed on the job despite evidence implicating them in crimes or serious misconduct. And the agency responsible for keeping officers in line too often declines to investigate, the paper says.

Bosque was thrilled to find out he led the state in the number of disciplinary investigations. He told the Herald Tribune reporters:

"I can't believe that," he said. "I'm not trying to smile. I just ... damn!"

A high-level staff member with the [Florida Department of Law Enforcement's] Bureau of Officer Standards had a different reaction. He first said it wasn't possible for an officer to get in trouble that many times and still be certified.

Then he pulled Bosque's records.

His response: "Holy s--t."

One in 20 Florida officers have one "moral character" violation on their record, which can involve drugs, forcible sex and other crimes. Thirty police and corrections officers in the state have four or more violations. The paper attributes this disturbing trend to the police's powerful union and a reluctance on the part of officers to investigate allegations of misconduct. You can read about the misconduct cases here.

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