Miami’s police chief was dismissed by the City Commission on Monday after being accused of failing to follow orders from a city official. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
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In a 3-to-2 vote, the commission ousted Chief Miguel A. Exposito from the job he had held since November 2009. A majority of commissioners concluded that Mr. Exposito had ignored two directives by the city manager about personnel matters in the 1,100-member police force.
Chief Exposito, a 37-year veteran who was suspended last week, defended himself against those accusations at a marathon City Commission meeting that began Friday morning and ended at 2 a.m. Saturday. He did not respond to messages seeking comment.
The dismissal concluded a yearlong feud between the police chief and Mayor Tomas P. Regalado. It began last fall after Mr. Regalado accused the Police Department of conducting surveillance on him. Chief Exposito later accused the mayor of improperly trying to curtail a covert police investigation into video gambling parlors.
The clashes between the two men had become a major distraction at City Hall, several city commissioners said.
During Chief Exposito’s tenure, the police were involved in a series of shootings of unarmed black men. Last March, after Miami officers shot and killed a seventh black man in eight months, victims’ relatives criticized the chief’s leadership at a City Commission meeting. Some demanded the chief’s dismissal.
But the dismissal on Monday had nothing to do with the feud or the shootings. The city manager, Johnny Martinez, recommended the chief’s dismissal after concluding that he had ignored requests to reduce overtime spending and disobeyed an order to hold off on demoting three high-ranking officers.
Maj. Manuel Oroso, a 31-year police veteran, was appointed by Mr. Martinez last week to serve as acting chief. City officials will now begin a search for a permanent successor to Chief Exposito.
