Florida police union head resigns over post on accused officers

buffalo ap
"Gamin’s comments showed very poor judgment and caused considerable embarrassment for this agency.”

The president of a Fraternal Order of Police chapter along Florida’s Space Coast has resigned after being told he would be fired following an internal investigation over a social media post that encouraged officers linked to departments accused of using excessive force during recent protests to apply for jobs in Florida.

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Friday that Lt. Bert Gamin was no longer with the agency.

The message posted last weekend on the Brevard FOP Facebook page said, “Hey Buffalo 57 … and Atlanta 6 … we are hiring in Florida. Lower taxes, no spineless leadership or dumb mayors rambling on at press conferences … Plus … we got your back!” It ended with the hashtags “lawandorderflorida” and “movetowhereyouare.”

In Atlanta, four officers were fired after video showed them using stun guns on two college students pulled from a car that was in traffic during a large protest. The four fired officers and two others face criminal charges stemming from the incident.

In Buffalo, New York, dozens of police officers stepped down from the department’s crowd control unit last week, objecting to the suspensions of two fellow officers in the shoving of a 75-year-old protester who fell and injured his head.

“While there’s no question that each of us has a First Amendment right to express our opinions and feelings, Lieutenant Gamin’s comments showed very poor judgment and caused considerable embarrassment for this agency,” Ivey said at a news conference.

___

Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

Associated Press


16 comments

  • Sam

    June 12, 2020 at 3:39 pm

    I’m glad the tide is turning on jerks like this. let’s keep it up.

  • Sonja Fitch

    June 12, 2020 at 4:12 pm

    Omg do the police not get it! Police fools you are doing bs right on front of the cameras or social media! You deserve to be fired!

  • John Kociuba

    June 12, 2020 at 6:24 pm

    When all good police are gone, blood will flow in the streets like a river, criminals, satanist, communist, their acolytes in media cheer murdering insurrectionist as heroes.

    Then. One day. The army of CHRIST rises once more, and slaughters them all.

    “Woe unto the world because of offenses, for it need be offenses cometh, and woe unto those who offenses come.” Mathew 18.7

    • Andrew F.

      June 12, 2020 at 8:49 pm

      I have read many of your posts, Mr. Kociuba, and never cease to be amazed by the shallowness of your analysis. Or perhaps, you were indoctrinated at an early age into conspiratorial thinking (although I use the term “thinking” advisedly). Suffice it to say that this post does not disappoint me.

      Incidentally, the Book of Matthew has two “t”s.

      Best wishes for intellectual growth.

      • John Kociuba

        June 13, 2020 at 1:31 pm

        Andrew F.

        Who cares what you think!

        Police Departments nationwide will start resigning in major cities because every officer that ever uses his weapon in defense of his life, citizens lives, will be targeted by JDL, NAACP, AFLCIO, rogue judges and political leaders.

        Answer this, genius…”why would any american put their families thru such chaos?”

        When cops are gone, the mob will cut you to pieces with machetes! Screams heard for miles.

        Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was burned in one.

        • Andrew F.

          June 13, 2020 at 3:08 pm

          Mr. Kociuba,

          Although you disagreed with me, your most recent post raises a valid point.

          But the reality is that police forces are unlikely to disappear as you predict. They, as an arm of government (operating within the confines of a rule of law), are needed to prevent the use of force and the commission of legislatively-defined crimes against citizens. To do that, admittedly, they may have to use reasonable force, and they should. However, when they do, they have to be held accountable by justifying it. There exist processes for “internal review” of the actions, and many people feel that the processes are biased in favor of the officer. It is not unlike the view held by some that disciplinary boards of state Bar associations do not take strong enough action against errant lawyers.

          The big difference is that there are many who enjoy being in the spotlight of protests. They may either have no other way to earn a living than as a professional complainer (Jesse Jackson? Al Sharpton?)or are members of uncivilized gangs (consisting also of formally educated people) who like breaking windows, stealing from innocent people and merchants, screaming, evidencing their poor grammar, and marching in the streets. Those people come to life when an occurrence like the most recent death happens. It is their whole raison d’etre.

          When it comes to an errant lawyer, if he/she steals money or mismanages a case, the victim usually has some kind of civilized recourse in addition to the Bar Association’s action/inaction–perhaps a malpractice lawsuit. No one, but the people immediately involved, really care.

          What is objectionable about many of your prior posts, and to an extent, the most recent one is your reliance upon biblical verse and finger-pointing to specific organizations. Respectfully to Christians, your book of beliefs at best provides a pleasant roadmap by which to conduct one’s life; it is not to be taken literally.

          As to your reference to the NAACP, I’d imagine that most of its members cringe at the sight of so many black people involved and instigating riots. Historically, it did not advocate violence, merely equality.

          The JDL has traditionally been a violent organization and is no better than the rioters currently in the streets.

          The AFL-CIO began years ago with a valid mission but lost it’s way decades ago. It has degraded itself to an organization that benefits its leadership, rather than the people that it purports to serve.

          Yes, there are “rogue judges.” The purpose of the judicial branch of government is to interpret the law and to apply it to evidence brought before it. It is not intended to “make” law.

          And politicians: Therein lies a great part of current problems. In many cases, their primary goal is to perpetuate themselves in office and on a public payroll. That is accomplished by playing to constituencies that will get them re-elected by making promises of “more, more, more.” But there are finite resources, so all that a politician can hope to accomplish it to force their redistribution. Often by force.

          The point is, look at reality. Don’t let religion and conspiracies cloud your view.

          • John Kociuba

            June 13, 2020 at 5:46 pm

            Andrew F ~

            Mr. Kociuba? Don’t patronize me with your failed diatribe abstract to American history or those COMMUNIST organizations I mentioned!

            I’m not your friend. You’re a poor excuse for an American citizen. A boil. A Cyst. A growing unintelligible cancer patriotic Americans will be forced to deal with.

            You’re in the wrong State boy. You’re in the wrong State defending unlawful insurrection against honest policemen.

            I’ve noticed non of you academic lab monkey’s mentioned the old guy that fell was a longtime Communist agitator that tried to grab the officers night stick or gun?

            The officer pushed his commie azz down and the lowlife dullard did a “Larry David” and busted up his melon (God willing).

            Evil comes with a smile, in all shapes and sizes. Those who see evil will call it out. Those who don’t are the Devil’s prostitutes.

            George Floyd was a lowlife. George Floyd danced with the Devil until the Devil got his due.

            Furthermore the Devil fed on Black Americans hatred for Whites and expanded his Kingdom of horrors. The Devil is a liar! Police are resigning because they see the truth and won’t kneel for Demonic minions.

        • jon

          June 13, 2020 at 6:09 pm

          You nailed it again John! Glad we have your intellect on our side of battle! The demoRATS only have ignorance and anger!

          • Andrew F.

            June 13, 2020 at 6:59 pm

            Mr. Kociuba & Jon,

            Thank you for your thoughtful and erudite replies.

            It appears that John’s & Jon’s flock together. Perhaps within a john.

            As I said to Nr. Kociuba earlier, best wishes for your intellectual growth.

  • martin

    June 12, 2020 at 6:36 pm

    The first step in any meaningful police reform is to bust the union. Then and only then can the bad apples be removed and disqualified from simply moving to another department.

    • Andy

      June 13, 2020 at 8:15 am

      Busting the union is not the answer. Better training, physiological testing prior to hiring needs to be improved more emphasis on community policing which is key. Make community policing the priority not buying tanks and military equipment.
      The union does need to agree to less rigid rules to get rid of bad cops and that can be bargained in the contract.

  • John Kociuba

    June 13, 2020 at 1:40 pm

    Dear Floridians ~

    Re: Perspective

    Is anyone requesting criminals to adjust their conduct? Blacks make up 12% of America but commit 53% of all murders in America.

    Police are 15× more likely to be shot by a Black man than a Black man shot by police (fact).

    If police reform is necessary, so is sociological criminal conduct by Black American males.

    This is worse than MPH failed doctors issuing COVID 19 responses

    • Patti Lynn

      June 13, 2020 at 4:27 pm

      Please try to DOCUMENT those statistics that you used.
      They do not, in any way, resemble the true statistics!
      Thank you

      • John Kociuba

        June 13, 2020 at 5:53 pm

        Patti Lynn,

        It’s called Fbi.gov

        What a loser! Why don’t you disclose how Black men specifically target and rape close to 30,000 White women annually?

        If White men targeted Hispanics, Chinese, or Black women to the sum of 30,000 annually?

        SOCIETY WOULD PUT US IN CAGES!

        Your problem is self evident ignorance.

      • jon

        June 13, 2020 at 6:11 pm

        Patti Lynn, those stats are in fact… FACTS! Your feelings are irrelevant!

  • Dan Lanske

    June 14, 2020 at 3:28 pm

    Police need to go on strike and show America what is really up.

    Most of these stories are blown way ouy of proportion, and taken out of context.

    #BlueLivesMatter #BackTheBlue

Comments are closed.


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