MIAMI -- Three new police officers were fired for making comments on a group chat about using Miami's primarily black neighborhoods for target practice, a newspaper reported Friday.
Officers Kevin Bergnes, Miguel Valdes and Bruce Alcin were let go on Dec. 23 after an internal affairs investigation concluded that they violated department policies, said The Miami Herald, citing documents it obtained.
The remarks angered local civil-rights activists keeping tabs on a department under scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Justice for a pattern of excessive force.
"It's indicative of the casual conversations and comments that young and even more seasoned police officers are used to making without a lot of repercussions," said Julia Dawson, an activist who has been part of law enforcement oversight panels in Miami.
The Miami Police Department confirmed that officers Bergnes, Valdes and Alcin were fired, but did not explain the reasons.
In a statement Friday, Chief Rodolfo Llanes said an internal affairs investigation found the officers' actions "inconsistent with the mission and values of our department."
Attorney Stephan Lopez, who represents the three officers, said his clients were joking and that the comments were taken out of context. He pointed out that Alcin is black and Valdes has a black grandfather.
"They wanted to make an example out of this. But they made an example of the wrong people," Lopez said. "These guys didn't shoot anybody. They were clearly joking around. They are kids. You don't terminate them the day before Christmas Eve."
The comments happened June 30, when the three officers responded to other rookie colleagues' questions about shooting ranges in a WhatsApp chat they often used to communicate, the paper said. According to documents obtained by the Herald, the officers-in-training shared department information on that thread.
It said the documents show Bergnes sarcastically suggested that the friend looking for a shooting range try a Bank of America, adding "they'll even give you some cash."
A Section on 12/31/2016