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Detective Philippe Archer just may be the Miami Beach Police Department's real-life version of fictional movie character Col. Willard Kurtz.
In the 1979 movie "Apocalypse Now", an army captain played by Martin Sheen, "is assigned to find ... Lt. Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), an AWOL Special Forces officer who has set himself up as an all-powerful avenging angel among head-hunting villagers in a Cambodian jungle," during the Vietnam war.Like Brando's character in "Apocalypse Now," the hulking Archer appears to have set himself up as the Miami Beach Police Department's "avenging angel," answerable to no one and waging a private war on criminals and anyone else who happens to be unlucky enough to cross paths with him.
"Kurtz (Marlon Brando), is a renegade Green Beret officer who has taken refuge in the Cambodian jungles, where, to the fury of his superiors, he wages his own wars—for and against whom is left blurry—as the head of a group of ferocious Montagnard tribesmen."
On his Linkedin profile - which has been taken down - Archer described himself as a "Gang Detective" who's been a cop for almost 18 years: "Work on South Beach (Miami Beach, Fl.) as a Gang Detective. Trust me when I tell you, it definitely gets crazy down here!!!"
Archer lists his skills and expertise as "public relations" and "public speaking."
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So, just how "crazy" does Detective Archer's work get?
After almost 18 years on Miami Beach's mean streets, it appears that the bulked-up Archer has become so burned-out that he can't even handle the simple arrest of a sloppy-drunk, 120 pound model without first beating the crap out of her.
Last Monday, Miami New Times staff writer Frank Alvarado reported:
In the early evening of June 26, ... 50-year-old audio and video engineer [Andrew Mossberg] was walking on West Avenue when he saw Archer, dressed in a blue polo shirt and black slacks, screaming and manhandling Megan Adamescu, a 29-year-old model.Alvarado writes that in his report, Archer alleged Mossberg - a man who weighs 118 lbs. and stands 5 foot, 2 inches tall - "charged me, preparing to attack me."
"I saw him grab her purse and pull things out of it," Mossberg relays. "When she tried to grab the bag back, he punched her in the face. She fell down, got up, and tried to go for her purse again. He then kicked her legs from underneath her so she would fall down again."
Mossberg, who bought his three bedroom condo at the Mirador Floridian in 2004 for $439,500 and last year paid $1,317 in property taxes to Miami Beach, alleges Archer was not wearing a police badge or any other ID. So Mossberg called the Miami Beach Police non-emergency number and asked the dispatcher to send units over. "I yelled at him that the police are on their way," Mossberg says. "That's when he ran at me, kicked me once in the left side of the head, then kicked me again in the forehead, and punched me twice."
What he didn't know was that the cop had just thrown Adamescu, who was drunk, out of the South Bay Club condo building.
Of his "fight" with Mossberg, Archer writes: "During the violent and physical altercation def. sustained a laceration to the right side of his head, a left swollen face cheek and scratches about his arms."
And, just to make sure anyone reading his report knows how "violent and physical," Archer adds with a flourish, "Def's actions caused vehicular traffic to stop and tenants from their condos to exit and gather."
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| Megan Adamescu and Andrew Mossberg after "meeting" Miami Beach police Detective Philippe Archer. Click to enlarge. |
After brutalizing Adamescu and Mossberg, Archer then charged the pair with a laundry list of felonies and misdemeanors. New Times reports that prosecutors have "decided not to file criminal charges against them."
Today the Miami Herald reports that Archer is now the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation.
New Times also reports: "Archer, incidentally, is one of the 12 cops who fired more than 100 deadly rounds at Raymond Herisse on Memorial Day weekend in 2011 [that] wounded four bystanders in the process."
And Archer, New Times reports, has been sued "three times in 2012 for allegedly abusing his police powers and making false arrests."
One of those lawsuits was filed by a man who spent 340 days in jail after Archer charged him "with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest without violence, cocaine possession, and drinking in public."
When he's off duty, Archer hangs with his with his crime-fighting buddies.
In one photo posted on his Facebook page, Archer describes himself and his supervisor, Sgt. Darrell Prieto - perhaps jokingly - as "Gangsters."
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In another more telling shot (below) of himself and then fellow officer - and soon to be real-life "gangster" Richard Anastasi - Archer writes cryptically: "Watch out!!"
A little more than a year later, in May of 2009, Anastasi pleaded guilty to federal charges of kidnapping and extortion.
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And while Archer spends his on-duty hours assaulting drunks, when he's off-duty he also enjoys getting sh*t-faced. A photo posted earlier this year on Facebook appears to show Archer grabbing some shuteye after a hard night of partying.
So, here's a question for Miami Beach Police Chief Ray Martinez: After 18 years on the streets, isn't it about time that you find Detective Archer an assignment that's a little less stressful than his current job? Does he have to put someone in a coma - or worse - before you take action?
Aug. 9, 2012: Three Hialeah cops and a Miami Beach cop are target of police brutality lawsuit
Aug. 14, 2012: Miami Beach cop is target of second lawsuit
