Miami mayor asks US Dept. of Justice to investigate Miami Police Dept.

Miami mayor Tomas Regalado and Miami police chief Miguel Exposito.in happier times.

Via Local10.com:

Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado sent a letter Tuesday to the U.S. attorney general asking for an investigation into the Miami Police Department.

In the letter addressed to Eric H. Holder Jr., the attorney general of the United States, Regalado wrote, "I am writing to request that the Department of Justice assist the city of Miami by conducting a thorough and independent investigation into the policies, practices and procedures of the Miami Police Department."
[...]
Regalado asked that the DOJ "review the policies and practices of the MPD regarding the use of force and the procedures for subsequent investigations following such incidents in which the use of force, including the use of deadly force, have taken place."

The mayor's letter cited nine shootings involving the Miami Police Department during which 10 African-American men were shot. Seven of the men died.

The shootings caused outrage across the city. Several groups, including the ACLU, have questioned what is going on at the police department. Regalado said there is "growing concern in the community regarding police practices and police accountability."

Regalado, whose feud with Chief Exposito has at times gotten ugly and personal, doesn't mention Exposito by name in the letter.

Coincidentally, Miami New Times' Francisco Alvarado reported on Tuesday that Armando Aguilar, President of the Miami Chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police is mounting a recall effort against Regalado.

Aguilar insists his falling out with Regalado doesn't have anything to do with the mayor's fractured relationship with current Police Chief Miguel Exposito. "It is not about whether he supports the chief or not," Aguilar says, specifically citing the severance payouts to Tony Crapp and Larry Spring as examples of Tomas' "malfeasance and incompetence."

Regalado Letter to Dept of Justice