In the wake of the public exposure of a racist video and racist text messages between four ex-Fort Lauderdale cops, the Fort Lauderdale/Broward NAACP, backed by Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, announced Friday that it is digging deep to root out racism in the police force. “With information we’ve received and…
Jason Swanson was found in the middle of the street on 56th avenue, his body was on fire. Pieces of a vehicle were strewn across the road not far from where Swanson lay. The Hollywood Police officers responding to the scene tried to extinguish the flames from Swanson’s body, and…
The Lake Worth-based Human Rights Defense Center is urging the federal government to adopt rules that would regulate the practice of issuing debit cards instead of cash or check to prisoners just getting out of captivity. Third-party companies that issue the cards charge exorbitant fees, HRDC says, which heavily impacts…
Both the biological mother and father of Ahziya Osceola (note: on reports, investigators have alternately spelled his name Ahziya and Ahizya) have extensive criminal records, according to a review of court filings and police reports. Those charges range all over the spectrum, from possession of cocaine and organized fraud to criminal…
Analiz Osceola, the step mother of deceased three-year-old Ahizya Osceola, stuffed the boy’s body inside a box in her home’s laundry room, say court documents. Osceola claims that she heard the boy making grunting sounds at 4:00 a.m. the night before he was reported missing. She said that when she…
George Zimmerman has popped up again and says in a video that the justice system failed because he shouldn’t ever have had to go to trial, it was God’s wish for him to stalk and kill 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, and President Barack Obama personally tried to stoke racial tensions in…
Florida sends more kids to adult prisons than does any other state, largely owing to the state’s “direct file” law, which gives prosecutors — not judges — discretion over whether to charge children as adults. But this year, there are five separate bill proposals to reform the oft-criticized practice. This…
“Ahizya’s body was found deceased inside the household.” The somber news, delivered early Friday morning by Hollywood Police Chief Frank Fernandez to reporters, confirmed the tragic end of the search for three-year old Hollywood boy Ahizya Osceola. Ahizya had gone missing Thursday morning, prompting a press conference and search for…
You probably didn’t need any fancy study to tell you that Florida is a hot-bed for all things illegal and shady. But the Federal Trade Commission did just that, dropping a recent state-by-state break down of all fraud complaints filed with the federal agency for the 2014 calendar year. Not…
The Florida Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision to ban mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles should be applied retroactively, possibly affecting more than 200 cases. In 1997, 15-year-old Rebecca Lee Falcon was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery for her involvement…
A million thoughts raced through Randy Lanier’s head as he cast a fishing line into the azure waters off Antigua, 1,300 miles from South Florida. He had a family back in Davie — a wife, an 8-year-old daughter, and a newborn son. Then he pondered auto racing. He’d been a…
A smooth senior citizen sauntered into an Oakland Park bank on February 9 and cashed a fake check worth $1,315. But he wasn’t satisfied with the money. He also took a few of those free lollipops. BSO is looking for the sly suspect. They say he was calm and cool…
Michael Mann, police chief of the Coconut Creek Police Department has resigned nearly three weeks after the controversial tasing death at the hands of police who did not have up-to-date certification to use Taser guns. Mann, 60, been with the department for more than five years, called his departure a…
A homeless man was arrested for stabbing another homeless man to death this weekend shortly after buying a new shirt to replace the bloody threads, according to BSO. David Edward Shaw, 42, faces second-degree murder charges for killing an unnamed, 37-year-old man. The attack occurred late Saturday in a Burger…
The State Attorney’s Office in Broward County recently released details of its investigation into two high-ranking Hollywood Police officers who deleted internal affairs files and found that the requests came from a wide range of people, including defense attorneys, a reporter, and even a fellow cop. Major Norris Redding and…
There’s somebody in South Florida driving around with a camera on his dashboard ready to capture “stupid” drivers and shame them on YouTube. But here’s the punch line: It’s actually the person taking the videos who’s the bad guy. On the Stupid South Florida Drivers YouTube page, you won’t see…
A Palm Beach Shores police officer has been on paid administrative leave for nearly a year following allegations he sexually harassed a civilian. But officials have no explanation why the investigation has taken so long, even though only four people were interviewed and there’s no physical evidence to examine. Janice…
Before the Fort Lauderdale Police Department held a news conference to address the video showing one of its own slapping a homeless man for no good reason, one newspaper wasn’t allowed to attend: the Homeless Voice, Fort Lauderdale’s long-running publication dedicated to homeless issues. Sean Cononie, executive director of the…
Victor Ramirez, the Fort Lauderdale police officer who slapped a homeless man who wanted to use a public restroom, didn’t bother mentioning the slapping part in the arrest report he filed. Ramirez arrested Bruce Laclair, a 58-year-old homeless man, on Sunday, February 22, for trespassing. The exchange between cop and…
The Boynton Beach Police Department is under an FBI investigation for brutally beating a suspect who had led them on a high-speed chase on August 20, 2014. And in an effort to give “some context to the public,” the BBPD showed helicopter footage captured by PBSO that night. Byron Harris,…
UPDATE: Victor Ramirez, the Fort Lauderdale police officer seen in this video slapping a homeless man who wanted to use a public restroom, didn’t bother mentioning the slapping part in the arrest report he filed. A video is being shared online of what appears to be a Fort Lauderdale Police…
Florida leads the nation in charging juveniles as adults — a result of the state’s controversial Direct File law, which gives prosecutors the power to charge juveniles as adults whenever they choose. Experts say this unchecked power causes myriad problems, ranging from extreme sentences to forced pleas — and Rep…
