Even though it appeared that Fraga had the right of way, he was charged with causing the accident, arrested for driving with a suspended license, forced to take a breathilizer test twice (blowing zeros both times), booked into the Hialeah Police Department before eventually being transferred to Medley, and had his car impounded.

    With Said-Jinete out of town that week, Olmedo was the acting chief in her absence. The next day he handed the police report to Cary Rubiera, the chief’s executive assistant. The report was stamped “unapproved” and deemed the accident “non-preventable,” thus Romero, who had been involved in three previous cruiser-related accidents, was not cited for the accident.

    According to Rubiera’s testimony, Olmedo instructed her to fax it to the insurance company, even though that process normally takes 30 to 60 days. Olmedo later would deny that she was instructed to send it to the insurance company.

    Olmedo did notify Said-Jinete the day after the accident to inform her of what had happened, but upon her return a week later Said-Jinete admitted that she never really looked into the incident since it was non-injury-related and that a suicide involving a local resident had occupied her time.

    It was only upon being notified by the Medley legal department a month later that Said-Jinete began to suspect that something was wrong.

    The legal department informed Said-Jinete that it had been contacted by the insurance company, citing the unusual nature in which they had received the report (less than 24 hours after the accident rather than the standard 30 to 60 days).

    “It was at that point that I started to look into it and became uncomfortable with all of the irregularities that turned up,” said Said-Jinete. “It certainly would have been easier to not have had to go through this process and had it investigated the way it was. I wouldn’t have had the stress, the headaches, but that’s not me and I don’t think that’s what you put me in this position for. That’s why I’m the chief of police and have been serving this city proudly for 28 years.”

    According to her testimony, the chief eventually suspended Olmedo, Romero and Sgt. Jorge Perez (who filled out the report) in late September 2011 with pay pending a full investigation.

    Said-Jinete then said she began to feel more uncomfortable to the point where she approached Hialeah Chief of Police Mark Overton about his department conducting an independent investigation.

    Eventually Benny Merino, head of the Traffic Homicide Department for Hialeah, was brought in to conduct the investigation, which would take close to one calendar year.

    After reading his 95-page report, submitted on Sept. 5, 2012, Said-Jinete then terminated all three officers.

    In the case of Olmedo, her reasons for termination were, according to her report:

    • You falsified, or caused another person to falsify, an official document or record of the Medley Police Department.
    • You made a false statement under oath in the course of your official duties, which you do not believe to be true.
    • You made a false statement in writing with the intent to mislead a public servant.
    • You failed to perform your assigned duties and responsibilities consistent with department policies and procedures through negligence, incompetence, and/or willful misconduct.
    • You failed to properly supervise subordinate offices in the performance of their duties.