Union president backs cop suspended for inflaming violent protest in Fort Lauderdale
The union representing a Fort Lauderdale police officer suspended after inflaming a Sunday protest by hitting and knocking over a seated protester, defended him late Thursday.
Fraternal Order of Police President Shane Calvey, in a four-minute video posted on Facebook, did not use Officer Steven Pohorence’s name but said the officer was the victim of “a rush to judgment.” Calvey also did not address Pohorence’s actions during a demonstration against police brutality, which were blasted as “offensive” earlier in the day by the city’s mayor, Dean Trantalis.
Calvey did criticize the mayor, however, saying his statement condemning the officer did “nothing but create a bigger division within our community.”
The union leader also called media reports about the number of times Pohorence has used force or drawn his weapon misleading, saying the officer had never been found to have violated department policies. The officer’s personnel file showed 79 use-of-force reviews in a 3 1/2 year career, which are standard procedure after officers report such incidents. Those include drawing his weapon 50 times. In each of those instances, an internal review determined the officer didn’t violate department policy. The file contained no public complaints against Pohorence.
“He’s never been investigated for use of force,” Calvey said.
But Pohorence now faces outside investigation over the incident Sunday night.
The scene erupted after a day of peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man killed when a white police officer in Minneapolis pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. The situation with a small group outside a downtown parking garage was already tense when Pohorence, a white cop, went into the crowd to try and help another officer in distress, said Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione.
As Pohorence neared the sidewalk to head back in the garage he smacked a black female protester in the head and knocked her over. A black female officer name Krystle Smith grabbed Pohorence, pulling him toward the garage. She was later seen berating the officer. But it was too late to quell the unrest. The already tense crowd began throwing water bottles and other objects at police. Police responded by firing tear gas and foam bullets, one of which hit 34-year-old LaToya Ratlieff just above the eye, causing a broken eye socket.
The incident, captured on cellphone video went viral. And the backlash against Pohorence was swift.
By Monday morning he was suspended by the police chief, who said the incident was being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Later in the week, Trantalis issued a blistering statement calling Pohorence’s actions “disturbing” and “offensive” and saying the officer was being investigated for possible criminal misconduct by the Broward County State Attorney’s Office.
Police also said they were investigating the incident in which Ratlieff was injured.
Though the union defended Pohorence’s record, a national law enforcement and use-of-force expert told the Miami Herald that the number of incidents was “disproportionate” and should have raised flags within the department.
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 11:59 AM.
