Miami prison officer charged after video shows him slapping inmate in the back of the head

A Florida prison officer has been charged with battery after authorities said he slapped a handcuffed inmate in the back of the head at the Everglades Correctional Institution.

Reinaldo Palenzuela, 28, was charged with two misdemeanors: battery and failure to report a use of force. A prison officer of almost three years, he resigned in July 2019.

The arrest was announced as Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle spoke to the Miami-Dade County Commission Tuesday morning in support of reviving a civilian oversight panel to review complaints against county police officers.

It was the latest in a series of arrests in recent years of law enforcement officers for punches, slaps and kicks against suspects in South Florida, and comes against the backdrop of widespread protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Fernandez Rundle’s track record on police misconduct cases has been under scrutiny by protesters who have pointed out that her office, in 27 years, has never charged an officer for an on-duty shooting. Over the decades, few state prosecutors have either — Florida law gives officers broad leeway to use deadly force, even allowing cops to shoot suspected felons who are fleeing under the assumption they may harm others.

The longtime prosecutor is running for reelection against Melba Pearson, a former deputy director of Miami’s American Civil Liberties Union who is campaigning on a platform of justice reform.

With more videos surfacing of officers roughly handling suspects, Fernandez Rundle’s office has been more aggressive about charging cops with assault and battery in recent years. The success has been limited, however, as officers in three separate cases have been acquitted, despite video evidence.

There’s also video in Palenzuela’s case. According to a press release, the victim was an inmate named Travis Whyte, who had been instructed to move to a corner of a sally port at a dormitory at the prison in South Miami-Dade.

The investigation by the prison system’s Inspector General found that Whyte “complied with these instructions” and stood facing the corner when Palenzuela slapped him in the back of the head. “The force of the slap was such that it allegedly could be heard and seen on Correctional Department camera footage taken from the adjoining room,” according to the press release.

“There can never be an excuse for an officer abusing his authority,” Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “I believe that there is sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the charges filed today.”

It was unclear if Palenzuela had retained a defense attorney. Because his case is a misdemeanor, he was not physically arrested and will receive a summons to appear in Miami-Dade County Court.

Last year, three state corrections officers at Dade Correctional Institution were charged with lying about finding a blade in an inmate’s cell.

This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 10:42 AM.