Miami officers file whistleblower complaint after demotions during controversial cop flap
Two Miami police officers who say they were mistreated over their views on one of the city’s most controversial cops have filed whistleblower lawsuits against the city.
Brandon Lanier, who had been a commander in Internal Affairs, but was demoted and suspended after refusing to recommend the firing of former Police Capt. Javier Ortiz, says he hasn’t been afforded due process and is asking for more than $1 million for a series of reprimands and demotions. Wanda Jean-Baptiste, who claims to have suffered a similar fate as an investigator in Internal Affairs, is seeking the same relief.
“He saw his law enforcement career and reputation destroyed after he came forward with information about corruption and wrongdoing,” attorney Michael Pizzi wrote in Lanier’s complaint.
Last June, Lanier sent letters to Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio Gonzalez and Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, saying he had conducted a pair of investigations into the antics of Capt. Javier Ortiz — but cleared him because in both instances the statute of limitations had expired.
Lanier claimed Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales had told him “heads will roll in IA” if the department recommended anything less than termination for Ortiz. Lanier was a commander in Overtown district when he called the chief’s orders “illegal, unethical and corrupt.” He’s since been demoted to lieutenant.
Baptiste, who was an investigator and detective in Internal Affairs, is now a patrol officer in Overtown. Ortiz was fired in September by Morales, who said his decision was “based on his [Ortiz’s] pattern of behavior and his failure to maintain a good moral character.”
This story was originally published April 4, 2023 at 3:51 PM.
