Posted by Blogger Name. Category:
Miami Beach's police chief has put a stop to lucrative off-duty assignments for officers at more than a dozen nightclubs, as the city investigates whether one of his sergeants was drunk while on detail.
Police Chief Dan Oates’ announcement sparked immediate outrage from the city’s union leaders, who called it a “knee-jerk” reaction that will only serve to tax an already stressed-out police force even further.
Club owners, however, gave a lukewarm response to the news, saying they will adjust. The new policy goes into effect Aug. 1, giving club owners some time to find alternative private security.
“I am convinced that we need more safeguards and tighter rules before we can consider allowing this kind of work to resume,” Oates wrote in a prepared statement, saying that command staff will also seek input from club owners on how to move forward.
Sgt. Mike Muley was relieved of duty Monday after an anonymous 911 caller complained he was intoxicated while working an off-duty shift at Mango’s Tropical Cafe — marking at least the fourth time a Beach cop had been accused of being drunk or drinking while in uniform over the past three years.
