The man behind the video aimed at getting a reality TV show about Miami Police officers that ended up adding to a firestorm of controversy in the feud between the police chief and the mayor has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Tommy Regalado, son of Mayor Tomas Regalado, was vindicated after an investigation by the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, the Miami Herald reported.
Chief Miguel Exposito had accused Tommy Regalado of trying to profit from the venture, called Miami's Finest SOS.
The video is a five-minute trailer featuring Miami officers rounding up black suspects, and bragging about being "predators" and "hunters." It was part of an effort to strike a TV reality series deal.
E-mails from the commission's report reveal a senior officer warned Exposito that his video message may have gone too far. He urged him to change the phrase "my aggressive team of predators," in referring to his department. The senior officer suggested that statement would "add fuel to the fire" and they "need to soften it!"
The department pulled the plug after six months of video production, but there are still reports of considerable interest in a series.
Chief Exposito is facing harsh criticism after his officers shot and killed eight black men since last summer, with some of the harshest criticism coming from Mayor Regalado.
