Two Miami police officers have filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the City of Miami, alleging they were retaliated and discriminated against for exposing corruption and wrongdoing they say were at the hands of the department's top cop.
The two officers started speaking up almost a year ago about these accusations that stem from their time working in the Internal Affairs Department with the Miami Police Department.
Lt. Brandon Lanier and Officer Wanda Jean-Baptiste sat next to their attorney Michael Pizzi Wednesday as Pizzi explained why these two officers are now filing whistleblower complaints against the city.
"They reported corruption and they refused to go along with multiple attempts to improperly and illegally interfere with IA investigations," Pizzi said.
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The complaints say the two have been retaliated against, being demoted from higher ranks and disciplined for blowing the whistle about alleged corruption and wrongdoing at the hands of Chief Manuel Morales, who they say was trying to control the outcome of Internal Affairs investigations.
"Chief Morales' decision to improperly throw Commander Lanier and Detective Baptiste out of Internal Affairs in the City of Miami sends a message that he wants Internal Affairs to be his lackeys and his stooges to target the people he wants," Pizzi said.
The two officers got emotional at times but stayed silent in front of the cameras. Pizzi said it was to avoid any more disciplinary action from the department.
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Several weeks ago, the officers testified at a whistleblower hearing before the city's Civil Service Board, where Morales spoke to reporters that his actions were not corrupt or racist. He said the officers could not perform their duties.
"What’s happening here is individuals that violated department policy. They violated officers' rights. They didn’t do the right work in Internal Affairs. When they got held accountable, they slung accusations," Morales said.
Meanwhile, Pizzi on Wednesday held up what he called the "smoking gun," showing a reprimand for then-Assistant Chief Morales.
Pizzi said while Lanier and Baptise were in IA, they recommended that Morales be reprimanded for not properly supervising Commander Ronald Papier following a crash in a police vehicle that was not properly reported.
"The same person who kicked them out of IA, he's the same person they reprimanded," Pizzi said.
The City of Miami's legal department sent NBC6 a statement, saying:
"Officer Jean-Baptiste and Lieutenant Lanier have filed a case against the City of Miami because they are unhappy with the City’s decision to appropriately discipline them after the City learned that both officers had improperly deprived another officer of his statutory rights under Florida law. This is now the third time that Jean-Baptiste and Lanier have attempted to challenge the City’s proper disciplines. The City is confident that Jean-Baptiste and Lanier will fail to prove any wrongdoing, much like their failure to prove any wrongdoing in their other meritless challenges."
The Miami Police Department did not return our request for comment.
We are working to get an independent copy of the reprimand Pizzi showed to NBC6.
