Auditors Recommend Changes to Miami Beach PD After Controversies

Miami Beach's frequently scrutinized police department should "strongly consider" equipping officers with cop-cameras, discouraging them from firing at dangerous drivers, and rethinking officers' off-duty details, according to an audit of the department released Wednesday.

Miami Beach's frequently scrutinized police department should "strongly consider" equipping officers with cop-cameras, discouraging them from firing at dangerous drivers, and rethinking officers' off-duty details, according to an audit of the department released Wednesday, reports the Miami Herald.

The review of the department was commissioned last year after a series of headline-grabbing controversies, in particular the fatal Tasering of teen graffiti artist Israel "Reefa" Hernandez-Llach. Auditors with the Police Executive Research Forum were asked to review the department's policies and determine if any changes were needed.

Overall, they found that the department has undergone "significant improvement over the last several years, partly in order to respond to episodes of high profile officer misconduct." But they made a series of recommendations, a few of which speak to controversies that have dogged the department.

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