A police officer in Broward County, Florida, is now under official investigation after bodycam footage caught him repeatedly cursing at a Black father as he held his young child.
Florida @BrowardSheriff cop with history of making false arrests harasses, curses at black father calmly holding his baby, repeatedly calls him "boy." SEE FULL VIDEO AT https://t.co/oRNcDRb0JH
pic.twitter.com/a5fYB8AoK8— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) February 9, 2019
In the two-minute-long video, Deputy James Cady barks at Allen Floyd as he sits on a curb of a hotel parking lot. Cady repeatedly demands Floyd hand over his ID. When he refuses, Cady orders his partner, Deputy Debbra Bridgman, to take Floyd's child from him. Cady then grabs Floyd by his neck in a forceful manner, all the while his toddler can be heard crying in the background, still in Bridgman's custody.
Even though this incident occurred in July 2017, bodycam video of the altercation emerged last month.
In a January 30 letter addressed to Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony Broward, public defender Howard Finkelstein claimed the officer was using "unlawful touching" by choking Floyd and called Cady's continually calling Floyd a boy "demeaning."
"Deputy Cady’s verbal assault coupled with him choking an otherwise cooperative bystander can only be characterized as unlawful touching," Finkelstein's letter read. "In addition, Deputy Cady's use of the term 'boy' is offensive, condescending and demeaning. It carries racial connotations when used while addressing an adult Black male."
The Miami Herald obtained Sheriff Tony's February 1 response to Finkelstein's complaint, and the newly appointed sheriff mentioned that a previous complaint hadn't been filed before the public defender's memo.
"Thank you for bringing this matter that occurred in July 2017 to my attention," Tony's response read. "A cursory search of our system shows that no complaint was made prior to receiving your letter."
"Our Division of Internal Affairs will provide you with a response upon conducting a thorough examination."
This is not the first time the deputy has come under fire for his use of excessive force. The Sun Sentinel reports that in 2011, another Florida resident filed a suit against Cady for unlawful arrest. In his lawsuit, the man alleged Cady tackled the man "like a football player" when he questioned why two friends were being detained at a party. William Pineiro was awarded $250,000 as a result of his case.
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