In total, 21 witnesses, including the chief, gave a consistent narrative to investigators about Scirottos hiring and promotion practices, the report reads. The City of Fort Lauderdale is an Equal Opportunity Employer.-, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, 1300 W Broward Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 | Tel: 954-828-5700 | Internal Affairs: 954-828-6956 |Site Map, 2023 Fort Lauderdale Police Department | Created by Vision Internet Innovators of Online Government. Officers would be paid the salary they had when they left but wouldnt receive vacation time or any health, disability and retirement benefits. The promotions I made of minority candidates were because they were exceptional candidates who excelled at every level of the organization, who deserved to be promoted and who were, by the way, happened to be minority not because they were minority., Scirotto was sworn-in as police chief in mid-August last year. All rights reserved. Interviewed by officials, Scirotto denied asking which candidate was blacker when deciding on the promotion, but admitted to making comments about the wall of staff photos being too white because, he felt, it did not reflect the ethnically diverse community the police department serves. Lagerbloom made his pick from a list of eight semi-finalists that included three internal candidates: Fort Lauderdale's Assistant Chief Frank Sousa, Maj. Dana Swisher and Capt. Scirotto will be making the move from Dallas to Fort Lauderdale with his two American bulldogs, Charlie and Linus. Glenn Sapp - Chief of Police for the Quincy Police Department since 2014, and the Assistant Chief from 2011 until then. This is not a moment in time. He has the respect and support of the command staff and the rank and file. Larry Scirotto, a former assistant chief from Pittsburgh, will be taking the helm on Aug. 16. The list of semi-finalists represented a lot of talent both within and outside the department, Mayor Dean Trantalis said. Updated: Mar 7, 2022 / 05:51 AM EST. The report concluded that most believed that Chief Scirotto made clear his intention to promote based on race, gender or sexual orientation and that almost every witness was dissatisfied with Scirottos approach to promotions. The report followed several. Top 10 Police Chief CandidatesSelect the candidates name to see their resume. Mission Statement Receive the latest law enforcement in-depth information, news and products. Fort Lauderdale The search for a new police chief in Fort Lauderdale hasnt turned up enough good candidates, so City Manager Chris Lagerbloom plans to try again. Scirotto did not return NBC 6's requests for comment. Among reforms Scirotto planned was to create a multi-cultural liaison unit to expand officers roles as liaisons to key groups that have traditionally been marginalized and undeserved. Glassman says hes glad to see the city manager is not in a rush to name a new chief. He comes to us at an important moment in law enforcement as departments nationwide work to ensure community trust and that everyone is treated equally and fairly in interactions with officers. He spent 23 years in the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and was the youngest assistant chief in that departments history. Scirotto also provided WFOR with what he said was context for his comments about the wall being too white.. "I want a great relationship with people in our community who havent had access in the past," Scirotto said at the time. He said the context of the comment is built around how do I convince the community that we are an inclusive and diverse organization if this wall is so white? the report said. Bill Schultz. The other five are Dennis Jackson II, retired assistant chief for the Miami Police Department; Heather Morris, assistant chief for the Houston Police Department; Larry Scirotto, retired assistant chief for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police; and Kristen Ziman, chief of the Aurora (Ill.) Police Department. Larry Scirotto says he promoted minority candidates because they were exceptional not because they were minority. Dietrich has been overseeing the agencys 530 sworn officers and 179 civilians since July 9, when Lagerbloom demoted Rick Maglione from chief to major. In February, Dietrich announced she planned to step down from the role. Police Chief Jorge Colina will walk out of the downtown Miami police headquarters for the final time on Friday. The citys police department is now under the leadership of Acting Chief Luis Alvarez, the city said, and the selection process for a new chief is underway. Roln has worked with the Orlando Police Department since 1992 and was sworn in as the agencys 39th police chief in 2018. Some believed it was about time changes were made, but stated if promotions were based on things such as race it would even hurt or undermine the people promoted, the report said. RELATED: Fort Lauderdales interim police chief vows to reform troubled department, RELATED: Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione removed as officers face scrutiny over protest brutality. "We serve a very diverse community and thats important. Be the first to know with email alerts on important breaking stories from the Orlando Sentinel newsroom. The Commission said the measure was being taken in a step to increase diversity in the department. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department has been without a permanent leader since July 9. CurrieFriday afternoonsaid, I was really looking forward to the leadership that Chief Scirotto was going to bring." Units of the Office of the Chief of Police. The department is not broken, said the union president, Brandon Diaz. Christina Currie, chair of the citizens police review board, says Lagerbloom picked the right guy to bring change to the department. By choosing Scirotto, Lagerbloom rejected three internal candidates who were among the semi-finalists. Lagerbloom also chose Scirotto the youngest assistant chief in the history of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for his extensive background in patrol work and experience with investigative and administrative assignments. (Adelaide Chen) Scirotto was sworn-in as police chief in mid-August, and the city had hired a law firm by November to investigate complaints of discrimination before he was fired on Thursday, according to a copy of the law firms report obtained by CNN. OPD referred further questions to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Three of the semifinalists named by the City of Fort Lauderdale were internal: Interim Assistant Chief Frank Sousa, Maj. Dana Swisher and Capt. The city of Fort Lauderdale has fired its police chief Larry Scirotto, who has been in office for less than a year, following allegations of discriminatory practices for promotions. The attorney for the four officers who filed the EEOC complaints said in a statement that she hopes the "city continues on this path making improvements within the agency.. Fort Lauderdales now-former police chief has hit back at officials in the Florida city who fired him after just six months on the job, accusing him of focusing too heavily on a diversity policy in hiring and promotion. FLPD had been criticized for its handling of downtown protests on May 31 and the aftermath, but Lagerbloom said at the time that there wasnt one event that led to the change. The investigation into the bias complaints noted that Scirotto once said a conference room wall of photos was "too white and said, Im gonna change that., Another time, when considering a promotion, the investigation found that Scirotto said which one is blacker? The report quoted Scirotto as saying he intended to "consider diversity at every opportunity., Theres everything we have to do in the proper way. Copyright 2021 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved. Larry Scirotto has been selected by the city manager to become Fort Lauderdale's next police chief. [RELATED: Fort Lauderdales interim police chief vows to reform troubled department], Unfortunately, the current recruitment process did not produce a finalist list that contained enough candidates to continue moving it forward, Lagerbloom wrote. FL Sheriff Chases After Suspect During Radio Interview. Larry Scirotto, a former assistant police chief in Pittsburgh, has been tapped to lead the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. The investigation concluded that during his time as police chief, Scirotto implemented an approach to hiring and promotion that was unfairly focused on minority candidates. I believe to build trust and legitimacy in any organization, the trust is earned, he said. Larry Scirotto, 48, the son of a white mother and Black father and the departments first openly gay chief, was fired last Thursday after a city report related examples such as how he had once pointed to a display of photos of the departments command staff in a conference room and said: That wall is too white and Im gonna change that.. As of last month, it employed 690 officers out of an authorized strength of 939, leaving more than a quarter of sworn officer positions vacant. Fort Lauderdale officials have indicated the city could rescind promotions made on Scirottos watch. I reached out and asked if hed be willing to come out of retirement, and thankfully, he said yes. Provide a safe and orderly environment in our city through professionalism, dedication, an active partnership with the community and concern for individual dignity. We must change our tactics, our strategy, our training and the way we are accountable to the public for our actions.. More , Click for details. Officials told reporters they anticipated narrowing the list to four by mid-June. Kentucky now has 899 state troopers, which is an increase of about 22% compared to their staffing level in November 2021. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our. He wasnt all just talk, she said. Office of the Chief | Fort Lauderdale Police Department Font Size: About FLPD Office of the Chief Units of the Office of the Chief of Police The Media Relations Unit, Staff Inspections/ Accreditation Unit, and the Office of Internal Affairs are the three main components of the Office of the Chief. Larry Scirotto is expected to join the department in. Critics lambasted officers for firing tear gas and rubber bullets during what began as a peaceful protest. Police say protesters started it all when they threw rocks, bricks and fireworks. 2. During the search, we learned that there might be several additional candidates who were interested in the position but chose not to apply out of respect for the interim chief. . He started making positive changes that would impact the whole community in a more positive direction than we had been in," community activist Jackie Scott said. WI Agency Ends Credit Checks for Recruits. What would the optics have been on that?. Michelle F. Solomon is the podcast producer/reporter/host of Local 10's original, true-crime podcast The Florida Files and a digital journalist for Local 10.com. The new chief came to town. He also reorganized the Violent Crime Unit by combining homicide, aggravated assault and robbery investigations into a single unit to prioritize crimes against people. He comes to us at an important moment in law enforcement as departments nationwide work to ensure community trust and that everyone is treated equally and fairly in interactions with officers, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said in a tweet. He did talk about wanting to hire from outside to bring in fresh energy., [RELATED: Pop his ass. Bodycam videos show protesters throwing things at police. But in an interview with Miamis 7News, Scirotto denied that he had made promotions based on minority-status. They called for racial justice in response to a grand jury decision in Louisville to charge one officer involved in the raid that killed Breonna Taylor. I have no allegiance to anyone there, which means everyone will be measured on their own merit. When sworn in as chief, Roln said he would prioritize officer wellbeing and pursue de-escalation and mass-casualty incident training for officers. She stepped down in February after Lagerbloom, unhappy with the list of contenders, said he was conducting a new search for the departments top cop. That's . Lynn becomes the top cop after the firing earlier this month of Larry Scirotto after just over six months of leading the Fort Lauderdale Police Department after a workplace discrimination complaint. That was the day Lagerbloom demoted longtime chief Rick Maglione to major as protests over the police killing of George Floyd swept the nation. We wanted someone who can shepherd this department into a new era of policing, build trust and keep the needs of our diverse community at the forefront. Scirotto denied asking which candidate was blacker when deciding on the promotion, but admitted to making comments about the wall being too white, because he felt it was not reflective of the community, according to the report. As chief, Scirotto promises to bring accountability to the department and to treat everyone fairly. They are trained in Critical Incident Stress Symptoms and Management as well as Fort Lauderdale Police Policies and Procedures. For nearly a year, Fort Lauderdale's troubled police department has been without a permanent leader, with two different interim chiefs taking over while a national search was underway. Scirotto spent more than two decades as a police officer in Pittsburgh, and was initially welcomed in the Florida post as an outsider untouched by cronyism. "You came to the wrong county. Other units directly under the Office of the Chief are the FBI Broward County Public Corruption Task Force, the Legal Unit,Performance Analysis and the Police Departments Grants Office. Make no mistake weve had events occur in our police department in the last month, but I can tell you theres not been one event that has been the decision-making event, Lagerbloom said in July. Scirotto told CNN he promoted 15 people from August to November, and of that group, six were ethnic or gender minorities selected for promotions based on their merit. Police union chiefs were cautious. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) A Florida police chief has been fired after only about six months on the job following an investigation into several . Minutes later Sheriff Mike Chitwood responded that he was OK and explained what happened. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. The city of Fort Lauderdale has identified a sole finalist for its chief of police position. By November, the city had hired a law firm to investigate complaints.