CBS 4 Miami – Exclusive: Miami FOP Vice President Accused Of Abusing Power

Sgt. Javier Ortiz

MIAMI (CBS4) – A Miami Police officer is under fire, accused of abusing his power on the streets. Former University of Miami football star turned pro, Jonathan Vilma recently filed a complaint against Sgt. Javier Ortiz, who is also the vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Vilma said back in 2009 Ortiz went overboard during a routine traffic stop. He said the cop pointed a gun in his face, yelled profanity at him and charged with a number of things that were later dismissed in court.

Vilma declined to talk to CBS4 News about the complaint. It was sent to Miami police internal affairs and the Civilian Investigative Panel. Vilma’s attorney Michael Tein said the football star decided to file the complaint after watching a news story. In it, Ortiz admitted to emailing out a doctored photo of a suspect killed by police. The photo had drawn in red eyes and devilish teeth on Durrall Miller, a man accused of shooting at officers before he was killed.
A CBS4 News exclusive investigation has learned that several others have filed complaints against Ortiz. Octavia Johnson said she did so back in 2008 when Ortiz was one of several officers who stopped her while she had her two year old son in the car.

“Each one of them had my legs,” said Johnson. “The other two had my arm. I said ‘why is you all applying this much pressure to me?’. I said my son is in the car he said ‘I don’t give an f about that’.”

She said she pleaded with them not to be so rough, telling them that she was pregnant. Johnson, a school teacher, also said they threatened to put her son in DCF custody.

“Physically I was hurt because I had been bruised and emotionally I was distraught,” she said. “Because I never been done like that. I never experienced that type of behavior from an officer.”

An internal affairs investigation found Johnson’s complaint inconclusive. She said ultimately the charges against her were dropped.

But now as the complaints against Ortiz are piling up she’s hoping something will finally happen to him.

“He needs not just to be reprimanded,” she said. “But he needs to resign or be terminated from his position because he’s using the law at his advantage.”

Ortiz declined CBS 4 News’ request for an interview. Miami’s Chief of Police has not responded to our request for an interview.