The Miami-Dade Police Department has refused to release the name of the police officer who fired a single shot that left a teen, who was reportedly carrying a pistol during a wild police chase, paralyzed.
After more than two weeks without any explanation, the department finally gave a reason why they would not name the officer who shot 15-year-old Vito Corleone-Venisee. They invoked “Marsy’s Law” to justify withholding the name of the officer, treating him as a “victim.”
In recent months, more and more police departments across Florida have increasingly used “Marsy’s Law,” a controversial statute — which was initially presented to voters in the state as a measure intended to protect the identity of crime victims.
Now critics are arguing that police departments are purposely misusing the measure to prevent the public from having the opportunity to review police actions.
Police departments and unions have defended the tactic of labeling cops as victims or potential victims in shooting incidents, claiming it’s an expansion of the law, which the state appellate court supports. But it’s expected to be reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court later this year.
“When the officer gives a statement, we believe he will become a victim, which would then afford him the protections of Marsy’s Law, which not only protects police officers, but also protects the public,” Steadman Stahl, president of Miami-Dade’s Police Benevolent Association, explained on Wednesday.
