Miami police chief suspends sniper program using mug shots as target practice
Chief J. Scott Dennis said the department is investigating the program that was criticized after a soldier found her brother's bullet-riddled mug shot at a shooting range. She found police had used only pictures of African-American men that day.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, January 17, 2015, 11:08 AM
- A
- A
- A
NBC MIAMIA South Florida family is outraged at North Miami Beach Police after mug shots of black men were used at a shooting range for police training.
He finally bit the bullet.
A Florida police chief suspended a sniper training program widely criticized for using mug shots of African-American men for target practice.
North Miami Beach Police Chief J. Scott Dennis said the department is investigating the program after a National Guard soldier discovered her brother's bullet-riddled mugshot at a gun range last month.
"The North Miami Beach Police Department recognizes how, taken out of context, it may appear to be offensive," Dennis said in a statement Friday night.
No disciplinary action will be taken because no policies were violated, he said.
The program sparked outrage after Sgt. Valerie Deant found the mug shot of her brother, Woody Deant, in the trash along with several other booking photos entirely of African-American men after visiting a gun range used by police.
PreviousNext
Her family called out the department for discriminating against Woody Deant, who was arrested at 18 for drag racing that left two people dead. After serving four years in prison, he cleaned up his act and is now a father, husband and "career man," he told NBC Miami.
Dennis initially defended using the photos for being "vital for facial recognition drills" and said police used pictures of people of all races and sexes for practice, not just African-Americans.
Only two of the department's 95 officers are snipers, Reuters reported.
The program underscored growing tensions between police and the Florida African-American community.
