| RIPTIDE | ▼ MIAMI SWAT SHOTS O MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENT SEEKS $37,000 FOR NEW MILITARY-STYLE SNIPER RIFLES. BY ALEX DELUCA ver the years, the Miami Police Department (MPD) has rou- tinely asked the City of Miami for funding to fortify its stock- pile of weapons, gadgets, and technology. Weeks after the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, the MPD put in a re- quest to rush-order $300,000 worth of mili- tary-grade armor. The department sought another $100,000 for assault rifles, rifle scopes, and related equipment the following month. In 2019, the police force asked for $70,000 to spend on powerful phone-spying tech for use in criminal investigations. According to an agenda for the City of Mi- ami’s upcoming September 8 commission meeting, MPD is now seeking nearly $37,000 to arm its SWAT officers with five new long- range sniper rifles and accessories, noting that the current weapons are more than 15 years old and in need of replacement. The new mili- tary-style weapons cost about $7,400 apiece. “The procurement of the new rifles will enhance the defensive and offensive capabili- ties of MPD SWAT, thereby enhancing the protection provided to City of Miami resi- dents,” the resolution reads. An MPD spokesperson did not immedi- ately respond to an email from New Times about the request. The Miami City Commis- sion will likely vote on the purchase during Thursday’s meeting. The department proposes to buy the rifles from Colorado-based company Mile High Shooting Inc. City Manager Arthur Noriega GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS ▼ MIAMI BEACH RIPPLE EFFECT T 44 MIAMI BEACH WORKERS SUSPENDED, FIRED AFTER COACH DROWNS AT YOUTH CENTER. BY JOSHUA CEBALLOS he drowning death of a City of Miami Beach employee has sent ripples through the community, as his family pleads for transparency and the city seeks to clean house at the recreation center where the tragedy struck. The city confirmed on September 2 that a seasonal lifeguard at the Scott Rakow Youth Center has been fired, while another lifeguard and a recreation leader have been suspended following the drowning death last month of sum- mer camp coach Peniel Janvier. The morning of September 2, the Janvier fam- ily held a press conference with their attorneys outside the youth center, where they called for the immediate release of security footage they hope will shed light on the moments leading up recommended waiving competitive bidding after the city determined that Mile High was the exclusive distributor for the rifles. If the purchase is approved, the guns will be used by an MPD SWAT team’s sniper crew whose members specialize in long-range sur- veillance and precision shooting. The snipers are trained to respond to mass-casualty inci- dents, conflicts involving barricaded sus- pects, hostage situations, and high-risk warrant service. According to the resolution, “The new ri- fles operate on the same performance plat- to the incident and help to explain why Janvier wasn’t pulled from the pool more quickly. Peniel, who was 28 years old, was a part-time recreation leader and sports coach at the center. On August 16, he was celebrating the final day of summer camp at a pool party when he somehow ended up underwater and in distress for an as- yet undetermined amount of time. “The last thing he said to me was: ‘It’s the last day of summer camp. I have to be there with the kids. I’ll see you later,’” Peniel’s mother, Nicole Janvier, tells New Times. Peniel was pulled from the pool and the Mi- ami Beach Police Department (MBPD) was called around 2:30 p.m. He was rushed to Mt. Si- nai Hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator and underwent a CAT scan. According to Janvier family attorney Marc Brumer, a neurologist at the hospital said Peniel was brain dead — an indica- tion that he had been underwater for an ex- tended period. Brumer and the Janviers tell New Times that form as SWAT’s existing rifles and would allow for a seamless transition, enhancing safety, consistency of performance and readi- ness in the high-liability environment SWAT’s Officers operate within.” Shooting incidents involving Florida po- lice departments’ snipers have been relatively uncommon in recent years, in part owing to the limited circumstances in which police snipers are deployed. In May 2017, a sniper with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office fatally shot 25-year-old Terry Campbell, who was holed up in an apartment city officials did not visit the family during the nine days Peniel was on life support before his death on August 26. “We were there sleeping in the hospital every “WE WERE THERE night, and no one came,” Lucmanne Janvier, Pe- niel’s father, says. Miami Beach SLEEPING IN THE HOSPITAL EVERY NIGHT, AND NO ONE CAME.” spokesperson Melissa Berthier tells New Times that further in- formation, including the names of the em- ployees suspended or fired, has not yet been disclosed, as the inci- dent remains under review by the MBPD. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber released a statement saying he expects to release all infor- mation to the Janvier family once a thorough in- vestigation has been completed. “While the matter is under investigation, nothing can change the fact that PJ was very Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images A Miami Police Department SWAT team member on the scene of a drug raid in Liberty City in 2006. after allegedly threatening his brother with a handgun. Earlier in the standoff, the man had fired multiple shots when police tried to enter the apartment, according to a News4Jax report. The sniper fired the fatal shot upon spotting Camp- bell in a window with a gun raised, according to the sheriff’s office. A Pinellas Park SWAT team sniper shot and wounded a man in July 2019 after a long standoff tied to a purported domestic dispute. The man threatened police and brandished a firearm at them be- fore the sniper opened fire, ac- cording to Pinellas Park Police. Like many police departments in large cities across the nation, the MPD is equipped with an exten- sive cache of military-grade equip- ment and vehicles. The militarization of police nationwide since the 1990s has been attributed in large part to the federal 1033 Program, in which local law enforcement can obtain excess military equipment and tactical vehicles from the U.S. Department of Defense. (Miami’s potential purchase of the new sniper rifles is not tied to the 1033 Program.) A 2017 study found that heavy militariza- tion of a police department, as measured by equipment transfers under the 1033 Program, correlated with a higher rate of fatalities from officer-involved shootings. The study authors told the Washington Post that heavily milita- rized police departments “use more military language, create elite units like SWAT teams, and become more likely to jump into high- risk situations.” much beloved by those who worked with him and knew him. It’s a great loss obviously to his family and our City,” Gelber wrote. “It is my ex- pectation that after a full review all the facts will be shared with the community and PJ’s family.” MBPD has said it is investigating the circum- stances of Peniel’s death, but the Janvier family’s attorneys say they want the city to be more forthcoming and hand over the video sooner rather than later. It remains unclear whether Peniel was pushed into the pool, and why lifeguards didn’t immediately see him in distress. In an incident report, MBPD stated there was no evidence of foul play. “It’s been two weeks. It’s Labor Day weekend and this family has been through enough pain and suffering,” Brumer said at the Friday press conference. “If anyone knows what happened, please let us know.” [email protected] MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 SEPTEMBER 15-21, 2022 NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com
