Who is Police Chief Larry Scirotto?
Larry Scirotto is the controversial Florida police chief who was fired weeks after being accused of discriminatory practices. After being removed from Fort Lauderdale Police Department on Thursday, the department’s top cop had an interesting support system. His lawyer told reporters that he received donations from civil rights groups and individuals to hire a law firm to represent him. Do you know who Larry Scirotto is? The Fort Myers police chief? Or is that a trick question? This is Florida we’re talking about here, folks. In this state anything goes. An officer fired after he was accused of favoring non-white colleagues was reinstated a federal judge. Okay, so maybe you do now know who Larry Scirotto is after all.
Why Was Larry Scirotto Fired?
Who is police chief Larry Scirotto and why was he fired? Many people in Florida will be surprised to learn that police chief Larry Scirotto of Fort Lauderdale has been fired over accusations of discrimination. Scirotto, a 57-year old veteran police officer with both the FBI and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had only been on the job as police chief in Fort Lauderdale since December of last year. Police Chief Larry Scirotto and a non-white police officer arrive at the Fort Florida Town Council meeting. The council member tells Police Chief Larry Scirotto that he is going to be voting against him in the upcoming election because he has been passing over white applicants and hiring semi-competent non-white applicants instead. (Click here to view the video.) The city of Fort Lauderdale has a lot to be proud of. With one of the highest median household incomes, beautiful beaches, and some of the hottest tourist resorts in the United States, Fort Lauderdale is an appealing place to live. But unfortunately, not everyone living there is happy. On June 20th, 2016, The Miami Herald published a story about Officer Donaldson-Jones (Scirotto’s former partner) accusing him and a third officer, Blansett (who was later named as the third officer who had given preferential treatment), of giving “preferential treatment” to officers of color.
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