The Miami man dubbed "Florida's Dirtiest Cop" is out of a job again -- and blames a "witch hunt" for his trouble.
Sgt. German Bosque was officially fired as of Wednesday, according to a letter he received from Opa-Locka City Manager Kelvin Baker. The city charges that Bosque, who was relieved of duty with pay April 19 "based on an open and pending criminal investigation," couldn't produce his city-issued AR-15 assault rifle when summoned for his suspension.
Baker wrote it was discovered Bosque had given the gun and his city-issued bullet-proof vest to his girlfriend's father (read the original document below):
You indicated that you did not have the rifle as you had given it to your girlfriend's father later identified as Mr. David Reynolds. It was also discovered that you had given Mr. Reynolds a bullet proof vest with the word "POLICE"...
Your decision to give your fully loaded Department issued rifle and a bullet proof vest with the word "POLICE" to a civilian is of great concern, exposing the City to liability and demonstrates your lack of qualifications, good judgement and character required to be a police officer.
Bosque told the Miami Herald that he stored the items in his personal car because they were less likely to be stolen from it than the department motor pool. On April 19, he was dropped off at motor pool and drove a squad car to the department. When asked to produce the weapon, he argued he simply called his girlfriend's father, who drove Bosque's personal car to the department with the equipment inside.
“And they want to fire me over that?” Bosque said Wednesday. “That’s the least I’ve ever been fired for.”
But that, of course, is part of the problem. Bosque has been investigated by police 40 times, sixteen of those for battery or other violence. He's been accused of stealing a car, trying to board an airplane with a loaded gun (Bosque said his girlfriend had done the packing), driving with a suspended license, and found with counterfeit money, cocaine, and crack pipes in his car.
He has been promoted to sergeant despite rulings that enough evidence exists to say alleged acts occurred in cases of battery, perjury, theft of city resources, conduct unbecoming, official misconduct, breach of duty and excessive force, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Among allegations are charges that Bosque head-butted a handcuffed suspect, spit in a drunk man's face, swept the legs of a handcuffed man, caused and then tried to cover up a crash, and slapped a minor so hard the child's face was swollen the next day.
Ex-girlfriends allege he's been violent, and Bosque has been caught falsifying a report for an incident in which he even slapped himself to make a fight appear mutual. According to the Miami Herald, the 48-year-old has been arrested three times, and fired at least six times -- twice from other police departments before he was hired by Opa-Locka.
When earlier this year, the Herald-Tribune's nine-part series on Florida's "flawed system for policing police" found no officer in Florida has been investigated more times for misconduct than Bosque, the news caused the 18-year-veteran to "light up."
"I can't believe that," Bosque told a reporter. "I'm not trying to smile. I just ... damn!"
Bosque has been fired from the Opa-Locka Police before, too, but managed to get his job back. He told CBS Miami he aims to fight this termination, too.
“I’m not ashamed of anything, not ashamed of anything at all," he said. "I’m very proud of the policeman that I am."