Miami police chief calls veteran sergeant ‘disgruntled’ after harsh retirement message

MIAMI – The City of Miami Police Chief spoke on Tuesday about a longtime sergeant’s shocking retirement message.

Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales called 33-year veteran Sgt. Madelin Garcia “a disgruntled employee.”

“After having twenty years behind a desk, she was told, ‘your position is needed in patrol, where the city needs you,’” Morales said.

It is routine for an officer, when they retire, to announce it over the police radio.

But the goodbye from Garcia was anything but.

“This place was an amazing department to work for until the back stabbing and personal attacks started from my immediate supervisors and the First,” Garcia said over the police radio. “And if you don’t know who the First is, the First of nothing. To the chief and the First of nothing, you guys are in denial. You think you’re doing an amazing job, but in reality, you have destroyed this police department and the morale, except for your circle, which is definitely took care of.”

She then brought up former Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo.

“I thought that Acevedo was bad, but at least one things for sure, I knew where he was coming from. To the First, you have a nasty attitude. So do yourself a favor and take some interpersonal skill classes so you know how to treat people right. And finally, to my immediate supervisor, Maj. Garrido. You are a liar, a snake in the grass, a cancer to this department. The hardest thing of being a female in this department was being surrounded by many males knowing that I was more of a man than you.”

Morales said it came down to the veteran officer not wanting to leave her desk job.

“I can understand her frustration, but I can’t condone her unprofessional behavior,” he said.