Officer suspended after desecrating Jewish texts, chief says

The back of the pickup truck was filling up with garbage when the Miami police officer added Jewish scripture to the heap.

Sgt. Roberto Destephan first tossed a case inscribed with the Star of David into the truck bed.

Then, in the undated video first published by ABC Local 10 on Friday, he held the Tanakh — holy Jewish texts that include the Torah.

“This crap, [expletive] this,” he said as he threw the book into the truck. “Taking out the trash, dawg.”

The video prompted Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina to suspend Sgt. Destephan, the department announced Friday, calling the officer’s comments “anti-Semitic,” disturbing and inconsistent with the department’s values.

“I would like to reassure our citizens of all faiths we stand in solidarity with them,” Chief Colina said.

The department did not respond to questions seeking further comment about Sgt. Destephan’s status, and Sgt. Destephan, a vice president with the local police union, could not be reached for comment. His organization, the Miami lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, called the video “heavily edited” and an effort to sabotage Sgt. Destephan ahead of his re-election.

John Cunill, a Florida attorney, told The Washington Post that his law firm obtained the video and provided it to ABC Local 10 but declined to say how the firm obtained the video.

“It’s just something that’s wrong. It’s morally wrong,” Mr. Cunill said of Sgt. Destephan’s remarks.

In February, the Anti-Defamation League reported that the number of anti-Semitic incidents rose 60 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year.

About 630,000 Jewish people live in Florida, and most live in South Florida where Miami is located, according to the Miami Herald.

In a lengthy and conspiratorial statement, the Miami FOP said the video was filmed years ago, and taken amid an organization office cleanup that involved mold and termites.

The video “doesn’t capture the full and entire conversation,” the statement said without evidence. The group’s attorney, Robert Buschel, did not return a call seeking comment.

Lodge President Javier Ortiz also did not return a request for comment. Sgt. Destephan, under the name “Robert,” was still listed as the chapter vice president on the group’s site Saturday.

The union claimed that an email demanding Sgt. Destephan’s withdrawal from the race was sent anonymously, using the “doctored” video as blackmail. The alleged email was not provided in the release.

Mr. Cunill said the video does not appear edited to him.

“While the created video appears to be distasteful and insensitive at first glance, we believe when the entire story is fully investigated the sinister motivations behind its creation will become obvious,” the statement read.

The chapter is cooperating with investigators and does not condone discrimination, the chapter said.

But an online message board for Miami officers simmered with similar conspiratorial language that often overlooked Sgt. Destephan’s speech in the video. Anonymous posters speculated that everyone from Sgt. Destephan’s competitors to Chief Colin a and city officials were behind the video’ s release.

There were some dissenters, however.

“No matter how the attorneys spin the story now to defend this moron, it’s another black eye to the department and union,” one anonymous commenter said.