Attorneys want sheriff ’s ad pulled

Police brutality defendants say Tony commercial taints jurors

Lawyers representing three men accused of police brutality are taking issue with Sheriff Gregory Tony’s first television campaign ad, accusing him of tainting potential jurors and trying to “weaponize” their cases to aid his re-election efforts.

Tony proclaims in the ad titled “Accountable” that he “fired the bad cops,” briefly flashing grainy footage of incidents involving his former deputies Christopher Krickovich and Kevin Fanti, along with Gregory LaCerra, who is still on the force.

The men aren’t mentioned by name in the ad, but their lawyers Jeremy Kroll and Eric Schwartzreich wrote in a letter to Tony that he shouldn’t be broadcasting the footage for political purposes without context .

Krickovich and LaCerra are facing misdemeanor charges of battery and falsifying police reports. Fanti has been charged with misdemeanor battery.

“No doubt, as a politician, you have the ability to weaponize these events in an effort to aid your re-election efforts,” the lawyers wrote in a letter made public Wednesday. “Notwithstanding the politics of this situation, though, because of your position as sheriff of Broward County, you have a legal obligation to follow the law, including to protect the due process of rights of all citizens above your political ends.”

The attorneys wrote that Tony’s ad and public statements “clearly impinge” on the rights of Krickovich, LaCerra and Fanti to a fair trial. They also wrote one of their client’s children was threatened by someone who saw the ad.

The lawyers declined to comment further, saying that the letter speaks for itself.

Tony’s campaign isn’t going to pull the ad.

“This footage has been played hundreds of time on the local news and doesn’t identify any officers, but it’s not surprising that officers who were fired or disciplined for brutalizing their fellow citizens don’t like

the sheriff’s strong push for police reform,” Jerrick Grant, Tony’s campaign manager, said in a prepared statement.

Krickovich was caught on camera slamming a teenager’s head to the pavement during a rough arrest in April 2019 in Tamarac. LaCerra peppersprayed the teenager during the take-down. In a separate incident in June 2019, a surveillance camera captured Fanti punching a handcuffed man who was waiting to be booked into jail.

Tony fired Krickovich in December, overruling a recommendation from the Professional Standards Committee that he be exonerated. That committee makes nonbinding recommendations on deputy discipline. Tony also dismissed Fanti, who was still on probationary status.

The Professional

Standards Committee voted to exonerate LaCerra. Tony said he should be suspended for three days.

LaCerra is planning to appeal the suspension but that will have to wait until his criminal case is over.

A third deputy was charged as a result of the Tamarac incident. Ralph Mackey was arrested on the charge of falsifying records, but a jury acquitted him in September. Tony announced in December that Mackey received a written reprimand for failing to turn on his recording device.

Tony is facing his predecessor Scott Israel in the Aug. 18 Democratic primary, along with retired BSO Col. Al Pollock, Willie Jones, Andrew Maurice Smalling and Santiago Vazquez.