The Miami-Dade Police officer placed on administrative leave for his involvement in the viral Tyreek Hill traffic stop incident has a long history of use of force, suspensions, and written reprimands throughout his nearly 28-year tenure.
According to Officer Danny Torres’ personnel file reviewed by Newsweek, Torres, who forcefully pulled the Miami Dolphins wide receiver from his car on September 8, has been suspended from the police department six times since his October 7, 1996 hire date.
While specific details on each of these suspensions are not included in the personnel file, Torres’ suspensions have ranged from five to 20 days.
Torres’ Suspensions Are As Followed:
- February 14, 2014: Five-day suspension
- February 4, 2016: Five-day suspension
- September 9, 2016: Five-day suspension
- September 26, 2016: Five-day suspension
- October 24, 2018: 20-day suspension
- June 25, 2019: 10-day suspension
Miami-Dade Police Department
His first use of force incident occurred on February 12, 2002, in the Miami Hammocks District.
Torres has received written reprimands on four occasions, though one was later rescinded. He received his latest written reprimand on September 30, 2020.
Torres’ file, however, also boasts more than 30 commendations throughout his career. His awarded recognitions include professionalism and dedication to duty (May 2023), as well as safe driving (2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022).
Newsweek has contacted the Miami-Dade PD for more information.
In a press conference last week, Hill admitted he should’ve followed police commands and kept his car window rolled down as instructed before the traffic stop quickly escalated.
“I will say I could have been better,” Hill said. “I could have let down my window in that instant. But the thing about me is, I don’t want attention. I don’t want to be cameras-out, phones-on-you in that moment. But at the end of the day, I’m human. I’ve got to follow rules. I’ve got to do what everyone else would do.”
Hill added, “Now, does that give them the right to literally beat the dog out of me? Absolutely not,” Hill said. “But at the end of the day, I wish I could go back and do things a bit differently.”
Hill also repeated his call for Torres to be fired.
“Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. He’s gotta go, man,” Hill said of Torres. “In that instant right there, not only did he treat me bad, but he also treated my teammates with disrespect. He had some crazy words towards them and they didn’t even do nothing. Like, what did they do to you? They’re just walking on the sidewalk. He’s got to go, man.”
Last week, the office of Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told Newsweek that “the body-worn camera footage from the incident involving Tyreek Hill makes it clear that the detaining officer acted in deeply troubling ways that warrant a full internal review.”
“Miami-Dade County is committed to upholding trust between law enforcement and the community we serve, and to do that it’s critical we ensure there is accountability for any officer who is found to use unnecessary force.”
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
‘Things Can Be Lawful And Still Be Awful:’ Expert
Newsweek spoke with two police experts about Torres’ personnel file.
Both Thaddeus Johnson and Andrew J. Scott agreed that officers could be suspended for “anything” ranging from putting on handcuffs too tight or falling asleep on the job to driving that resulted in a serious crash, or the inappropriate use of force.
They both agreed Torres’ personnel file does not provide specific information explaining what Torres did to be suspended.
“One could say that perhaps he’s a little handsy at the very least in his career,” Johnson, a former law enforcement official in Memphis and Senior Fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, reacted about the multiple “push/pull” acts of force listed in the provided documents. “But it’s really hard to tell just based on that personnel file.”
Scott, a former Boca Raton Police Chief, noted that Torres’ two September 2016 suspensions being within two weeks of each other, if printed correctly, are “concerning.” He also said the amount of time Torres has been suspended is “above average” for officers with a nearly 30-year career.
“I know hundreds, thousands of police officers over the course of my career. I have never come across an officer that has had that many suspensions in that period of time,” Scott told Newsweek.
“I’ve had officers and friends that are officers that have been suspended, but maybe that occurs once or twice in their career.”
AP Photo/X/@SadJagsFan69
Scott maintains that the force Torres used to get Hill out of his McLaren “was not inappropriate” but can understand the department’s decision to place Torres on leave “due to his history.”
Johnson, on the other hand, did not think Hill’s traffic stop warranted such a rough reaction from Torres.
“That was a level of aggression that was quite surprising to me,” he said. “I have been part of things where people need to get the vehicles because I’m gonna make an arrest or that we have probable cause that something is going on, but I’m not just doing it for traffic tickets.”
“Things can be lawful and still be awful, and I feel like this is one of those things,” Johnson added.
“Did he do anything that I deem unlawful? Eh,” Johnson pondered. “Does his record and now seeing this behavior make you wonder what he does when the cameras are not on? It’s natural to have those questions.”
Both experts agree that Torres should receive remedial training for the Hill incident and said it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the department to evaluate whether he’d be better suited for a different unit.
Johnson said, “It might be difficult for him even with some of his fellow officers who may not quite agree with his behavior to come back into the field like nothing ever happened.”
“I don’t think people are going to try to hurt him, I just think that his legitimacy has taken a hit. I think that if he interacts with citizens, they’re going to remember that camera image and might be more nervous if he pulls them over. I would be afraid,” he added.
Getty Images
Scott said he doesn’t think he needs to lose his job.
“If we’re seeing a pattern of overreaction to certain things of which he winds up being remanded, then there may be a necessity to remediate into significant training or transferring him away from his position as a motorman and relocate him maybe back into patrol or to some other type of duties that would take him away from dealing with traffic violators of that nature.
“I don’t think suspensions would be appropriate here, but do I think he should lose his job? No,” Scott said.
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