Fariha Tasnim Amir | Staff Writer
With the Miami-Dade Sheriff election coming up, FIU hosted an official town hall event on campus for the 5 sheriff candidates to share their plans for serving the Miami-Dade county.
On July 10, FIU auditorium at Graham Center lit up with patriotic spirit as the 5 sheriff candidates present (15 candidates running in total) – Ignacio Alvarez, Rosie Cordero Stuz, Mario Knapp, Ernesto Rodriguez and Jose Aragu delivered their candidate speeches before FIU alumni and potential voters. Each candidate had 10 minutes to carry out their speeches.
Retired major and former FIU alumni and faculty Ignacio Alvarez kicked off the candidate speeches. While speaking of his ties to FIU, he emphasized the importance of education which he realized while he was a sergeant which led to him earning his bachelors and master’s degree from FIU and later he went to law school after becoming a lieutenant.
Ignacio pointed out his status as a business owner, highlighting the point that he’s more than capable of handling the officers, employees and different kinds of contracts the town hall will need to deal with coupled with his experiences as an attorney.
“When you guys walk down the street and see a police car, you will be able to feel safer, feel better”, Ignacio stated while speaking about potential changes he wants to bring if he’s elected.
Upon mentioning the current state of crimes and risks, Ignacio stressed that increased safety in streets, ending political favoritism in the department and helping the public become more aware of the importance of working together in the community and locality to take action against the issues that arise within were among his top priorities if he’s selected for the role.
Active major of police, FIU grad school alumni Jose Aragu followed right after with his speech. Jose mentioned his immigrant background as a Cuban who moved to America at the age of 5 and pointed out that he is a proactive police officer and he’s always looking to learn and grow.
According to Jose, his experience as an executive officer at the port of Miami helped him gain understanding of Miami’s tourism, growth and opportunities.
“We need to reinvest as a sheriff’s office and make sure we are educating our children”, Jose said while addressing the dangers of drugs, gangs and illegal firearms in the community.
He also alluded to the significance of restoring traffic order and his strong stance against avid use of scooters everywhere in streets of Miami as it has no traffic law enforcements. Jose also stated his position against recent Home Owner Association (HOA) frauds and car insurance frauds in his speech.
Pointing out 40 arrests in the last 2 months in Miami alone for car insurance fraud where the perpetrators stage an accident to get PIP insurance, Jose emphasized how rampant the issue has become recently.
Jose stated the biggest contribution he’d bring to the table if he’s selected as sheriff would be separating the police from politics. “We are now going to report or be held accountable to the citizens, the people of this community with no bureaucracy and politics involved. And that is a step in the right direction”, Jose said.
Following Jose’s speech, another former FIU alumni, Assistant Director of Miami Dade Police Department Rosie Cordero Stutz presented her speech.
A veteran with 28 years of experience under her belt, Rose pointed out that her hard work and dedication over the years made her come through the ranks and gain experience in every single area of the department. She is the only candidate endorsed by former president Donald Trump.
Rose mentioned her experience supervising all the different units in the police, with the knowledge to manage contracts, inventories and additional obligations that come with the role which would make her a good fit.
“As a constitutional sheriff, I’ll report to the people and their needs”, Assistant director of MDPD Rose stated. The opportunity to have a direct voice in the legislature at the state level is another crucial point of an independent sheriff’s office according to her because the police department does not have it right now.
After Rose, retired major with 27 years of experience, Mario Knapp commenced with his speech. Mario mentioned he has held every civil service position in the police and he’s very well rooted in his roles.
“I supervised the special patrol bureau for every single corner of the Miami Dade county from Monroe county line to Broward”, Mario said. To put the weight of the positions he has held into perspective, Mario pointed out that he’s one of the only two captains among the candidates.
Mario explained the previous history of the Miami Dade sheriff’s office from 1966 when the head sheriff got caught for corruption and how throughout the course of time MDPD lost it’s place as a prestigious organization.
He said in the speech that he’s running for sheriff in order to bring back transparency and eliminate political bias from the office. Mario also addressed the fact that police officers do not feel backed up by the department which is causing hindrance to the efficiency of their job.
“The best indicator for future performances is past performance. It’s not what you say, It’s what you’ve done”, former major Mario stated while concluding his speech, indicating the relevance of his experiences in the police in regards to the leading position of a Sheriff.
The last candidate to give their speech was Lieutenant Ernesto Rodriguez. Ernesto has served for 37 years in the police and he has worked for former presidents Clinton and Bush. He talked about his struggles and his Cuban immigrant background.
Lieutenant Ernesto spoke on the issue of human trafficking and how victims are subjected to inhumane experiences. Ernesto also pointed out his pride as a Republican who has voted every chance he got because he couldn’t vote where he came from.
“The department (of MDPD) is a good department. It used to be a great department and it should be a great department again”, Ernesto said in his speech. “We came here to serve. You don’t become a multi millionaire by becoming a police officer, it’s a calling.” He stated, indicating his priority towards values in his job.
After all the candidates were done with their speeches, they welcomed questions from the audience. While answering a question about what steps the Sheriff’s office will be taking about human trafficking, Ignacio said he gives his attorney services to human trafficking victims, with a bulk of these crimes concentrated in Coral Gables.
Mario Knapp answered that specific plans and strategies are already set into motion in order to tackle this serious issue but the details are still confidential.
All the candidates answered yes to the question of allocating part of the budget for deputizing a veteran for the sheriff’s office.
The primary election for selecting the Town Sheriff from among the 5 candidates will take place on August 20 and the general election for the position will take place on 5th November.
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