Robert Webster, a lieutenant with the Miami Fire Department was relieved of his duties after he punched a handcuffed Antonio Cruz in the face after Cruz assaulted him by spitting in his Face. Caught on Camera, Webster can be seen punching Cruz only after the brazen criminal act committed by Cruz while handcuffed to a medical gurney in a Miami Emergency Room.
“It was worth it” Robert Webster is reported saying after the fire department’s hiring division investigation resulted in Webster being relieved of his duties as a Fireman.
Now, If Robert Webster was a Police Officer, he would still have a job, and chances are we, the public would NOT know his name. Placed on desk duty is the term used when a Police Officer receives a time out for behavior that is less than ideal caught on camera.
While on desk duty, often the public will never know the Police Officer’s name. So in chances the Police Officer is terminated for their actions, they are able to leave one police department for another. When this happens, the innocent party to suffer are the those the Police Offices have been sworn to serve and protect.
We are NOT saying what the Fire Fighter (Webster) did in the video was approved because clearly it is a violent act and his actions should not lead to this as a public servant. What we are saying is, we should know the people that are sworn in to serve and protect especially when a crime has been committed.
Public servants should be held to higher standards when they commit a crime or when they are charged with committing a crime. And as a result, we as citizens should know who they are and the crime they were accused/charged with committing.
The additional scrutiny allows for the public to remain safe and qualified servants placed in roles that involve contact with the public.
