Police union thwarts ballot fraud

Offers $10,000 reward leading to arrest and conviction of perpetrators

In Florida, the Dade County PBA is continuing its efforts to thwart absentee ballot fraud by offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of absentee ballot fraud perpetrators.

The PBA first announced its effort to stop individuals from perpetrating absentee ballot fraud this past July.

“We were active across Dade County, but we were very focused on what was going on in the District 8 County Commission race,” noted John Rivera, the PBA president. “For the general election, we will be doing the same but concentrating on the Hialeah area.”

The Dade County PBA first stepped up after the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Public Corruption Unit was cut and its ability to properly investigate these crimes hindered by political pressures. Absentee ballot fraud investigations were transferred to the FBI however these cases are not within the FBI’s purview.

“The PBA is made up of officers with skilled investigative experience and we employee attorneys who formerly worked for the State Attorney’s office,” Rivera added. “We have private investigators assisting us as well. We are committed to continuing to do our part for this community.”

The PBA’s belief is that every registered voter who casts a ballot should have his or her vote counted in an election not tainted with fraud.

“We have seen this crime run rampant in elections with little deterrents or prosecution of individuals committing this crime,” he said. “We have had enough of tainted elections and ringleaders taking advantage of Miami-Dade County voters. These ballot brokers need to understand that people in the community are watching and will come forward.”

The Dade County PBA’s hope is that any information they get will help them build a case against the real culprits — the politicians and their campaign consultants who pay these people to collect ballots.

The concern they have, shared by others, is that we may see a repeat of illegal activities we’ve seen in the past couple of years with these mail-in votes, where several investigations were opened and arrests made from Hialeah to North Miami to Brickell to Homestead.

“That wasn’t too long ago, and we haven’t heard of anyone taking any preventative measures, Rivera noted. “I don’t think anybody is doing anything about this. We just don’t want it to be forgotten.”

Check this link to read about the Dade County PBA’s all out battle against the mayor who has threatened to lay off police officers.

As we were about to post this story, the Mayor announced several layoffs – most of whom are active in the PBA. What a surprise!