A reported arrest quota for Memorial Day weekend is causing anger and concern among community activists and union officers in Miami Beach.
Rumors of the quota, which allegedly calls for 2,000 people to be arrested over the holiday weekend, first came to light in an email complaint from the officers' union. In that email, the union called the quota "aggressive, patently unfair, and unjust."
Police Chief Raymond Martinez has denied the reports, saying in an email to Local 10, "I want to be clear, there is no arrest quota for Memorial Day weekend or any other day on Miami Beach."
But the ACLU is also concerned, especially when it comes to protecting civil rights.
"This is a big mistake they're making," said ACLU attorney Howard Simon. "Their goal should be zero arrests, not two thousand arrests. If police are going to use arrests not as a last resort, but as a first resort they're going to make the situation worse."
They also said police need to use "professional training" to diffuse situations rather than arrest party-goers as a first response.