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Broward homicide detective blows whistle on Sheriff Israel; alleges cover up and retaliation

By Dan Christensen, BrowardBulldog.org 

Broward Sheriff's Homicide Detective Jeffrey Kogan Photo: A&E Network
Broward Sheriff’s Homicide Detective Jeffrey Kogan Photo: A&E Network

A Broward Sheriff’s homicide detective has filed a whistleblower suit alleging that Sheriff Scott Israel and members of his command staff sought to cover up misconduct by a Fort Lauderdale canine officer at an arrest scene.

Jeffrey Kogan, a featured detective on the A&E channel’s police reality show “The First 48,” contends he was ostracized and demoted to road patrol after reporting he saw the dog handler unnecessarily sic the animal on a murder suspect who was in custody and no longer a threat.

Sheriff Israel, a former Fort Lauderdale police officer, is the lone defendant in the nine-page complaint filed July 12 in Broward Circuit Court. He is accused of engaging in or allowing “unlawful retribution and retaliation,” including “verbal abuse, harassment and intimidation for reporting official misconduct and participating in its investigation.”

Kogan is a 12-year BSO veteran and, according to his A&E biography, a homicide detective since 2009. His complaint says his record until now was unblemished.

On April 3, Kogan was investigating the fatal stabbing of 20-year-old Keema Gooding at a home at 3024 NW Eighth Court, in unincorporated Fort Lauderdale. A resident of the home, Walter Hart III, 19, was quickly identified as the prime suspect.

Hours later detectives developed information that Hart was possibly hiding at another residence located within Fort Lauderdale’s city limits. In standard protocol, BSO asked for the assistance of city police, the lawsuit said.

Murder suspect Walter Hart III  Photo: BSO
Murder suspect Walter Hart III Photo: BSO

Early the next morning, police arrived and suspect Hart fled out the back door. City officers waiting in the back yard nabbed him.

When Kogan heard Hart was in custody he walked into the back yard accompanied by the unnamed Fort Lauderdale canine officer and another policeman.

The complaint filed by plaintiff’s lawyer Tonja Haddad Coleman says Kogan “observed the suspect sitting on the ground near the rear door with his hands behind his back. He was not resisting any officers or being combative in any way.”

Kogan “then witnessed the FLPD canine officer unnecessarily deploy his canine, who bit the suspect on his right arm,” the complaint says. Kogan immediately reported the incident to his direct supervisor, BSO Sgt. Dave Ellwood, another star of “The First 48”.

Attorney Coleman was not available for comment.

BSO spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright said, “Without going into any details regarding the pending litigation, we believe the facts will show BSO acted correctly in this matter.”

A BSO press release at the time said Hart was captured with “the assistance of a Fort Lauderdale police dog.”

Hart’s Fort Lauderdale lawyer, Sidney Fleischman, declined to discuss the extent of his client’s injuries, but did say that Hart was hospitalized because of them.

Fleischman said he was not aware until Wednesday of either the state attorney’s investigation or Kogan’s lawsuit.

Three days after Hart’s arrest, an unidentified assistant state attorney assigned to prosecute Hart for murder contacted Kogan to ask about the charge of resisting arrest that was added to the case. Kogan told him what he’d seen, touching off a probe of the canine officer by the state attorney’s public corruption unit, the complaint says.

On May 7, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent working with prosecutors called Kogan seeking a sworn statement. Kogan told his supervisor about the agent’s inquiry.

The next day, Captain Rafael Perez, commander of BSO’s Criminal Investigations Division, asked Kogan about the matter and then told him he would notify Sheriff Israel via the chain of command. He told Kogan to contact his union officials.

On May 30, Kogan was removed from the homicide rotation. He continued to report to work in homicide, but “was prohibited from working cases,” the complaint says.

Kogan was subpoenaed a few days later to appear before prosecutors to give a sworn statement. After that, Perez suggested to Kogan that he might want to put in a request for transfer. Kogan refused.

Broward Sheriff Scott Israel
Broward Sheriff Scott Israel

On June 10, Perez informed Kogan he was being transferred out of homicide. A few minutes later, BSO homicide Sgt. Steve Feeley called Kogan to get the names of the FDLE agent and the prosecutor who were investigating the dog bite incident.

Perez later advised Kogan “to let things blow over about the incident, and that if he did so, at some point in time he might be able to relocate.”

Kogan’s demotion was effective June 25th. The same day Kogan appeared in answer to the subpoena. The complaint says he “reiterated the incident involving the FLPD canine officer, and then told them all of the events regarding the adverse action taken against” him by BSO.

At the same time, the unnamed FDLE agent told Kogan “the sheriff did, in fact, call his superior at FDLE to inquire about this investigation,” the complaint says.

Kogan’s complaint suggests, but does not specifically allege, that Sheriff Israel’s coziness with his former department is behind what happened to him.

Israel “hired countless employees from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department,” the complaint says. It also notes that “several executives of Israel’s command staff” are former city officers.

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Comments

9 responses to “Broward homicide detective blows whistle on Sheriff Israel; alleges cover up and retaliation”

  1. Wow!!! Great read. I hope Det. Kogan is vindicated for standing his ground (in this case standing for true Justice) . What a story!!! Sheriff, you should have stayed out of this investigation.

    Cannot wait to see how the Sheriff”s web brigade will respond to this one.

    Something like, Mr. Christensen is not a true reporter any more, this site is a rag, etc., etc., etc. Guess what, Sheriff? Your hired trolls writing style (i.e. talking/blogging points) are too contrived for their own good. Readers are beginning to recognize them.

    A new rule of thumb for the Sheriff Israel, try leading by example. You will not need a “team” of trolls to scour the local blogs to defend your image. Scott, you are the Sheriff of Broward County first and a friend second. Stop covering up for the bad apples, man. You’re a better than this!!!

  2. Charlotte Greenbarg Avatar
    Charlotte Greenbarg

    Another problem in a long string of them. Too bad for Broward’s citizens.

  3. Scott Rothstein Avatar
    Scott Rothstein

    You have got to be kidding me, when did the S.A.’s office get a public corruption unit?

  4. Sandy Loesche Avatar

    It’s a sad state of affairs that corruption still alive & well and continuing within the Sherriffs office. It was hoped that electing Sherriffs Israel would be good for Broward County. Obviously not

  5. This should not ever be let go or forgotten. Det. Kogan kudos to you sir. You should run for Sheriff!!! And use ever bit of this corruption story in you favor.

  6. William rabinowitz Avatar
    William rabinowitz

    Scott Israel needs to be terminated and is a corrupt cop. Hopefully people wake up and vote him out!

  7. Wanna bet that none of the kids and few of their parents had any idea the man in charge here was named Mr Sherif Israel. This is stuff you just can’t make up.

  8. I wonder what ever became of this.

  9. Michele Denise Gigliotti, BA, MA Avatar
    Michele Denise Gigliotti, BA, MA

    Tony Gregory lied on a legal affidavit when he signed “No” regarding if he had ever been arrested-which he has for murder, and he also lied about how the crime unfolded. He also marked “No” when asked if he ever had a record expunged. Both were true. However, you cannot review these reports because the judge sealed them. Conspiracy? Scott Israel recently lied about his finances on a legal affidavit and is “revising” his financial numbers. Only because someone blew the whistle on him. Don’t forget Israel’s lack of response on the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School by Nikolas Cruz. And Officer Kogan commanded his K-9 to attack a black suspect, who was already detained, in handcuffs, and was not resisting arrest. His bite from the directed dog required stitches and, of course, a painful rabie shot. Can’t Broward County voters nominate a honest, fair, non-criminal, male or female Chief to steer this county in the truly right direction? Enough of these crooks!

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