Rosie Cordero-Stutz, James Reyes square off in only primetime Miami-Dade Sheriff race debate
MIAMI - Republican Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Democrat James Reyes met Tuesday evening for the only primetime debate between the candidates for Miami-Dade Sheriff.
CBS News Miami hosted the debate, which was moderated by investigative reporter Jim DeFede.
Throughout the debate, Cordero-Stutz and Reyes squared off on several issues on Miami-Dade residents' minds heading into the Nov. 5 election. Here are some of the highlights.
Tyreek Hill traffic stop
Policing was discussed during the debate, which was held weeks after Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained by Miami-Dade Police before the team's home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was dragged out of his vehicle and forced onto the ground and handcuffed, then later cited for careless driving and failing to wear a seatbelt, but was never arrested.
The incident sparked concerns about Florida's new law impacting civilian police oversight groups and prompted calls for more accountability from Miami-Dade Police.
When DeFede asked the candidates about concerns and accusations of racism and the mistreatment of Black Americans within the Miami-Dade Police Department, Cordero-Stutz said that though the agency has its issues and problems, it has a "history" of owning its mistakes and taking action to improve for the better.
"As the sheriff, I'm committed to making sure that we continue to improve on those things," she said. "We do that through training. We do that through education. We do that by working with our community."
Cordero-Stutz said one of the things she plans to do as sheriff is create a community action board of community leaders that will help implement improvements.
Meanwhile, Reyes argued there are several different layers to the matter at hand, saying there is a need to focus on implicit bias training because not everyone reacts to the same situation the same way.
"It's important for our officers to understand what their role is in the community and who it is they're here to exactly serve," he said.
When discussing the Tyreek Hill incident, Reyes said it highlighted the need for three things that are expected from the leadership of any police agency: transparency, due process and accountability.
Officer mental health
DeFede and the candidates also discussed the mental health of officers.
Cordero-Stutz argued that while Miami-Dade Police have helped officers cope with mental health, there's room for improvement.
"In the last several years, we have had some trauma, and so, I know that we can do better," Cordero-Stutz said.
She added that as sheriff, she will bring "robust training" to the department, especially at the cadet level, to allow those early in their profession to parlay the training into the rest of their careers.
Meanwhile, Reyes argued that the emotional toll of police duty on officers highlights the need for early intervention programs. He said that though the county has dedicated a lot of resources for police officers, Miami-Dade is "lacking" the opportunity to allow officers to seek help from outside the department.
"I think a lot of times, there's a stigma and a concern from our officers coming internally to receive help," Reyes said.
Accountability and discipline
Another topic of discussion among the candidates was police officer accountability and discipline.
When asked about incidents of frustration regarding officers who have been investigated by internal affairs but not relieved of their duties because of systems in place, Cordero-Stutz confirmed some cases did bother her and called for rule changes.
She said currently, the Miami-Dade Police Department "does an investigation and goes through a process and the department makes a recommendation based on progressive discipline based on the officer's history [and] based on the allegations that are sustained."
The recommendations are then brought to the mayor's office, but the cases are either reduced or overturned by issues regarding due to collective bargaining, unit issues or concerns that do not allow the agency to "maintain a level of discipline" that was needed, Cordero-Stutz said.
"As a sheriff, we can be independent and I will hold my officers accountable for their actions," she said. "The sheriff is the last line and that is very important. That process is something I have seen as a discipline coordinator for the department for many years and as the major over human resources."
However, Reyes disagreed.
"This is where Rosie once again, what you're going to hear time and time again is that Rosie is in charge of everything but responsible for nothing," he rebutted.
Reyes continued, saying that this is a "perfect theme" for how his opponent would discipline her officers and called for "courageous leadership."
"This has to do with being able to police yourself and hold your folks accountable," he said.
Reyes also added that Cordero-Stutz failed to mention the "importance of culture" and that "culture has a lot to do with the results that Rosie mentioned."
"She's a part of that culture and we need someone who comes in and is ready to challenge the status quo," he said. "I was brought here to Miami-Dade County to do just that."
Post-debate analysis
For the first time in more than 50 years, voters are being asked to elect a sheriff for the state's largest county, which has more than 2.6 million residents. The sheriff will oversee a budget of nearly $1 billion.
"This is one of the most critical races facing our community and they deserve to hear from the two candidates on how they will address a wide range of issues from building trust with the police, safety, immigration laws and many other topics," said Miguel Fernandez, vice president and news director for CBS Miami.
After the debate, DeFede joined the evening news team to provide post-debate analysis.
"I think that they each had their strong moments. They each had what would have been a weakness," DeFede said. "It's going to be a fascinating race to watch how it unfolds."
DeFede added that he believes the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will have "a lot of repercussions" on the sheriff's race.
The debate was held on Oct. 15, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on CBS News Miami. It also streamed live on CBS News Miami and Pluto TV/CBS News Miami.