The NFL and Domestic Violence

  The NFL and domestic violence make strange but understandable bedfellows.  I know from my experience as a police officer and an attorney that domestic violence crosses all social and economic boundaries.  I have arrested, represented and defended people accused of domestic violence and who were victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence is everywhere throughout our society....

FATAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS – PART 2

Last Sunday morning, Denise Marsh was riding her bicycle with friends when she was involved in a fatal accident, reports local10.com. This case illustrates several points I made in a previous article involving a fatal police car crash. Don’t think a fatal accident can happen to you? Look at the two people involved in this fatal accident, a 53-year-old mother of two riding her bicycle and a...

FATAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS – DEATH IS DIFFERENT

Fatal traffic accidents are a common occurrence in South Florida.  As a Miami-Dade Police Traffic Homicide Detective, I investigated thousands of traffic accidents.  Many of them were fatal traffic accidents, and a number of them involved police vehicles.  When a police officer is involved, it makes the news as this recent one did. Not surprisingly, there is an extra level of scrutiny applied...

Children and Domestic Violence

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month 90% of parents who are victims of domestic violence believe their children are unaware of it.  However, interviews with the children revealed that 90% were aware of domestic violence in the home, according to The Childhood Domestic Violence Association.   "The impact of Childhood Domestic Violence can be lifelong in terms of physical...

Stalking and Domestic Violence

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month Stalking and domestic violence go hand in hand. There is nothing that causes more fear than having someone stalk you.  Just imagine, someone lurking around your home or office spying on you is unbearable.  You are always looking over your shoulder for that one person.  Stalking can cause a person's life to change dramatically...

How to File for a Domestic Violence Injunction

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month I received a lot of emails last week asking how to file Domestic Violence Injunction (Requesting Restraining Order).  A domestic violence injunction, or restraining order, is a court order that prohibits a person, the respondent, from doing harm to the petitioner, the person who requests the injunction.  A domestic violence injunction requires the...

CIT Training for Law Enforcement is Saving Lives.

CIT Training is saving lives! Many of my family law and criminal cases involve parties with various mental-health issues.  Most importantly, these issues complicate the resolution of their legal matters. Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend a week-long law enforcement Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training. The training provides law enforcement officers with the tools they...

I Carry a Gun Every Day

Thirty-one years ago, at the ripe age of twenty, I was given a modest amount of training, a revolver, eighteen bullets and put on the streets of Miami-Dade County to enforce the law. I was given the authority by the government to deprive my fellow citizens of their liberty, at least temporarily, and sanctioned to use deadly force against them. I swore an oath to uphold the law and defend the...

How a DUI Conviction Can Impact Your Future

DUI, or driving under the influence, kills thousands of people in the United States every year. Florida’s share of these casualties is considerable: according to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), there were 8,476 DUI-related fatalities in the state between 2003 and 2012. Strong public backlash against those accused of drinking and driving has resulted in the passage of harsher...