Miami officer photographed wearing pro-Trump mask near voting site will be disciplined

MIAMI — A uniformed Miami police officer will be disciplined after he was photographed wearing a protective mask with a pro-Donald Trump slogan at a voting site, the city’s police chief said Tuesday.

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Miami Deputy Police Chief Ron Papier said he spoke with Chief Jorge Colina and that “appropriate disciplinary action” will be taken against Officer Daniel Ubeda, the Miami Herald reported.

It was not immediately clear whether Ubeda was working or was on his way to vote at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center in downtown Miami, the newspaper reported. However, Ubeda was wearing a face covering that read, “Trump 2020” and “no more bulls---” on its front.

One person saw the mask, took a photo and tweeted it, according to WTVJ: Steve Simeonidis, the chairman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.

Simeonidis tweeted that the officer’s mask was “city-funded voter intimidation."

“He may have been going to vote. But he was in full uniform with the mask and a gun," Simeonidis told the Herald. “That’s voter intimidation.”

Simeonidis said Ubeda “laughed it off” after he was questioned about the mask.

In Florida, police, whether on duty or not, must adhere to a law that states that people are not permitted within 150 feet of a polling site unless they are voting, the Herald reported. Weapons are also prohibited, although there are exceptions in the law for police, the newspaper reported.

Obviously this is a clear violation of our department policy regarding campaigning while on duty," Papier told the Herald. “Additionally, the mask has offensive language, which is also a violation of department policy.”

The City of Miami Police said in a statement that Ubeda’s behavior was “unacceptable,” WTVJ reported.

“This behavior is unacceptable, a violation of departmental policy, and is being addressed immediately,” officials said.

Cox Media Group