Embattled S. Fla. Police Officer Terminated For 6th Time

OPA-LOCKA (CBS4) - A former Opa-locka police officer wants his job back after he was fired from the department for the sixth time Wednesday. CBS4 News learned of the latest termination from our news partners at the Miami Herald.

German Bosque says he was fired for violating police procedure, but he denies any violations. He started as an officer with Opa-locka nearly 20 years ago.  According to the termination letter Bosque showed CBS4's Maggie Newland, he's accused of violating police rules by giving a civilian his department-issued assault rifle and police vest.  Bosque says this stems from an April incident.

"I was relieved of duty pending a criminal investigation. They wouldn't tell me what it was," Bosque said, adding he isn't aware of any current criminal investigation against him.

When he was relieved of duty, he said his supervisors wanted him to return his assault rifle and other department-issued equipment.

He says he didn't have his rifle because he was on vacation the previous week, so he locked it in the trunk of his personal car.  Bosque says he asked his girlfriend's father, who lives with him, to bring the car to the police station.

"He brought it to the station right away showed up at the station with the assault rifle now they want to fire me," said Bosque.

Opa-locka city leaders would not comment on the specifics of the investigation but Assistant City Manager David Chiverton said, "he violated certain rules within the police guidelines so for that he was terminated."

"There is still an ongoing criminal investigation at this time," Chiverton added.

Bosque says he is unaware of criminal allegations against him, and he's confident he'll get his job back.

"I'm not ashamed of anything, not ashamed of anything at all.  I'm very proud of the policeman that I am," He said.

Each of the five times he was fired in the past from Opa-locka, Bosque did get his job back.   In the past Bosque has been accused of using excessive force, participating in an unauthorized police chase, car theft, transporting drugs, and calling in sick to work in order to go on vacation.  He's been arrested three times.

"I was found guilty of some administratively never criminally," he said.

The Police Benevolent Association will represent him, as he goes to mediation to try to get his job back.

Although Bosque says he gets a lot of hate mail, he says he really wants to be a police officer

"I'm officially the most disciplined officer in the state of Florida that still holds a badge," said Bosque. "I'm also the most vindicated, the most acquitted."