VideoVideo related to akinyemi borisade: 5 fast facts you need to know 2016-04-29T12:21:29-04:00

Rookie police officer Akinyeme Borisade of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was fired and charged with assault April 28 after video surfaced of an incident at the Duval County Jail where Borisade, after a female arrestee kicked out at him, repeatedly struck her with his fist while multiple officers looked on, ultimately causing the woman to fall to the ground. Borisade, 26, was hired in March 2015 and was still on probation, though he had graduated field training and was authorized to patrol alone.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. The Video Shows Borisade Strike Her Multiple Times with Officers Not Intervening

According to investigators, the incident took place at the Duval County Jail late in the afternoon. Mayra Martinez, transported to the jail by Borisade and awaiting booking on a trespassing arrest, kicked out at Borisade twice, arousing his attention. He then moved over to her and repeatedly struck her. Three other officers and a community service officer (in the yellow polo) look on, as well as a fellow arrestee; the incident goes on for some time until another officer intervenes. Following the incident, Martinez slumps to the ground.

While the officers at the scene did not act quickly, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office claims that other employees moved quickly to effect the arrest. During a press conference which can be seen below, Undersheriff Pat Ivey reported that JSO Corrections officers informed superiors upon viewing the security footage, and Borisade was fired and arrested within 24 hours.

2. He Was Hired in March and Was Still on Probation

Police Officer Arrested News Conference 2016-04-28T20:24:53.000Z

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office undersheriff Pat Ivey stated in an April 28 conference, seen above, that Borisade was hired March 15, 2016 and was still on an 18-month probationary period at the time of the incident. As a probationary employee, Borisade did not have civil service protections, according to Ivey, and was terminated immediately after the incident. Borisade had graduated field training and was authorized to patrol alone.

Borisade worked in Jacksonville’s Patrol Zone 2 and made the initial arrest in Sub-Sector E. The area where the initial arrest took place, on the northern end of University Boulevard, was named a “crime hotspot” by the Sheriff’s Office in late 2014.

3. He Made the Initial Arrest in Response to a Dispute at a Strip Club

According to Undersheriff Ivey, Borisade’s alleged victim arrived at Scores Gentlemen’s Club for her first day of work. Some time during the day, her employment was terminated and she was asked to leave the scene. First Coast News reports that the arrestee, Mayra Martinez, had been drinking at the club and harassing patrons. Upon her refusal to do so, police were called, at which point Borisade and another officer showed up on scene.

Dashcam video taken by a witness at the scene, which can be seen above, shows Borisade punching the woman at the scene following her being taken to the ground by the second officer. The victim, identified later as Mayra Martinez, was charged with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest without violence.

4. He Was Cited for Misdemeanor Theft in 2008

In late 2008, Borisade was shopping at the Regency Square Mall in Jacksonville when he entered a store’s dressing room with undisclosed items of clothing, then exited the dressing room after hiding them. Borisade was taken into custody without incident by the store’s loss prevention unit and turned over to the police. After being read his Miranda rights, Borisade confessed to the incident. He later pleaded no contest to petit theft and was fined $283.

5. He Can’t Get His Job Back but Could Potentially Keep His Police Certification

In the press conference following the arrest, Undersheriff Ivey made it very clear that, as a probationary employee, Borisade was not entitled to Civil Service protections. This means that Borisade will not have a path to getting his job with the Sheriff’s Office even if he ultimately is acquitted or not prosecuted. As a Florida police officer, however, Ivey said he is entitled to a “name-clearing hearing,” where he can present evidence in defense of his police officer’s certification.

New York law professor Mitchell Rubenstein discussed the general implications of name-clearing hearings without specific reference to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s rules or the Borisade case:

A name clearing hearing, it should be remembered, serves only one purpose – to provide the individual with an opportunity to clear his or her “good name and reputation” in situations where he or she alleges that information of a stigmatizing nature has been made public by the employer. Prevailing at a name-clearing hearing does not entitle the individual to reinstatement or to reemployment in his or her former position. This means that being provided with a hearing and having thereafter cleared his or her name is, at best, all the relief an individual can expect. In considering an individual’s right to a name-clearing hearing, the courts typically reject such an application if the individual fails to show that the employer had publicly disclosed the allegedly stigmatizing reasons for his or her dismissal or demotion. Although in most instances name-clearing hearings are demanded in situations where the individual has been dismissed from his or her position, in one case the individual sought a name-clearing hearing following his “coerced retirement.” The Appellate Division ruled that the individual was entitled to such a hearing [Murphy v City of New York, 35 AD3d 319].

Ivey said that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office would conduct the hearing, with a report of their findings to “Tallahassee,” presumably the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s headquarters in the state’s capital, who will make the final decision.