OFF DUTY

Hispanic Miami Police Captain Who Said He Is Black Is Suspended

Capt. Javier Ortiz reportedly invoked the “one-drop rule” to explain why he said he is black on promotional exams.

A Miami police captain was suspended on Wednesday, days after ranting at a public meeting that he was black, and not Hispanic, because of the “one-drop rule.” Police brass did not say why Javier Ortiz, who ran the SWAT teams, was benched indefinitely without pay, the Miami Herald reported. But he created an uproar with his response last week after a black police union leader complained that Ortiz misidentified his race on promotional exams. “I’m a black male. Yes, I am. And I am not Hispanic,” Ortiz said, also referring to black people as “negroes.” The Herald reported that Ortiz dismissed the controversy as “not news” on his Twitter account but did not return calls about the suspension.