The internal affairs bureau of the Miami Police Department is no comedy club. It is a cramped office decorated with faded travel posters, harsh fluorescent lights, and ancient metal desks. Amid piles of paperwork somber detectives slog their way through the hundreds of citizen complaints filed every year. These are deadly serious investigations of possible police brutality, theft, corruption, and other crimes.
Most allegations are hard to prove.
Some complaints are groundless misunderstandings while others are crude attempts to smear an honest officer. The workload is punishing, yet the detectives are not without a sense of humor. As part of his complaint Van Buren submitted a videotape of interviews with friends who witnessed the arrest. Paul Shepard, as the first eyewitness stumbles through his account. When the parade progresses to other shaky testimonials, Shepard leans back in a chair and allows a smile to stretch across his face.