26 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: OCTOBER 2017 W h a t ’ s t h e difference between a “leaker” and a “whistleblower?” Whatever the answer is, one thing’s for sure – if you leak sensitive video from your agency to media outlets you’re likely going to be arrested and lose your job. In Florida, a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested based on charges that he secretly recorded footage of a mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hol- lywood International Air- port in January and then sold or gave it to TMZ, according to the sheriff’s office. Michael E. Ding- man, 47, was booked at the main jail and released on a bond of $2,000 shortly after he turned himself in. The arrest warrant states that the deputy used his cellphone to record about 20 seconds of footage near the beginning of the airport shooting and then improp- erly sent the footage to the tabloid-gossip website. The warrant also alleges that Dingman tried to de- stroy the evidence in his phone. “This is a deputy who violated his oath, and I hope the truth surfaces and justice is served,’’ said Bro- ward Sheriff Scott Israel. Last January, Esteban Santiago-Ruiz, 27, opened fire in a baggage claim in Terminal 2 at the airport, killing five and injuring six others. Santiago-Ruiz, a U.S. Army Iraq war vet- eran, was arrested and has pleaded not guilty to nearly two dozen charges. Four days after the incident at the airport, Dingman, a 21- year department veteran was suspended with pay as the department began an internal investigation into the source of the leak. “I remember hearing about this shortly after it happened and being really angry,” Sheriff Israel told the Miami Herald. “We had so many people working so hard and so seamlessly and to know that one of our own could do this was disappointing. It wasn’t his place to dis- seminate it.” And it certainly was a poor choice to use his de- partment-issued laptop to shop his video around – if that’s what happened. Dingman apparently admitted he sent the video to TMZ but denied he re- ceived compensation when he was arrested. “Do you guys think I made money on this thing?” he asked a detec- tive during the investiga- tion, according to the arrest report. “Because if so, I didn’t. You can search my bank records if you’d like, but you aren’t going to find anything.” Dingman was charged with four counts, including tampering with or fabri- cating physical evidence, violating public records law, criminally using public records information and unlawfully using a com- munication device. Consequences There are dumb plays, stupid moves and there’s crap like this Esteban Santiago-Ruiz, 27, opened fire in a baggage claim in Terminal 2 at the Ft. Lau- derdale Airport, killing five and injuring six others. Santiago-Ruiz, a U.S. Army Iraq war veteran, was arrested and has pleaded not guilty to nearly two dozen charges. RISE ABOVE 360 24/7 SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. ON DEMAND. Skywatch provides the deployable, capable, integrated surveillance system required by today’s law enforcement professionals to monitor key events and locations. With a wide variety of sensors to choose from, Skywatch can be tailored to fit any environment or budget. In a world that requires vision and flexibility, accept no compromises. SEE HOW AT WWW.FLIR.COM/APB