Former Melbourne Cop Frank Carter: Revisiting the Cases

There have been numerous searches for information on Frank Carter, the former Melbourne PD officer fired long ago and now pursuing a civil suit in federal court, recently that have arrived at this blog. I figure that I may as well oblige the reading public and post an update and my synopsis of the entire situation. Have I changed my mind about Carter? I will let you decide.

To establish my own mindset you need only read through this blog. I really do not trust cops and for the most part, I do not like cops. If you have read many of my posts, this should be obvious to you. However, I also do not like selective and/or malicious prosecutions. I am not so sure that Frank Carter's story is either, but they did hang him out to dry and fail to follow through. They did end his career even though he still has his law enforcement certification. Who in the hell would hire the guy? (no one I hope)

In my opinion, prosecutors failed to follow through on prosecuting Frank Carter because to do so would open a monstrous can of worms, which is also why the judge on the criminal case refused to allow certain evidence in the case against him. What can of worms am I referring to? Ha – the many, many prosecutions and plea deals that were made as a result of Carter's legally insufficient (i.e. illegal) traffic stops and vehicle searches. They would have to deal with hundreds of appeals and civil suits as opposed to dealing with lone cop Carter. That is my opinion and you may do with it what you wish.

Was Frank Carter a Bad Cop?

Well absolutely – there is nothing good about a cop that uses creative reasoning (i.e. lies and/or falsifies information on reports) to make a traffic stop and then again to search a vehicle. We still have a Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution in this country, however diminished it is today.

I have encountered many cops similar to Carter over the years and my son has encountered many exactly like Carter in his many traffic stops in the State of Florida, most being in Brevard County. I know who Frank Carter really is, but I also know that he was allowed to proceed as he saw fit for far too many years. Face it – this guy should never have had a 20+ year career with the Melbourne Police Department to use as leverage in his quest for $millions today.

Maybe, just maybe, Frank Carter has experienced a revelation of sorts and secretly knows that his many illegal traffic stops and vehicle searches over the years were wrong and illegal. Maybe he has learned a lesson that he will never forget. We can only hope so.

Carter's civil suit that was filed in federal court in Orlando is now in mediation. Lucky him as he gets cop-friendly federal judge Anne Conway – she dismissed my civil suit against bad cops after having a luncheon with former Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary (a defendant in my suit) less than a week earlier. Coincidence? Maybe, but I doubt it.

I do not believe that Carter will get $millions as he so desires, but I do believe that there will be a settlement soon. And really, Carter needs the money to pay the many creditors that have filed suits against him. His life stopped when he was arrested and so did his ability to pay bills apparently as there are 10+ suits against him. We use the name “Frank Carter” but his actual name is Francis Carter, so if you were searching for information and didn't locate it, that may be why.

I also feel that his many victims did not do all that each could do to push prosecutors into pursuing the case against Carter. How many put it on paper and swore to it? It's hard to tell, but not many in my opinion or prosecutors wouldn't be able to play hide-n-seek on the case. Maybe Dienecia Johnson was the only one and now she will suffer for it as she probably is already. Been there and done that with a different gang of bad cops. So if the other alleged victims didn't follow through, well, we can't blame Carter. Lucky him that they all lost their backbone somewhere long ago. It is clear that he still has his (backbone).

If you want to read my previous posts about Frank Carter, go to the label on this blog: Frank Carter

If you are interested in what specifically prompted Frank Carter's arrest to begin with, read: Carteria

The amended complaint in the current civil suit is here:

Francis Carter Amended Complaint August 2011

The latest filing in reference to mediation is here:

Francis Carter Mediation Notice 12 January 2012

This is a case that offered serious lessons for many, including Carter. Hopefully he moves on in life and is able to put his former career behind him. I would not be surprised if Carter opted to finish a bachelor's degree and go to law school as it is really the only area of law to pursue that will benefit him in the future. May he decide to actually study constitutional law, especially in relation to the Fourth Amendment.