MIAMI - A judge presiding over the cases of several protesters arrested during free-trade talks last month said he saw at least "20 felonies committed by police officers" during the summit and called their actions "a disgrace for the community."

Circuit Judge Richard Margolius, 60, said in court he was surprised by what he saw at downtown Miami demonstrations during the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit in November.

"Pretty disgraceful, what I saw with my own eyes. And I have always supported the police during my entire career," he said, according to a court transcript from the Dec. 11 hearing. "This was a real eye-opener. A disgrace for the community."

Margolius said he saw no fewer "than 20 felonies committed by police officers" during the weeklong events, though he didn't provide details. He also declined to single out departments from the more than three dozen agencies providing security.

Miami police coordinated the law-enforcement efforts at the summit, which sparked several days of anti-globalization marches and protests and resulted in 231 arrests. Police Chief John Timoney has said repeatedly that officers used restraint during the protests and only responded with force when they were provoked.

"The chief's not going to comment on something this vague," Angel Calzadilla, executive assistant to Timoney, said of Margolius' remarks.

Calzadilla and other police pointed the judge to the Citizens Investigative Panel, a board that reviews complaints of police improprieties.

"If the judge would like to file a complaint with the CIP, he can do that like any other citizen."

When questioned about his remarks made in court, Margolius said Friday they were "inappropriate."

"I can't comment on pending cases," he said. "A reasonable person could question my neutrality because of statements I made in open court."

Prosecutors' records, last updated Dec. 2, show 27 misdemeanors have been dropped against protesters. The Miami Activist Defense, a legal group monitoring the court hearings, says additional charges have been dropped or reduced since then.

Margolius had been hearing the cases of two protesters whose felony charges had been dropped or decreased to misdemeanors when he made his comments in court.

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