Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 5-3-2019

Features
Body Camera Probe:
Clerk Of Circuit Court Decides Not To Seek Re-Election
Chief Fires 3; Disciplines 7 Other Officers
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday, Tampa Po- lice Chief Brian Dugan an- nounced punishment for ten officers involved in a body camera internal investigation. Three officers have been ter- minated, 7 others received var- ious forms of discipline and 1 officer was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Chief Dugan said, “They committed major policy viola- tions and they have lost their credibility. We don’t expect our officers to be perfect be- cause they are humans. But, when they make mistakes to this extent, it erodes at the community trust.”
Chief Dugan said that as a result of the investigation, criminal charges have been dropped against two people and two other cases are under review.
The investigation began on September 19, 2018, after a citizen complained that Offi- cer Mark Landry and Offi- cer John Laratta had threatened the citizen with physical violence during a self- initiated call for service the day before.
While investigating the complaint, Officer Laratta’s body camera footage was re- viewed. The examination re- vealed possible violations of department policy by both of- ficers.
Officials began reviewing footage from the body camera of both officers, dating back to May 15, 2018, when the equip- ment was issued. The ex-
BRIAN DUGAN Tampa Police Chief
panded probe uncovered addi- tional policy violations by both officers as well as eight other officers.
According to the Internal Affairs report, in one incident the officers initiated as a “sus- picious vehicle” call. The offi- cers were out on the call for thirty-two minutes. However, the body camera was turned off three minutes and forty- seven seconds into the call. It was deactivated prior to the in- teraction with the citizen and the officers.
Investigators could not substantiate the threat because there were no witnesses and the camera had been turned off. However, the review widened and revealed a pat- tern of policy violations, which included not submitting re- quired reports.
During the investigation, 349 separate incidents were reviewed from body camera footage. The review revealed 29 of the incidents involved policy violations. Of the ten of- ficers involved, Officer Landry, Officer Laratta, and Officer Algenis Maceo were immediately placed on administrative leave as a result of the seriousness and volume
of policy violations. All three have since been terminated.
The investigation revealed that the officers did not docu- ment vehicle searches and the detainment, handcuffing, and searching of citizens. The re- port also stated that the viola- tions included disposing of contraband instead of entering it into the Evidence Control Section.
The investigation did not uncover any violations of law of use of excessive force, the report stated. It also did not produce any evidence that the officers were planting drugs on citizens or otherwise falsely ar- resting or charging citizens.
The other officers involved in the investigation are: Offi- cer Sarah Brown, Reserve Officer Jonathan Darling, Officer Jose Estrada, III, Reserve Officer Daniel Falk, Officer Jessica Gillotte, Officer Andrew Lepochat, and Officer Bryan Tracy.
Their punishment ranged from oral admonishment to a letter of counseling.
In an interview with the Sentinel, Chief Dugan said, “This investigation was very deliberate and slow. I didn’t want to paint everyone with a broad brush. We are going to make adjustments to our pol- icy.
“The officers knew what they were doing was wrong and that’s my problem. There is no training for this. If they are bad, they need to be fired. I am going to hold cops and peo- ple accountable of their ac- tions.”
PAT FRANK Hillsborough County Clerk Of Circuit Court
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
After 16 years, Mrs. Pat Frank, Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court, an- nounced she will not seek re- election. She made the announcement at a press con- ference Thursday morning.
During the event, Mrs. Frank also announced her support for Les Miller, Jr., to become her replacement. Miller currently serves as the Hillsborough County Commis- sioner for District 3.
Mrs. Frank said, “I ab- solutely, enthusiastically sup- port Les Miller for this position.”
Commissioner Miller
said, “After talking with my wife and family, I have decided that I will run for the Office of Clerk of the Circuit Court.”
A Tampa native, Mrs. Frank has dedicated most of her adult life to public service. In addition to the 16 years she
LES MILLER, JR. Hillsborough County Commissioner
has served as Clerk of the Cir- cuit Court, she has served 6 years as a County Commis- sioner, 12 years as a State Rep- resentative and State Senator and 4 years on the Hillsborough County School Board.
Although she is not going to seek re-election, Mrs. Frank, who is 89 years of age said, “I’m not retiring. I’ll be busy doing other things.
“I’m very concerned about literacy in adults and children. If the parents can’t read, then they can’t help their children. I would like to have a program that draws the parents in to help their children and help themselves.”
Mrs. Frank’s term will end in 2020 and her replace- ment will be sworn into office in January 2021.
Commissioner Miller is a Tampa native who has served as a State Representative, State Senator, and County Commis- sioner. He has served on several boards and committees.
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