Frequently Asked Questions
Who may register a complaint?
A complaint may be made by any citizen or member of the Sheriff’s Office. Complaints may be filed in person, by mail or by telephone. Anonymous complaints will be handled at the discretion of the Sheriff.
A complaint may be submitted to any member of the Sheriff’s Office. All complaints are forwarded to the Internal Affairs Section whose regular office hours, are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. In addition, there is an investigator available upon request 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Every complaint, regardless of its nature, is appropriately investigated. Whenever possible, complaints of minor violations of Sheriff’s Office policy or procedures are assigned to the supervisor of the accused member’s unit. Discipline is recognized as a function of command.
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What does the Complaint Procedure entail?
Complaints, generally, fall under two categories:
- Serious Misconduct – commission of an unlawful act or actions on the part of the employee which warrants a detailed investigation by Internal Affairs
- Minor Misconduct – violations of Sheriff’s Office written rules and/or regulations
Minor misconduct is investigated by the member’s commanding officer. A written report is forwarded to the Internal Affairs Unit.
Serious complaints are investigated by the Internal Affairs Section. A report is prepared which includes sworn statements from the complainant, the accused, and the witnesses.
The completed investigation report also includes a narrative summary of the events and a finding of the facts. The report must present an accurate account of the circumstances as they actually occurred.
This permits the supervisors to make a proper recommendation, based on the investigative findings presented.
The employees’ supervisors include their immediate supervisor, section supervisor, section commander, Division Chief, Department Director, and the Undersheriff. Recommendations for disciplinary action will be made at each level in the chain-of-command with the ultimate decision resting with the Sheriff.
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What do the dispositions mean?
The possible dispositions of the complaints are classified as follows:
- Unfounded – The allegation is false or not factual.
- Exonerated – The incident occurred, but was lawful and proper.
- Not Sustained – There is insufficient evidence to either prove or disprove the allegation.
- Sustained – There is a preponderance of evidence to prove the employee committed the alleged misconduct
- Policy Revision – The action of the agency or the employee was consistent with agency policy; however, the policy may require amending or revision.
In all cases, the employee is notified of the disposition.
There are five types of disciplinary action which can be recommended for a sustained case:
- Written Reprimand Level One – the first step in terms of severity of corrective action
- Written Reprimand Level Two – an official censure of unacceptable acts or behavior which is administered in a positive manner
- Suspension – a temporary removal from the ranks of active employment and loss of pay
- Demotion
- Dismissal
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Florida State Statute 837.06: Whoever knowingly makes a false statement in writing with the intent to mislead a public servant in the performance of his or her official duty shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree.
Pursuant to Florida State Statute 119 all correspondence with the JSO is public record. Exceptions occur when information is shared as part of a criminal investigation, internal investigation or contains criminal intelligence.
Under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public record do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact the Internal Affairs Unit by phone at 904.630.2187 or in writing.
Under Florida law, once these cases are disposed of they will be public record.
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