Do many of the problems that plague the Volusia County Beach Patrol (VCBP) center around VCBP's failure to properly conduct and document background investigations on their officers?
Updated August 10, 2011
"When the police are indistinguishable from the bad guys, then society has a serious problem." - District Attorney Lynne Abraham
Recently, VolusiaExposed.Com was advised that a VCBP captain had a pre-employment background history that should have precluded his employment as a law enforcement officer.
VolusiaExposed.Com attempted to either confirm or disprove the information we received about the VCBP captain. Unfortuately, due to apparent poor record keeping by both the VCBP and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, VolusiaExposed.Com was unable to secure the documentation that could have brought closure to this captain's background issue.
VolusiaExposed.Com made a public records request to Volusia County, in which we requested both the mandated CJSTC 77 (FDLE) Background Investigation form that must be filed on all law enforcement officers within Florida and the internal VCBP background investigative report generated on the subject captain. VolusiaExposed.Com did receive a redacted CJSTC 77 form in which the captain did admit "to having previously committed an act which constitutes a felony or misdemeanor even if previously not detected, not arrested or not prosecuted including, but not limited to, theft, possession of illegal drugs, fraud, etc". However, due to public records exemptions the actual description of the admitted act(s) were redacted (blackened out) on the CJSTC 77 form given to VolusiaExposed.Com.
However, Volusia County apparently could not located their internal background investigative report on the captain. Please see June 24, 2011 letter from Volusia County to VolusiaExposed.Com
Since FDLE requires the employing agency to file a copy of the CJSTC 77 form with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) - we filed (July 26, 2011) a public records request with the FDLE for a copy of the CJSTC 77 and any supportive documents filed with it (the VCBP internal background investigative report). On August 8, 2011 - we were advised by FDLE that they did not have the CJSTC 77 or any supportive documentation regarding the pre-employment background investigation.
We invite our readers to review the below web link to a blank copy of a CJSTC 77 form (with filing instructions). According to the instructions, the form must be filed with the FDLE either electronically or by hard copy. So, the obvious question is why doesn't FDLE have a copy of the captain's CJSTC 77 form?
Is the above just one of many examples of the problems that exist within the VCBP, and by default, within the Volusia County Department of Public Protection? We invite you to review the other concerns we have regarding the VCBP (see below links).
VolusiaExposed.Com's other concerns involving the backgrounds of Volusia County Beach Patrol officers:
The Beach Patrol Sex Scandal involving allegations that at least one VCBP officer engaged in underage sex and that other VCBP officers falsified their records and / or testimony during the investigation into the sex allegations.
The Beach Patrol Porn Scandal, whereas VCBP Chief Bussinger was busy downloading over 12,000 porn images on duty time, rather then properly supervising his officers. Maybe this lack of supervision better explains the above underage sex scandal?
Did an illegal alien successfully pass a VCBP law enforcement pre-employment background investigation conducted by the VCBP? If so, what does this indicate about the quality of VCBP investigations?