FDLE Confirms their refusal to investigate the possible corruption within the Volusia County Department of Public Protection
Updated May 9, 2010
“that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” - President Abraham Lincoln - Gettysburg Address - November 19, 1863
UPDATE May 9, 2010 -- Please review the May 9, 2010 email to FDLE staff. We again asked them to investigate our concerns
We have heard back to our April 13, 2010 email requesting that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigate the concerns outlined at this website. We ask our readers to re-read our April 13, 2010 request to FDLE - Did we ask FDLE to take our word that possible corruption existed within the Volusia County Department of Public Protection, or rather, did we asked them to review the documents submitted by VCDPP staff on whether it confirms the possible existence of corruption?
Upon reading the April 21, 2010 email response from Mark Perez, Chief Inspector of the Office of Executive Investigations / FDLE, you the readers, will clearly see that they do not intend to even investigate these concerns at any level.
Let's look at Mr. Perez's response.
First of all, Chief Inspector Perez appears to assume that this website is maintain by an Mr. Albert L. Prevatt, Sr. Although this website is knowledgeable that Mr. Prevatt was an employee of the Volusia County Division of Correction, we hope that for the sake of the citizens of Volusia County that Mr. Perez's investigative skills are more "on target" in his assertion that no "criminal predicate" exist to even investigation the possible corruption within VCDPP, then he was in concluding that Mr. Prevatt made the April 13, 2010 inquiry.
In short, we here at VolusiaExposed.Com don't believe that Mr. Perez will be doing any Hollywood auditions for the role of Sherlock Holmes any time in the near future. Actor Robert Downey Jr. character role is secure for now.
We ask the reader to note the following in Mr. Perez's April 21, 2010 response:
First, in paragraph one of his response he advises this Mr. Prevatt's that in "most instances" with his concerns, FDLE staff provided him with a response. Why only most and not all? Also, we have reviewed the PDF file that Mr. Perez attached to his email -- Mr. Prevatt's address and telephone number were not redacted - so we are unable at this time to post the PDF file. We are asking one of our readers that know Mr. Prevatt well to break the news to him that FDLE failed to redact his personal information - what we know of Mr. Prevatt, he will not take that news very well.
Second, notice that Mr. Perez can only advise Mr. Prevatt that his concerns has been "reviewed" and not investigated by "four separate FDLE sections". Why didn't at least one section "investigate" his alleged concerns? Such gives the possible appearance that the handling of Mr. Prevatt's concerns was in a FDLE "lock step" manner, does it not? In our opinion, FDLE is putting more effort into avoiding an investigation into these matters, then it would take to investigate. FDLE response kinda reminds us of the three moneys that heard, saw and spoke no evil. What do you as the reader think?
Third, notice the last paragraph of Mr. Perez's statement - Does his advisement to this Mr. Prevatt that - "forwarding additional complaint regarding SIMILAR issues will NOT change the response of our agency"- mean that if this Mr. Prevatt became knowledgeable of a new similar issue within the VCDPP that he believes is a criminal violation of Florida laws, that he should not report it to FDLE? If so, we at VolusiaExposed.Com are left scrambling to go to GOOGLE to see if the equal protection under the law cause still exist in the fourth teen amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
It is apparent that FDLE wants nothing to do with investigating the concerns as detailed on this website. But then again, if memory serves FDLE initially did not see any possible "criminal predicate" in the 2006 Bay County Boot Camp death of 14 year old Martin Anderson. It would appear that due to FDLE's failure to properly handle the Anderson matter, FDLE had to be removed by the Florida Governor as the investigative body on the matter. Later, Guy Tunnell, the Commissioner of FDLE resigned in apparent connection with his refusal to appropriately handle the allegations surrounding Martin Anderson's death.
Although no criminal convictions came out of the Anderson matter, it is of significance that FDLE had to be removed as the investigative agency for their apparent refusal to properly investigate the matter.
At least in the Anderson matter, when FDLE refused to investigate, the Governor did assign a special prosecutor to investigate those concerns. We believe that the Governor needs to do the same in regards to the VCDPP concerns. We invite the readers to review the concerns of this website from our main page - but in the particular we ask that you review the deaths of Volusia County Jail Inmates Jack Nelson and Tracy Veira. After your review -- ask yourself these questions:
In the Jack Nelson death - did officers falsify their rounds and logbook entries?
In the Jack Nelson death - was Sheriff Investigator Johnson allowed to believe that cell block rounds have been made as required by Florida State mandates (suggest reading Investigator Johnson's report)?
Is it crime in the State of Florida to lie or mislead a law enforcement officer during his / her investigation?
Is it a crime to falsify an official report, like jail log books and reports?
In the Tracy Veira death -- did Sheriff Investigator Campanella initially document a concern that the decomp with Inmate Veira's body was not consistent with the jail officers last alleged observations of her? Did he follow up those concerns in his final investigative review? If not, why not? Was a law enforcement investigation compromised to avoid the attachment of civil liability to Volusia County?
Do officers give conflicting accounts of their observations of Inmate Veira on their VCDC 52 and VCDC 401 reports? Does those conflicting observation call into question whether officers were actually conducting their observations rounds? Is it possible that Inmate Veira's death was assisted by the severe indifference by jail staff to her medical condition and their possible failure to maintain their observation watch on her? And finally, why does FDLE refuse to investigate these deaths?
It is simply that FDLE, like all other agencies just don't have the funds to investigate? Apparently according to the below media article, that was Chief Investigator Perez's excuse to a respected law enforcement officer in 2008 in regards to his complaint about the Lee County Sheriff. We are left wondering if two years later and with obvious more State of Florida budget cuts, whether the possible corruption in the VCDPP will go un-investigated due to the lack of dollars rather then to the lack of "criminal predicate" Please review the below media article and tell us what you think.
We are unsure, but there is something we are sure of - these concerns need to be properly investigated. Apparently the only hope that these matters will be properly investigated is with the current Special Grand Jury on Public Corruption. Such a review from this body will be from citizens (Jurors) rather than from law enforcement. Therefore we ask the Florida Attorney General to send these matters to that special grand jury - if you agree, we invite you to contact the Florida Attorney General office at the below link and put your voice forward with ours that these matters be forwarded to this special grand jury.