Of these incidents, 2,714 official investigations
were assigned as indicated by the chart below.
| I |
310 |
606 |
1 |
917 |
| II |
184 |
408 |
2 |
594 |
| III |
140 |
169 |
22 |
331 |
| IV |
139 |
154 |
22 |
315 |
| V |
247 |
260 |
50 |
557 |
| TOTAL |
1,020 |
1,597 |
97 |
2,714 |
Of the 2,714 investigations assigned, 2,682 were completed as of June 30, 1998.
A total of 476 cases were completed and forwarded to the State
Attorney's Offices throughout Florida for possible prosecution.
A total of 127 civil rights cases were assigned to Bureau
investigators. These cases were both internal (originating
within the Department of Corrections) and external (referred
to this Department for investigation by the Florida Commission
on Human Relations and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).
Investigation Highlights
As illustrated by the "Classification
of Incident" chart above, the majority of reported incidents
involved:
- Recovery/possession of contraband such
as alcohol (including inmates' home-made buck), inmate-made weapons,
drugs, money, and other forms of contraband;
- Complaints against staff, which include
improper conduct, excessive use of force, and staff/offender relationships;
and
- Crimes vs. Persons, which include battery
on a law enforcement officer, battery on another inmate, sexual
battery, and possession of a weapon.
Of those allegations investigated, some examples
of the types of cases include:
- Physical Abuse
The vast majority of inmate complaints alleging
physical abuse by staff end up unsubstantiated. Regrettably, one
of the IG's major cases this year did involve reported inmate
abuse at Charlotte Correctional Institution. Extensive investigation
by the IG's Office in conjunction with both the State Attorney's
Office and U.S. Attorney's Office led to grand jury indictments
of ten correctional officers named in this incident. The case
is currently pending prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
As regrettable as this incident was, the investigation
is illustrative of the Department's continued commitment to investigate
all reported incidents of misconduct or rule violations, regard-less
of who it involves or where it occurs. Our job is to present as
complete a picture as possible of all the facts, so that management
or the State Attorney's Office can take appropriate action based
on those facts.
- Employee Theft
An employee working as an accountant in the
Region V Court Ordered Payment System's office, manipulated the
system's computer database to create and issue $128,950 worth
of fraudulent checks. The employee and three co-conspirators cashed
the checks and benefited from the proceeds. The investigation,
conducted in cooperation with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
and the Statewide Prosecutor's Office, led to the arrest and successful
prosecution of four individuals.
In another case, the Office of the Inspector
General received information indicating a former correctional
officer had stolen automotive parts from a motor pool at one of
the agency's major institutions. The parts were being used in
the officer's private automotive repair business which was being
operated by a former inmate.
Subsequent investigation determined that the
correctional officer supervised the motor pool and arranged for
the purchase of automotive parts himself. Additionally, it was
determined that the correctional officer was by-passing purchasing
requirements and obtaining the automotive parts without authorization.
Inspection of institutional vehicles and witnesses' statements
indicated the parts paid for by the institution were not installed
on Department vehicles.
At the conclusion of the investigation, it
was determined that over $70,000 in automotive parts had been
purchased by the former officer, far exceeding a repair parts
budget of approximately $19,000. The case was referred to the
State Attorney's Office for criminal prosecution.
- Fraud
A female inmate had schemed to obtain a large
amount of money from her 80-year-old mother. Investigation revealed
that this inmate received about $28,414 from her mother and gave
it to other inmates. The inmate falsely told her mother the money
was to pay fines. She also used another inmate to pose as a member
of the institution's business department and talked to the elderly
woman by telephone to verify the sending of certain monies.
As the case came to a close, a full confession
was obtained from the subject. A portion of the money, $6,825,
was recovered from inmates' accounts and repaid to the victim.
The subject is currently pending felony charges for Exploitation
of the Elderly in violation of Florida statutes.
- Drug Sting
At one correctional facility, a major drug
investigation was opened based on information from a confidential
informant. A drug buy/bust was arranged in cooperation with the
Leon County Drug Task Force. This resulted in the arrest of a
correctional officer for sale and delivery, as well as grand theft
of jewelry found during a search of his vehicle. The subject's
wife was also arrested for conspiracy to introduce drugs into
a correctional facility. A search warrant was subsequently executed
at the house where the subject had purchased the drugs, resulting
in the arrest of four other individuals on various drug charges.
Get Lean Hot-Line
The Bureau also coordinates Department responses
to suggestions and complaints received via the Comptroller's Get
Lean Hot-Line. During FY 1997/1998, the Bureau received 93 hot-line
complaints. Of those, 75 involved complaints against Department
staff, 2 involved questions or complaints on Department policy,
and 13 were suggestions for cost savings.
Of the 75 complaints against staff, some form
of corrective action was taken in 14 instances to remedy substantiated
allegations/complaints. From among the 13 suggestions aimed at
cost savings, no measurable savings were reported.
Technology Enhancements
In February 1998, the investigation data system
(IGLOGS) was implemented statewide. Developed in 1992, the system
was primarily a Central Office program, but is now installed in
the five regional inspector offices. This allows each inspector
to have instant access to reported incidents, investigation summaries,
case counts, and contraband data, and provides numerous new data
reports. Additionally, all forty (40) field level inspectors received
new LAN-based state-of-the-art personal computers with access
to the Internet, IGLOGS, DC Mail and the Corrections Data Center.
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