City of Lakeland's Press Conference 09/27/13 Statement of City Manager Doug Thomas We have received the September 27th letter from State Attorney Jerry Hill this morning and are currently reviewing his comments. We are deeply disturbed by the alleged criminal actions of Officer Pagan, the handling of the related call for service in the Communications Center and the response by officers involved in the matter. Recognizing the severity of the incident, the LPD appropriately prioritized the investigation both criminally and in the related administrative review of the actions by employees which will be completed by early next week. We do not argue that the Lakeland Police Department has faced a number of major issues that have surfaced in recent months as expressed in his letter. However, Mr. Hill has erroneously stated that our course of action has been to stone wall, filibuster and hope the problems goes away. That simply has not been the case. Here are the facts, not opinions: To date, 24 employees have been disciplined including 13 officers who have resigned in lieu of termination. We have also investigated every issue that has surfaced. Mr. Hill is entitled to his opinion and obviously has not been shy about sharing that opinion, even though many of his comments have involved criticisms regarding the administration of the LPD as opposed to the criminal justice system. We are very concerned with the tone of the letter and we feel that many of his comments reflect a personal attack against Chief Womack who is a nationally recognized leader in the law enforcement community. We feel that his actions today are both Wrong and Reckless: Wrong: Mr. Hill is trampling over due process by criticizing the procedure that involves the citizens of Lakeland reviewing their Police Department as a stonewall response. The City of Lakeland has pursued a process involving comprehensive investigations regarding allegations of misconduct and performance by some employees and reviewing associated departmental policies and programs. Based upon the results of those investigations, we have found that some of what was initially alleged was wrong when all the facts came to light. We are nearing the completion of both the internal investigations and the citizen-led Lakeland Police Advisory Commission's final report. We plan to complete the due process efforts that are underway, as opposed to trampling over them and reaching conclusions. When governing boards, community groups and organizations involve citizen members, decisions are better informed and solutions more strongly address community concerns. Reckless: To suggest that the safety of our citizens is in jeopardy by our actions is reckless. Mr. Hill's criticism of the LPD flies in the face of the department receiving accreditation by both the respected Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies and the Commission on Florida Accreditation. These respected law enforcement agencies have reviewed the operations and processes of the Lakeland Police Department, even while these matters have unfolded, and have restored accreditation status to the department. That is much more than simply writing policies and putting papers on the wall. The fine men and women of the LPD respond to over 100,000 calls for service per year and our citizens can continue to rely upon their police department to meet their public safety needs. Statement of Mayor Gow Fields: When I and every member of the Commission were sworn in I swore to uphold the Constitution of the US of America and the Constitution of the State of Florida. When he suggests that due process does not matter, he is wrong. It does matter it is what this country is built upon from the Constitution on down to the 10 Judicial Circuit and to little 'ole Lakeland. The City Manager is facing arguably the toughest challenge of his career. The Chief of Police was hired as a change agent to repair and rehabilitate this department. If you are doing a major renovation of an organization or building there is going to be a time when things are torn up many things will be exposed and some of them will not be good. However, it is both progress and a part of the process. I understand how the Jerry Hill feels, however I am not prepared to use a sledge hammer when a scalpel is the appropriate tool. This is a very tough examination, however, I am not prepared to grade an exam before it is finished.