Task Force To Take Over Deadly Force Investigations In Pinellas

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Every time a deputy or police officer uses deadly force in Pinellas County, there's an investigation by the officer's or deputy's law enforcement agency.

That longtime practice has led to suspicion and contempt, said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualteri, especially on the heels of the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis Police.

"Community expectations are changing and deadly force investigations have to be perceived by the community as being done right, and that means perceived as being done objectively and impartially to reach a just result," said Gualtieri.

To remove any doubts that an investigation is done objectively, the law enforcement agencies in Pinellas County announced the launch of a Pinellas County Use of Force Investigative Task Force that will take such investigations out of the hands of the agencies involved.

In a news conference Tuesday, Gualtieri, Clearwater Police Chief Dan Slaughter, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway and Pinellas Park Police Chief Michael Haworth announced a major shift in policy related to how deadly force cases are investigated.

"This is about public trust and confidence in that trust," said Gualtieri. "When a determination is made, people should not only believe it is the right determination but know it is the right determination."

Gualtieri said the publicity surrounding the death of George Floyd has caused people to question the old methods of investigating cases involving use of force.

"I know we've been effective and thorough," Gualteri said. "Nobody's ever raised a concern about how we've conducted these investigations, but I said to myself, 'Let's not wait.' I think it's needed to promote public confidence and trust."

In the past, law enforcement agencies conducted their own internal investigations in conjunction with the state attorney's office. With the newly created task force, the state attorney's office will continue to investigate deadly force incidents, but they will also be investigated by members of the task force who have no affiliation with the agency involved.

"We're subordinating our authority to another agency head, which will have the full authority to investigate and determine if the use of deadly force is within the law or outside the law," said Gualtieri. "This is a dramatic shift in long-term, entrenched practices by law enforcement but it's the right thing to do at the right time."

He said the death of George Floyd has caused law enforcement agencies to "be introspective and look at what we're doing and how we can do it better," said Gualtieri. "We cannot do our jobs effectively without the community's trust. We're listening, and we're taking the initiative ourselves. You don't have to get sick to be better. There's always better ways to do it."

The task force will consist of three experienced homicide detectives from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, St. Petersburg Police Department, Clearwater Police Department and one detective from the Pinellas Park Police Department.

Task force members will collect and evaluate evidence without any bias from the involved agency "to make sure that these incidents are properly and fully investigated to the highest degree of accountability," said Gualtieri.

In addition to conducting a criminal investigation to determine the lawfulness of an officer's actions, the task force will present its investigative findings to the agency employing the officer involved. That agency will conduct an administrative review to determine if the officer's actions were within the agency's policies.

The task force also will conduct a criminal investigation independent of the investigation conducted by the state attorney's office and may bring criminal charges against an officer if it determines that an officer's actions violated the law when using force.

Gualtieri said the task force will be convened any time the use of force by an officer results in death or serious bodily injury.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office will be the supervising agency leading the investigations unless a Pinellas deputy is involved. If the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is involved, then the supervising agency will be another agency in the task force.

The agreement also addresses details such as supervising agency duties, forensic science services, release of information, reporting requirements and the responsibility for investigative costs.