Q&A With 124

[Unregistered]

What was the situation with Gaydash? Heard she had a drinking problem.

[Unregistered]

Quote: What ever happened to slade?

As I said when I started this thread. I won’t blow smoke, and if I don’t know something I will tell you that I don’t know it. This is one of those situations. I never worked with Slade, or spent much time around him. By the time I came to Labelle as the lieutenant he was already working as an SRO. I really don’t know the guy. As I recall he resigned to go be a truck driver or something. Working for Susan will make you do things like that, I guess.

124

[Unregistered]

What was the "situation" that gave Shawn the edge?

That happened after I left and I don’t know the details. It had something to do with a hit and run involving one of Steve’s buddies. Apparently Steve wouldn’t let the deputies arrest the guy. I heard that Steve was sweating that one for a while. Steve even called me completely out of the blue to ask me why I was asking questions about it. I hadn’t been asking anything about it as that’s just typical behavior for Steve. You know tickets, DUI, domestic violence, all the things that get people in trouble unless they have Steve on speed dial. SMH.

124

[Unregistered]

Quote: What was the situation with Gaydash? Heard she had a drinking problem.

Another one I don’t know much about. I do know that she left Lee County SO after a DUI arrest, which was apparently the final straw in a long list of alcohol related problems. At the HCSO I heard all the stories about her going on explorer weekend trips and getting “fall down drunk”. As for her final demise, I have no clue. Anything that happened with the SRO unit has always been strictly contained. Kevin treats it like a top secret special forces unit. I can only guess that’s because he runs the unit, but wants it to appear that Susan is in charge. Another SMH.

124

[Unregistered]

I think everyone is puzzled on how the guy that has bars embroidered on his polos became Lt. What is more surprising is he stays one under his Captain that runs through TL's on the SERT team like socks. His two sgt's and his detectives talk about how he knows nothing and is spineless.

[Unregistered]

Boom! The Allison Bennet question. I’m sure sphincters are puckering around the main office waiting on this answer. So here it is…

I don’t want to get into the specifics of what precipitated all of that, as it involves the personal matters of people who are not involved with the HCSO. Basically Kevin threw his (professional) weight around with DCF trying to get a favorable outcome to the above mentioned personal matter. In doing so he got Bennett fired, and opened himself up to an ethics investigation and possibly some unfavorable civil penalties. The star witnesses in those issues where Bennett and Sgt. Woods (I’ll elaborate on that in my answer to another question). Out of guilt for her termination, and in attempt to keep her mouth under control, Kevin had to hire Bennett. I personally don’t believe that she went through an interview process, although it is possible that Kevin violated his own policy and created a “down low” interview process just for her. I believe that having spent some time around her, Kevin knew that she very likely would never pass a polygraph or psych evaluation, so she was hired without either being done. In the hall way outside of the Patsy’s office I asked Kevin about that. He looked me dead in the eyes and told me that “everyone takes a poly and psych”. I smiled and walked away, because Bennet had already told me that she didn’t have to take either of those because Kevin vouched for her.

It only got worse from there. Bennet was bombing field training because she was either a sprayed roach or passed out sleeping on duty. On the first day of her CID rotation, Bennet showed up wired and a mess. Her behavior was so erratic that morning that Morales sent her home. I believe that was a Thursday morning. The following Monday I found that she was shadowing Gaydash at Labelle Middle School. Kevin told me that she needed some time to get herself together and that that she was absolutely going to have to finish the FTO program. Two weeks later I found out that Gaydash was writing Daily Observation Reports on Bennett and that she was finishing her field training in the school, because she was hired as an SRO. So basically Kevin had again lied to me about Bennett. Shortly thereafter, even Gaydash could no longer deal with Bennett’s erratic behavior and she was finally terminated. Anyone who trained her has a horror story about her. Just ask around.

I personally handed Kevin the incomplete FTO file for Bennett when she was terminated. I understand that a couple months ago FLDE asked for that file, but no-one could find it. Coincidence? Nah!

124

I am sure there are other names that failed FTO or would have if not saved by an admin. Can you think of any?

[Amrak]

As someone that worked with Gaydash and DW at LCSO I can firstly say Gaydash' personal life is a train wreck. I should also add that 124 is 100% on target when he said DW is an honorable professional that Sheriff Whidden couldn't control. DW ran a good ship at LCSO and while I didn't work directly for him at any time his reputation was impeccable.

[Unregistered]

What was the "situation" that gave Shawn the edge?

That happened after I left and I don’t know the details. It had something to do with a hit and run involving one of Steve’s buddies. Apparently Steve wouldn’t let the deputies arrest the guy. I heard that Steve was sweating that one for a while. Steve even called me completely out of the blue to ask me why I was asking questions about it. I hadn’t been asking anything about it as that’s just typical behavior for Steve. You know tickets, DUI, domestic violence, all the things that get people in trouble unless they have Steve on speed dial. SMH.

124

The ticket fixing is a long known problem and its easy to see the political favors in action there. But speaking of the other matters, whats with the domestic violence issue? Why can't steve figure that process out? Statute is pretty clear. Why does hendry have such high rates of dv and sexual assault that cant be prosecuted? Is that coincidence or does his overall negative and stereotyped views towards women play a role in how these cases are handled the same way his attitudes towards Hispanics do? Its seems as though a picture of crooked hillbilly good ole boy democrats is becoming obvious to people. Any thoughts or examples on how steve and kevin administer processes in the department that directly impact the public in this way? What's being done to correct these problems under your watch 124?

[Unregistered]

124, Just curious as to what Garcia and you would do to improve the Communications Center? I've been told that they are running on a skeleton shift and a lot of their EMD (Emergency Medical) licenses have been expired for quite some time. This a promise that good ol peaches stated he would have up and running but the lack of attention that is given to the communications center has profoundly effected this department. Communications is the heart of the Agency when will they start being treated as such? I've been told they have had a horrible turn over and can't seem to keep Dispatchers?

[Unregistered]

Quote: I think everyone is puzzled on how the guy that has bars embroidered on his polos became Lt. What is more surprising is he stays one under his Captain that runs through TL's on the SERT team like socks. His two sgt's and his detectives talk about how he knows nothing and is spineless.

Seems to me that you have a pretty fair assessment of the situation.

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