LAKELAND, Fla. — Four police officers in Lakeland have resigned instead of being fired after an internal review, officials said Thursday.
A Lakeland Police Department spokesman said the officers did not follow agency rules when they deliberately turned off their body cameras during a car chase in March 2024.
The four cops are Sergeant Mark Eby, Officer Jason McCain, Officer Anton Jefferson, and Officer Jim Simon.
Their actions were found by staff at the police department during a normal records retrieval process in April, officials said.
All four cops were said to be in the same patrol car on the night of the incident on March 21. Officials reported that there were calls about possible gunfire in north Lakeland. Another caller reported a strange grey car with several people inside wearing ski masks.
The cops saw a silver car nearby and tried to pull it over. When the driver didn’t stop, they chased the car for several miles through different neighborhoods. Police caught the driver after he left his car and tried to escape.
The driver, who had no link to the original calls, was charged with fighting arrest and having marijuana.
When looking for records for the State Attorney’s Office, LPD staff noticed that the video proof seemed incomplete.
“The police department’s internal report said there were several short videos that seemed to show parts of the event involving the chase of the suspect’s car.” “After reviewing the records again, we found more video footage showing that the officers were deliberately turning off their cameras during the car chase.”
Investigators said that some of the videos were marked by the officers as “no evidence.”
After looking at the records, detectives found that the officers were involved in a chase that did not follow the rules because it lacked the usual reasons needed to start a pursuit, according to the report.
The police said there was no connection between the driver who fled and the earlier reports of gunshots. They also found no other violations apart from traffic violations. The cops did not write down the chase in any official reports.
Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor said in the report, “Sergeant Mark Eby and Officers Jason McCain, Anton Jefferson, and Jim Simon have served our city well for many years. They have taken dangerous criminals off the streets, often risking their own safety. However, I am disappointed that their actions did not meet expectations in this case.”
The cops were put on paid leave while the department looked into the matter. Taylor asked for an outside probe by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The results were sent to the State Attorney’s Office in July 2024. The State Attorney’s Office decided not to press criminal charges, but they did have “serious concerns” about what the cops did.
On Thursday, Taylor announced that he will fire all four cops.
“The chief said in an email, ‘We investigated this issue carefully to support our policies and maintain the expected standards for everyone in this department.'” “It’s sad to see respected officers make bad decisions that have ended their careers.”
Eby worked for the police department for the longest time, with 29 years of service. McCain was allegedly employed with the Lakeland Police Department for 11 years, Jefferson was employed for eight years, and Simon served for seven years.
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