GROVELAND, Fla. – A Groveland police sergeant has been suspended without pay after an internal investigation found he used his emergency lights and drove more than 100 mph on three separate trips to work when there was no emergency call, according to a department report.
The 23-page internal investigation report accuses Sgt. Alexander Jarrell of activating his emergency lights during early morning commutes between 5 and 6 a.m. in May.
Investigators said GPS data showed Jarrell reached 120 mph on State Road 19 near the boat ramp on May 4. The report says he later drove about 112 mph on Florida’s Turnpike near County Road 33 on May 8, and 124 mph on State Road 19 near the Trinity Lakes subdivision on May 13.
The report also says surveillance video from the RaceTrac off O’Brien Road showed Jarrell twice driving with his emergency lights activated.
According to the report, there were no emergency calls during any of the drives. Investigators said Jarrell acknowledged activating his emergency lights while driving to work.
The department said Jarrell was suspended for three days, lost access to his take-home patrol car for 30 days and was placed on work probation for six months.
Some Groveland residents and drivers said they believe the discipline should have been more severe.
“I definitely think he should be held accountable to the fullest extent,” Groveland resident Ryan Benjamin said. “Just because you’re in law enforcement doesn’t mean you should get away with breaking the law.”
Sean Messex called the allegations an abuse of power.
“You’re supposed to be here to protect and serve, not do what you want to do when you want to do it,” Messex said.
Another driver, Justin Walker, said using emergency lights would be understandable during a pursuit or emergency response, but not for a commute.
“If he’s just late, then maybe wake up a little earlier and get to work on time,” Walker said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now taking over the investigation to determine whether any further disciplinary action should be taken.
The Groveland Police Department said it will provide updates once the outside investigation is complete.
Below is a statement attributable to Groveland Police Chief Shawn Ramsey:
“This officer’s actions, the reporting of such actions, subsequent investigation and later discipline reflect the essence of how this process should play out. While the actions are in no way indicative of the good work happening in the department, we are proud of the way they were handled.
“Disciplinary actions were imposed on Sgt. Jarrell following a sustained Internal Affairs (IA) investigation initiated when other officers witnessed Sgt. Jarrell’s Groveland PD vehicle traveling with lights on and made a note of it to supervisors. Those supervisors alerted myself and our administration, and I immediately ordered Internal Affairs to open an investigation into this officer’s alleged actions. Sgt. Jarrell was notified and cooperated fully with the investigation, including admitting to the actions during an interview under oath.
“The investigation sustained that Sgt. Jarrell had, on three occasions, activated his lights without reason. The investigation also looked at GPS data from the Groveland Police Department vehicle, which recorded the unit driving in excess of 100 mph in violation of Florida’s “Super Speeder” law.
“Traffic stops, tickets or arrests related to speeding require a radar hit so that the speed can be recorded. However, these speeds were only found after the investigation was initiated, and GPS data is not admissible in traffic enforcement cases.
“When those factors are compounded with Sgt. Jarrell’s cooperation with the investigation and his disciplinary record, which is attached, these instances would not rise to the level of termination and could have potentially exposed the City to severe financial and legal liabilities through civil service appeals or wrongful termination litigation had the City moved forward with ending Sgt. Jarrell’s employment and not utilizing progressive discipline. Sgt. Jarrell has never been the subject of a sustained internal investigation until this point. When reviewing the disciplinary record, please note letters of counseling are not considered discipline, rather they are corrective in nature. Also attached, you will find a spreadsheet showing other officers’ previous disciplines for violations of vehicle operations.
“Sgt. Jarrell was handed a three-day suspension without pay, loss of take-home vehicle for 30 days, and employment probation for six months. The internal investigation in its entirety will be forwarded to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for further review to determine if any additional disciplinary action pertaining to the Sgt’s certification is warranted.
“I wanted to reiterate that these sorts of actions will not be tolerated in my department and that I will always strive to be fair and firm in handling them if they do occur. I also want to commend the officers who saw something wrong and alerted their superiors, exactly as they are supposed to do.”