TPD and LCSO fire two officials on sexual assault accusations in a week

 

Within the last week, both Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Tallahassee Police Department have fired officers on sexual harassment allegations.

On the night of February 25th, Officer Vincent Crump, whom had only been with TPD for a year, was accused of sexual battery after a traffic stop on Thomasville Road near Hermitage Blvd. After the incident, Crump was placed on administrative leave and then fired.

According to WCTV news, TPD Chief Michael DeLeo said he’s never made a decision so quickly, "In the case that an officer of employee did something that was inappropriate, then it's our responsibility to make sure that we address it”. He went on to say, “We're held accountable, whether it's a training issue or a disciplinary issue. That's an important component of making sure that we maintain a good relationship with the community and maintain their trust.”

Crump’s sexual harassment case is still an ongoing investigation.

FAMU’s third year Chemistry student Ashley Culp commented on the recent allegation. “It makes me feel more unsafe in Tallahassee, but if he did it I’m happy he got locked up.”

On September 20th, 2017, according to Tallahassee Democrat, the victim at hand says she was on a ride along with Sheriff Jarrett Broughton and at about midnight, after responding to a house alarm call, Broughton told her he needed to patrol more deep into the national forest. Broughton parked, and grabbed his baton from the trunk as they exited the vehicle and told the victim to come with him to look for people "fooling around."

As they walked down the dark road, Broughton swung the baton below his waist. He asked her several times (including more throughout the day) to show him her breasts and she said no.  After walking in silence for a few minutes, she said he raised the baton to his shoulder, leaned in and asked again.

"(She) felt like she did not have a choice," the investigator wrote in Broughton's arrest report, "she was in fear of what the deputy might do now that he had his baton out and they were in the middle of the forest."

The report continued to say Broughton had "a smirk on his face … which scared her" so she settled, and lifted her shirt and bra. Broughton shined his flashlight on the victim bare breasts for a second or two, turned his flashlight off and then asked if he could touch them and she declined. Broughton told her she had nice breasts and jokingly said he "would show her his," which she assumed meant his penis. She declined again.

Brooke Christy, a senior Political Science student at Florida State University said, “I have no comment to make on them being accused, since I have no information on the case and without information I don’t feel any particular way. However, the accusation does not surprise me. While women rights have progressed a lot in the past 100 years, we still have a far way to go on how society and culture view and incorporate women.”