The Internal Affairs Mission
Internal Affairs
(386) 586-4801
Recognizing a need for quality assurance, Sheriff Donald Fleming created a dedicated Internal Affairs Unit. This Unit consists of a team of investigators who have been trained to respond and investigate complaints of misconduct involving Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Employees. These investigators report directly to the Sheriff and Chief Deputy, when investigating these complaints.
Internal Affairs Mission: To ensure the highest standards of integrity in the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, allegations and trends are analyzed by comprehensive investigations. Internal Affairs is a “partnership” between our citizens and the Sheriff’s Office, and is something that we must constantly strive to protect, as it is a responsibility that is shared by every member of the Sheriff’s Office.
Types of Investigations: Allegations of unnecessary or excessive use of force, criminal misconduct, and false arrest Allegations of racial profiling or biased based policing Allegations of intra-departmental misconduct including sexual harassment or complaints involving hostile work environments
It is the responsibility of the office of Internal Affairs to: Receive, process, and coordinate all internal and external complaints Respond to scenes involving the discharge of officer firearm(s), as well as other serious incidents, investigating to determine the actions of staff are in accordance with the Department’s Policy and Procedure Review and coordinate all proposed disciplinary action against employees Maintain all applicable statistical data and continually conduct analysis of information in an effort to identify trends; make recommendations for appropriate corrective actions All complaints will be reviewed by the Office of Internal Affairs. Complaint Forms will be mailed upon request, or may be downloaded from the FCSO website at www.myfcso.us. Complaints may be made in person, via telephone, electronically through email, or U.S. Postal Service to any FCSO member. Complaints involving discourtesy or poor service will generally be forwarded to the employee’s immediate supervisor for immediate investigation; then forwarded to the Office of Internal Affairs for thorough review. In most situations, a sworn, taped statement will be requested. Be prepared to provide the investigator with witness information. All complaints will be treated professionally and with courtesy.
Upon the completion of an investigation, the complainant will be notified of the outcome. There is no risk for making valid complaints and the complainant will not be subjected to intimidation or any other improper behavior. However, if the complainant intentionally makes a false complaint against an officer or employee, the complainant may be prosecuted criminally and/or held civilly liable. Officers are protected by the Police Officer’s Bill of Rights and their labor agreement, which provides that they shall not be subjected to harassment, intimidation, and threats from supervisors or unreasonable periods of interrogation. They have a right to counsel or union representation during the investigation.
To access the complete text of the above statutes, or the complete contents of the Public Records Guide or the Government in the Sunshine Manual, visit the below linked pages: