“Another high-profile resignation as law enforcement scandal unfolds”

“Another high-profile resignation as law enforcement scandal unfolds”

Jason Gebler, Orlando Sentinel 3-16-18

Lieutenant Jacob Jimenez, of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Homicide department, tendered his resignation yesterday morning, effective immediately. While he did not offer a public statement, and the VCSD officials did not provide a press release, sources confirm that it was in relation to the ongoing investigation into the evidence tampering scandal that has rocked law enforcement agencies across central Florida over the last months. Since the story first began to unfold late last year, numerous ranking officials resigned from local law enforcement. Nearly every police department and agency in Orange, Osceola, and Volusia counties has seen firings and resignations following evidence tampering scandal coverage.

Prosecutors’ offices have not been spared from the scandal, either- at the beginning of the month the 9th circuit State Attorney Aramis Ayala resigned from her post. Deputy U.S. Attorney David Chavez was terminated following an internal investigation due to undisclosed ethics violations, presumably connected in some way to a coverup, just a few days later.

This rate of lost personnel has been a cause of concern to experts in law enforcement and the mayor’s office. While county police agencies have not released official statements confirming how many sworn officers have left their respective departments, an inquiry by Sentinel staff has confirmed that at least 103 deputies have left the Orange County sheriffs’ department since the beginning of the year, which would account for almost 7% of all officers employed.