Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings and officers of the Sheriff’s Office have been cleared of allegations that crime statistics are being under-reported. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, tasked with investigating these claims recently said, there is no evidence to substantiate such allegations.
“Based on information obtained pursuant to investigation, including personal interviews and a review of available documentation, FDLE found no evidence to substantiate the allegation that Sheriff Demings or any member of the OCSO conspired to downgrade offenses, specifically burglary, to give the appearance of a lower crime rate,” a summary of the FDLE report stated.
John Tegg, a Republican candidate who Demings defeated in the November election had charged that, OCSO was under-reporting crime and called on FDLE to launch a thorough investigation. As well, veteran cop Mike Greene, who Demings also defeated in the Democratic primary last August, had made the same claim.
Reacting to FDLE’s report, Demings said he is pleased that the allegations have proven to be false.
“I appreciate the professionalism and objectivity displayed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement during this investigation. It is unfortunate that individuals conspired to create the controversy for their own political gain and thereby waste the time and valuable resources of FDLE investigators and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office,” said Demings in a statement.
Demings added that he welcomed the constructive advice provided by FDLE regarding the reporting of crime statistics and that OCSO remains committed to accurately reporting such data.
