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Independent Panel Provides Unvarnished Truth About Jail

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 12, 2008

The findings of the independent panel that scrutinized every aspect of Hillsborough's jails are reassuring.

But what's even more reassuring is how the Sheriff's Office responded to the incident that prompted the review.

Last January a detention deputy was caught on videotape casually dumping a partially paralyzed man from his wheelchair. The shocking image evoked widespread and justified outrage. Sheriff David Gee promptly apologized and took immediate disciplinary action.

The offending guard was charged with abusing the disabled, a felony. There were no excuses or equivocating.

After the wheelchair report, other inmates came forward with claims of abuse and threats of lawsuits. Though the claims were questionable, the sheriff asked James Sewell, former assistant commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, to head an independent review of the entire jail system.

The six-month investigation found no pattern of neglect or misconduct in the jail system, which has long had reputation for professionalism and efficiency.

Indeed the panel members found the jail well run. As Sewell put it: "Bad things can happen in good places."

This was no whitewash. Sewell selected all the members, and they included a member of the ACLU. The panel was given complete access to records and operations. Members visited the jail unannounced at all hours.

And while they discovered no serious problems, they found plenty of areas where improvements could be made, recommending 40 action steps.

Among them: Clarify the definition of the "use of force" and ensure that deputies understand what needs to be reported. Create a use-of-force investigation team, rather than have supervisors review incidents. Add recording devices in central booking, where the proceedings are already videotaped, and other areas of the jail. Train supervisors to better manage employees' stress.

Some of the recommendations already have been implemented, and Gee says he plans to adopt most, if not all, soon.

The Sheriff's Office didn't sit on its hands while the panel was conducting its study. Its investigation of the wheelchair incident led to the firing of the offending guard's supervisor. Six other deputies were suspended, and another quit.

The guard who overturned the wheelchair agreed to an arrangement approved by the victim that required her to serve 100 hours of community service, give up her law enforcement certification and agree never to work as a detention deputy again.

Other public agencies could learn a lot about how to handle a volatile controversy from this affair. Too often when such a firestorm breaks out, agencies seek to stonewall or blame it on the media.

But while he was upset by what he felt were excesses in some TV reports, Gee understood bickering with the media would not reveal the truth and would not restore the public's confidence in the jail.

The independent review has done both - and also provided the jail a blueprint for making further improvements.

When the panel released its findings, Gee did take a jab at a TV report that referred to the jail as a "house of horrors." His ire was understandable. The Hillsborough jail is more a model for others than a house of horrors, though clearly a horrible event occurred there last January.

But such words would have seemed awfully hollow back when the jail controversy first erupted.

Gee's best defense of the jail came by holding his tongue, stepping aside and letting others see for themselves exactly what was going on inside its walls.

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