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2 Pasco Deputies Fired For Neglecting Duties

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By LISA A. DAVIS

ldavis@tampatrib.com

Published: January 28, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY - Two veteran Pasco County deputies were fired Monday after an internal affairs investigation concluded they were slacking on the job, according to sheriff's office officials.

Deputies Andrew Izrailov, 36, and Edward Tucker, 30 - both part of the same squad that patrols Holiday and parts of New Port Richey - were fired after the investigation showed they delayed responses to service calls and falsified electronic records, trying to "cover up" their actions.

Especially in these lean fiscal times, when there aren't enough deputies on the streets, those not pulling their weight have to go, Pasco Sheriff Bob White said Tuesday.

"Rest assured, I'm going to coach them up, or I'm going to coach them out," he said.

Neither deputy could be reached for comment Tuesday, but Tucker's attorney, Kerry O'Connor, said he is appealing his firing. She filed the paperwork with the sheriff's office Tuesday and expects soon to have a hearing set with the Career Service Board, which hears such cases.

Concern Raised In May

In May, Lt. James Nagy wrote a memorandum to the Professional Standards Unit about Izrailov, saying he was becoming concerned about the deputy's work ethic.

"In reviewing five days worth of calls for service, it is obvious that Andy is either involved in some type of extracurricular activity or unable to perform his duties as a law enforcement officer," Nagy said in the memo.

The complaint sparked a seven-day investigation of Izrailov, beginning May 26. Detectives from the Professional Standards Unit kept him under surveillance and accused the deputy of 39 counts of misconduct, including four counts of endangering others or property, 18 counts of falsifying documents and 17 counts of failing to take suitable action.

The misconduct included delaying responses to alarms at Deer Park Elementary School, a hold-up alarm at SunTrust bank and delayed responses to a suicide complaint and an overdose call, according to the Professional Standards report.

Fortunately, none of the delays led to a bad outcome, but the potential was there, White said.

"When deputies commit egregious behavior, it's absolutely unacceptable to me, and I'm sure it's unacceptable to the citizens," White said.

'I Was Eating'

When asked why he delayed responding to the alarm at the elementary school, Izrailov said he was at Starz Cafe eating when the call came in.

"I was eating and I, we, don't get a chance to eat. It's very busy out there," he told investigators. "So, I ate, and then I responded to the ... alarm. I didn't falsify anything."

The school commonly has false alarms, Izrailov told investigators.

The investigation also revealed that Izrailov had recorded in the office's computer system that he was on the scene of the alarm. In fact, he was outside the restaurant smoking a cigarette, according to detectives.

Izrailov, a Pasco deputy since 1996, was suspended from the agency without pay for three days in 2004 after an internal affairs investigation showed he had neglected his duties. The investigation concluded he had failed to document or investigate a petty theft at a business, failed to investigate an aggravated assault reported by Pasco school officials and had ignored an order to get his laptop computer repaired.

Tucker's investigation began after detectives noticed peculiar patterns in his work while trailing Izrailov. He is accused of 48 counts of misconduct, including two counts of failing to take suitable action, 45 counts of falsifying documents and one count of failing to properly carry out his duties.

Detectives discovered that Tucker, who started with the sheriff's office in 1998, had documented incorrect times when handling civil process calls. In other cases, he also claimed to have been on a call when he was actually at Starz Cafe or elsewhere, according to reports.

When asked about the discrepancies in his civil process call times, Tucker told investigators he was just a poor record-keeper. He said sometimes grabbing a coffee or snack or taking a bathroom break distracted him from properly reporting his whereabouts.

In fact, according to the report, both deputies spent a lot of time hanging out at the Starz Cafe when they were supposed to be responding to service calls, according to investigators. At times, Izrailov was even at his house and said he would swing by there to use the bathroom because he didn't want to use public restrooms "due to officer safety concerns."

"They didn't want to be deputies," White said. "They wanted a paycheck."

Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083.

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