1 | The Governmental Operations Committee recommends the following: |
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3 | Council/Committee Substitute |
4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
5 | A bill to be entitled |
6 | An act relating to correctional and law enforcement |
7 | officer discipline; amending s. 112.533, F.S.; requiring |
8 | certain investigative reports to include a statement |
9 | relating to compliance with ss. 112.532 and 112.533, F.S., |
10 | and to be verified; requiring certain statements to be |
11 | made under oath and subject to prosecution for perjury; |
12 | providing an effective date. |
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14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
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16 | Section 1. Subsection (1) and paragraph (a) of subsection |
17 | (2) of section 112.533, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
18 | 112.533 Receipt and processing of complaints.-- |
19 | (1) Every law enforcement agency and correctional agency |
20 | shall establish and put into operation a system for the receipt, |
21 | investigation, and determination of complaints received by such |
22 | agency from any person, which shall be the procedure for |
23 | investigating a complaint against a law enforcement and |
24 | correctional officer and for determining whether to proceed with |
25 | disciplinary action or to file disciplinary charges, |
26 | notwithstanding any other law or ordinance to the contrary. When |
27 | law enforcement or correctional agency personnel assigned the |
28 | responsibility of investigating the complaint prepare an |
29 | investigative report or summary, regardless of form, the person |
30 | preparing the report shall, at the time the report is completed: |
31 | (a) Verify pursuant to s. 92.525 that the contents of the |
32 | report are true and accurate based upon the person's personal |
33 | knowledge, information, and belief. |
34 | (b) Include the following statement, sworn and subscribed |
35 | to pursuant to s. 92.525: |
36 | "I, the undersigned, do hereby swear, under penalty of |
37 | perjury, that, to the best of my personal knowledge, |
38 | information, and belief, I have not knowingly or willfully |
39 | deprived, or allowed another to deprive, the subject of the |
40 | investigation of any of the rights contained in ss. 112.532 and |
41 | 112.533, Florida Statutes." |
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43 | The requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) shall be completed |
44 | prior to the determination as to whether to proceed with |
45 | disciplinary action or to file disciplinary charges. This |
46 | subsection does not preclude the Criminal Justice Standards and |
47 | Training Commission from exercising its authority under chapter |
48 | 943. |
49 | (2)(a) A complaint filed against a law enforcement officer |
50 | or correctional officer with a law enforcement agency or |
51 | correctional agency and all information obtained pursuant to the |
52 | investigation by the agency of such complaint shall be |
53 | confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) |
54 | until the investigation ceases to be active, or until the agency |
55 | head or the agency head's designee provides written notice to |
56 | the officer who is the subject of the complaint, either |
57 | personally or by mail, that the agency has either: |
58 | 1. Concluded the investigation with a finding not to |
59 | proceed with disciplinary action or to file charges; or |
60 | 2. Concluded the investigation with a finding to proceed |
61 | with disciplinary action or to file charges. |
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63 | Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the officer who is the |
64 | subject of the complaint, along with legal counsel or any other |
65 | representative of his or her choice, may review the complaint |
66 | and all statements regardless of form made by the complainant |
67 | and witnesses immediately prior to the beginning of the |
68 | investigative interview. All statements, regardless of form, |
69 | provided by a law enforcement officer or correctional officer |
70 | during the course of a complaint investigation of that officer |
71 | shall be made under oath pursuant to s. 92.525. Knowingly false |
72 | statements given by a law enforcement officer or correctional |
73 | officer under investigation may subject the law enforcement |
74 | officer or correctional officer to prosecution for perjury. If a |
75 | witness to a complaint is incarcerated in a correctional |
76 | facility and may be under the supervision of, or have contact |
77 | with, the officer under investigation, only the names and |
78 | written statements of the complainant and nonincarcerated |
79 | witnesses may be reviewed by the officer under investigation |
80 | immediately prior to the beginning of the investigative |
81 | interview. |
82 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |