Four Lakeland police officers have resigned in lieu of termination following the conclusion of an internal investigation, officials said Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Lakeland Police Department said it was determined that the officers acted outside of the agency’s policies when they intentionally turned off their body-worn cameras during a vehicle pursuit in March 2024.
The four officers were identified as Sergeant Mark Eby, Officer Jason McCain, Officer Anton Jefferson, and Officer Jim Simon.
Their actions were discovered by staff at the police department during a normal records retrieval process in April, officials said.
All four officers were reportedly riding in the same patrol car the night of the incident on March 21. Authorities said a call had gone out regarding possible shots fired in north Lakeland. Another caller also reported a suspicious grey vehicle with multiple occupants wearing ski masks.
The officers spotted a silver vehicle in the area, and after attempting a traffic stop, pursued a fleeing driver for several miles through multiple residential neighborhoods. Police said they eventually arrested the driver after he abandoned his vehicle and tried to run off.
The driver reportedly had no connection to the initial calls but was charged with resisting arrest and possession of marijuana.
During the retrieval of records for the State Attorney’s Office, LPD staff said they noticed that the video evidence did not appear to be complete. “There were multiple short videos which appeared to capture portions of the event related to the pursuit of the suspect’s vehicle,” the police department’s internal report stated. “Upon further records review, additional video was discovered that showed officer(s) were intentionally turning off their recording devices during the vehicle pursuit.”
Some of the videos were labeled by the officers as “no evidence,” investigators reported.
After reviewing the records available, investigators concluded that the officers had engaged in a pursuit that would be considered “outside of policy” due to the lack of elements typically required to initiate a pursuit, the report said.
“Some cases have been and will be dismissed,” said State Attorney Spokesman Jacob Orr. “We continue to evaluate each case and determine whether we can proceed with prosecution.”
Haas said the officers’ actions undermined their credibility.
“It appears that the four officers involved in this incident have come to believe that the rules that apply to other LPD officers do not apply to them,” Haas wrote. “As the gatekeeper of the criminal justice system, I simply cannot permit cases with questionable integrity into our courts.”
Haas added that because of the dishonesty involved, the officers would have faced damaging cross-examinations by defense attorneys during trials and that their involvement would jeopardize criminal cases.
Police said there was no indication that the fleeing driver was linked to the prior shots fired call, and no other violations were established other than traffic infractions. The officers also failed to document the pursuit in any official records.
“While Sergeant Mark Eby and Officers Jason McCain, Anton Jefferson, and Jim Simon have all honorably served our city with professionalism for many years and certainly removed dangerous criminals from our community, often putting themselves in harm’s way, it saddens me that their actions have fallen short in this case,” Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor wrote in the report.
The officers were placed on paid administrative leave during the department’s investigation. Taylor also requested an external investigation be conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The findings were submitted to the State Attorney’s Office in July 2024. The State Attorney’s Office determined that criminal charges were not warranted, but did express “serious concerns” with the officers’ actions.
On Thursday, Taylor confirmed his decision to terminate all four officers.
“This matter was thoroughly and completely investigated as a necessary measure to reinforce the integrity of our policies and uphold the standards expected of all members of this department,” the chief said in an emailed statement. “It is disappointing to have decorated officers make poor choices in this incident which has cost them their careers.”
Eby had served with the police department the longest at 29 years. McCain was reportedly employed with the Lakeland Police Department for 11 years, Jefferson was employed for eight years, and Simon served for seven years.
One would think these officers, especially the older ones, would know better.