OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office has fired one deputy and suspended seven others without pay following an internal affairs investigation regarding comments made by the sheriff’s deputies
The sheriff’s office said the comments were made prior to Sheriff Marcos Lopez taking office using an internal messaging system.
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“During the prior administration, several of my deputies made inappropriate, insensitive, and offensive remarks to each other using agency issued equipment. My understanding is they are all friends and the comments were intended to be funny,” Lopez said in a statement Friday. “I am not laughing.”
News 6 has requested the internal affairs investigation report and the names of the deputies involved.
The deputies who are suspended without pay will have to undergo training before returning to duty. The sheriff’s office did not disclose how long their suspension would last.
“There is no excuse for this type of language in my office. As a result, they were suspended without pay,” Lopez said. “They will also all be researching and executing training various sensitivity programs for their fellow deputies. Everyone in my Office will learn from this incident.”
Check back for updates on this developing story.