KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Days after a letter from the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office addressed concerns about the truthfulness and conduct among nearly a dozen officers, two high-ranking members of the Kissimmee Police Department have resigned.
According to a Monday news release, Kissimmee police announced personnel changes, including the resignation of Chief Betty Holland and Deputy Chief Camille Alicea.
The Kissimmee city manager accepted Holland’s resignation on Monday.
“You will be placed on administrative leave until your official termination date of November 9, 2024,” City Manager Mike Steigerwald said in an email.
In a letter dated Oct. 21, prosecutors named 11 officers in its investigation of former Kissimmee police Officer Andrew Baseggio, who was indicted by an Osceola County grand jury of felony battery, misdemeanor battery, official misconduct, witness tampering and more in connection to a 2023 use of force case.
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“We fully support the dedicated officers who serve our community with integrity,” Steigerwald. “However, for those who do not meet our high standards, we will ensure a thorough, independent review of all allegations is performed and will make the necessary changes within the department to maintain trust.”
In the letter, Chief Assistant State Attorney Ryan Williams listed the officers who were interviewed as part of internal investigation of Baseggio, many of them providing statements that were “called into question.”
For Holland, Williams wrote “Chief Holland gave a voluntary, sworn interview on September 27, 2024. Statements she made in her interview are inconsistent with other sworn testimony received from witnesses... These inconsistencies call the accuracy or veracity of her statements in the interview into question.”
On Monday, the city also announced that Maj. Robert Anzueto, of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, was named interim chief and will begin his role on Wednesday.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has also been requested to lead the investigations of those officers referenced in the letter from the State Attorney’s Office.
Other personnel changes in the department include the placement of Det. Jonathan Fernandez and Officer Milagros Sanchez on administrative leave and Cpl. Justin Lunsford being transferred out of the Professional Standards Section.
Holland was hired in 2018 as deputy chief. Before joining KPD, she spent 30 years with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
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