LAKELAND A captain in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Lakeland office was demoted and assigned to Walton County. An internal investigation found that he made disparaging comments about officers and deprived those officers of equipment and training.
In January, the FWC Office of Inspector General published a report about the internal investigation intoJosephBrooks, a former captain of the Lakeland office of FWC’s law enforcement division.
Lt. Jared Cloud filed a complaint on Sept. 13 alleging that Brooks made disparaging remarks about his fellow employees and created a hostile work environment.
Cloud claimed Brooks took photos of women at the office of a “sexual overtone” without their permission and then texted the pictures to other officers.
Cloud reported that Brooks treated a lot of officers in his department with problems. According to the complainant, FWC officers felt anxious and afraid because Brooks made it difficult for them to work, and Brooks was relieved when they were off duty.
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Brooks was accused in the complaint of making profane comments about staffers that he didn’t like. He also denied requests for equipment and training for some of them.
The FWC report stated that officers were denied the training and equipment they required. Brooks treated officers differently from others, and some officers believed Brooks was a bad influence on their morale.
Cloudsaid Brooks claimed that he once threatened an officer to write up a letter “to prevent him from starting the next job.” Brooks denied the request for time off to care for his father’s medical problems. The complaint claimed that Brooks dismissed it with profanity and called the officer “an idiot”.
Brooks was also alleged to be “very influential” at the agency and “untouchable”, and that’s why officers were afraid of reporting his behavior.
Cloud claims Brooks made inappropriate and vulgar remarks to other FWC officers and a Polk County sheriff’s sergeant when Brooks accused two vagrants each of performing sexual acts upon them. Cloud said Brooks’ actions made officers afraid to speak against him.
Capt. Maurice Austin conducted the administrative investigation. After questioning at least eight officers, he found all Cloud’s claims to be true.
In January, four members of FWC’s discipline panel recommended Brooks’ termination. Four recommended Brooks was dismissed. Two recommended Brooks is suspended for 10 day with demotion or relocation. Three recommended Brooks should be suspended for 30 jours with demotion or relocation.
Brooks was the subject of the FWC settlement agreement with Brooks in February. The commission stated that it intended to dismiss Brooks from his employment, but instead decided to degrade him from captain to law enforcement officer and transfer Brooks to the Walton County office. Brooks could not be reassigned to Southwest Region Lakeland, and he was suspended without pay for 10 days.
Brooks was hired to join the FWC academy in February 2005 as an officer. After he graduated, he was assigned to Okeechobee County. Brooks was promoted to investigator in Polk County in 2009 after being reassigned in 2006 to Highlands County. Brooks was promoted to Lieutenant in Highlands County in 2014 and then to Investigator in Polk County in 2017. In 2018, he was promoted to the rank of captain at the Polk County office.
