Davie Police Chief Dale Engle has been placed on administrative leave after officers at his Florida station filed a union complaint alleging that he dismissed their concerns about coronavirus protection measures and blamed the COVID – 27 fatality of a Broward County deputy sheriff on his sexuality.
On April 7, amid a coronavirus outbreak at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office , police officers in Davie – a town in the county – attempted to raise concerns with Engle about their risk of contracting COVID – , the disease caused by the coronavirus.
In response to the officers’ concerns, Engle allegedly ordered them to stand in formation for inspection and berated them for raising the health issue, according to a complaint filed by the Florida State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police (FLFOP).
Engle then allegedly proceeded to blame the death of openly gay Broward County Deputy Sheriff Shannon Bennett on a “backstory,” claiming he died because he was a “homosexual who attended homosexual events.” Engle also allegedly implied Bennett, a 29 – year veteran of the sheriff’s office, had “a serious underlying disease which aggravated the COVID – virus . ”
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