BARTOW, Fla. — UPDATE (5/14): Bartow Police Chief Joe Hall has put in his resignation. His last day of work is May 29.
Hall's resignation letter is brief and doesn't mention why.
It comes as the city manager was investigating how Hall handled a situation involved an officer using a racial slur on duty.
Chief Hall gave Michael Bennett a reprimand letter and paid leave for the day.
City Manager George Long said his review has found no fault in how Hall or the supervisors handled the situation at the time, but said he is looking into modifying city-wide policy addressing disparaging language and conduct, and hopes to provide for narrower discipline guidelines.
Long said his review is ongoing and he still has a few more people to interview about the situation.
As for Hall, Long said he'd been expecting the chief to resign at some point this year. Hall became chief in 2010 and said he'd only wanted to serve in the position for 10 years.
Long said Hall also recently learned the accreditation process for the department would be delayed for another year due to the coronavirus.
Deptuy Chief Bryan Dorman said he will take over as interim police chief when Hall leaves.
ORIGINAL STORY: A Bartow Police Officer retired amid allegations he used a racial slur and profanity while on the job, according to the agency.
- Michael Bennett, 66, a 30-year law enforcement veteran
- Activist claims police chief tried to cover up Bennett's behavior
- More Polk County stories
Pastor and community activist Clayton Cowart believes it was not until he filed a complaint about former officer Michael Bennett's behavior that Bartow Police Chief Joe Hall decided to open an investigation.
In that complaint filed February 25, Cowart alleged Bennett used a racial slur and profanity when he learned he could not have the afternoon off as planned due to a coworker calling in sick.
“[Bennett] was accused of saying 'I’m tired of these F-ing n-word(s),' referring to black people,” said Cowart, recalling the anonymous complaint that he received about Bennett.
Hall reportedly ordered Bennett be given a reprimand letter on February 20, the day the incident occurred, and relieved him from duty with pay for the rest of the day.
The reprimand letter said Bennett made “profane and derogatory statements” but didn’t specify what Bennett said.
“What’s upsetting is that the Chief of Police tried to cover that behavior and harbor that behavior rather than giving him the proper discipline," Cowart explained. "We can’t control what other people say and feel but what we can do is control the environment that we’re in by getting rid of people like this."
Upon learning about the complaint and pending investigation days later, Bennett retired.
Continued fallout?
While Hall said in a statement he doesn’t condone this type of a behavior, Cowart believes the chief should have taken the situation more seriously before he complained.
“How long has [Bennett] been harboring this?" Cowart asked. "What has he done when he worked at other agencies? What has he done here the last six years.? Who has been arrested that shouldn’t have been arrested? Who has been dealt with wrongfully that might have been unjustly?”
Cowart has since filed a complaint with Bartow City Manager George Long, asking him to investigate the police chief and how the manner was handled.
“They’ve tried to cover up the fact of what has been said, so we need answers and the only way we can get these answers is to hold the chief accountable,” Cowart said.
Long said he is looking into Bennett’s misconduct and how it was handled, as well as better alternatives to help the department’s management avoid situations like this in the future.
Pattern of mismanagement?
Cowart added he's concerned because this is the second time he's complained about Chief Hall and his application of discipline.
Back in 2017, Cowart and his church members protested outside of the Bartow Police department after learning officer Christina Arribas had referred to President Barack Obama as a gorilla on Facebook. When the incident happened, Hall issued her two days suspension unpaid for violating the department's social media policy.
After Cowart's protests, the State Attorney's Office issued Arribas what's referred to as a "death letter," preventing her from testifying in any cases, which led to her being unable to be a police officer in Polk County.
A spokesman for the state attorney’s office said Bennett was involved in ten cases, but isn’t needed for testimony in any of them. Its prosecutors are aware of the situation and monitoring it.
According to Bennett’s personnel file, he received good reviews for the six years he worked for Bartow Police, and a letter of commendation in 2018 for helping to reduce the homeless population near the CSX/Fraser Trail area.
In his reviews, numerous coworkers referred to him as dependable, always showing up to work, and serving as a mentor to younger officers.
Bennett has more than 30 years of experience working in law enforcement, spending the majority of his career at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. He worked there as a helicopter pilot for 11 years.
In his application, he admitted to having been suspended in the past for shooting a water moccasin. His records state he was born in Wisconsin, and after completing the 11th grade went into law enforcement there before moving to Florida in 1983.