CRESTVIEW— Efforts to bring the Police Department back into the good graces of the community have only just begun, Police Chief Tony Taylor said Friday.
Taylor hosted a news conference the day after former Maj. Joseph Floyd was convicted of racketeering. Much of the testimony at Floyd’s trial described how he abused his powers as head of departments’ Street Crimes Unit from 2007 to 2012.
Watch a video from the press conference. >>
Former Police Chief Brian Mitchell, a good friend of Floyd, faces a charge of official misconduct.
Taylor said he’s concentrating on updating policies, reviewing cases handled by the department’s former leadership and mending any other issues with his staff.
He said he plans to review all the testimony presented during Floyd’s trial before he meets with the state attorney’s office and other law enforcement agencies to determine his next steps.
“All decisions I achieve in this matter will be in the best interest of the Crestview community and the Crestview Police Department without regard for any perceived friendships, personal affiliations or political relationships,” Taylor said.
Taylor also noted he has talked with the African American Community Leaders Alliance (AACLA) of Okaloosa County about potential civil rights violations raised during Floyd’s trial.
“Yesterday’s verdict removed a cancer from our community,” said Michael Barnes with the AACLA. “We will be working together with the Crestview Police Department to make sure there are no falsely accused citizens.”
Crestview Mayor David Cadle, who also the news conference, said officials will get input from residents to implement policies that clearly state what is expected of police officers.
“We will be removing any ambiguous policies. We will have a new complaint policy that will require investigations and we will make more changes to avoid situations like we are facing now,” Cadle said.
The first public step toward transparency begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday with the initial Coffee with a Cop session at Tropical Palms Restaurant on Main Street, Taylor said. Each meeting will allow residents to meet with officers to rebuild trust.
“Task No. 1 for us is to get this part behind us and never look back,” Taylor said. “One day we will close this chapter and never have to remember it.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.