JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Members of the Jacksonville Brotherhood of Police Officers and local pastors said they still have concerns about the punishment for a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office sergeant who admitted to posting racist messages on social media.
Sgt. Doug Howell, who previously worked in JSO’s gang unit, got a new assignment patrolling the Northside following a months-long internal investigation.
A spokesperson for the Jacksonville Brotherhood of Police Officers told News4JAX their group was disappointed to learn that Howell only received formal counseling and not a demotion or another more harsh punishment. Faith leaders added that they are also concerned moving forward about Sgt. Howell’s new assignment in Zone 6 on the Northside and his future interactions with the people he has publicly disparaged.
One of the tweets from an account associated with the JSO sergeant says: “America’s three biggest problems: 1) Marijuana abuse 2) Marijuana abuse 3) Black people.” That tweet was published in 2013.
“It would almost be akin to saying, if a person says they don’t like children, should they be a school teacher?” said Pastor Mark Griffin of Wayman AME Church. “Or if a person says ‘I don’t like the elderly.’ Well, working in a nursing home may not be the best place to put them.”
Griffin said local faith leaders don’t yet have the assurance from JSO that Sgt. Howell’s admitted bias has been dealt with properly and won’t affect his job policing the public.
According to this internal affairs report, Howell admitted to posting numerous racist and disparaging remarks on social media, about Black people, Mexicans and members of the LGBTQ community.
Howell was not demoted from his position with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Griffin had this request for Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters.
″I would like to see them monitor his interactions over a 30 or 60, or 90-day period, maybe require him to always keep his body camera on and so that someone a superior can periodically observe that. Because here’s the concern within our communities: we don’t want people to even feel as if they’re being targeted, or they’re being mistreated simply because of the color of their skin.”
JSO removed Howell from the gang investigation unit after News4JAX asked him about his social media activity at a political event where he was supporting Waters in last year’s election.
Following a six-month investigation, detectives ruled Howell only violated JSO’s social media policy. But JSO said it did not find evidence to prove that his apparent bias against certain groups of people affected the way he does his job.
Howell was ordered to undergo formal counseling, which according to News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Lakesha Burton, is not a form of punishment.
“Formal counseling is not a form of discipline, it’s a corrective action,” Burton said.
Burton said formal counseling is the first step in a corrective action, adding that a disciplinary action within JSO starts with a Level 1 written reprimand, and escalates from there, which can result in a suspension, demotion or termination.
Pastors said they also want to know what proactive steps JSO is taking to stop this kind of narrative from being posted online again.
″How do we have conversations at the beginning of law enforcement careers that help people to think through diversity and difference?” Griffin said.
A spokesperson for the Jacksonville Brotherhood of Police Officers stressed to News4JAX that it does not think Howell should lose his job, but they are concerned that he is not being held accountable, and say more discipline was warranted in this situation.
News4JAX asked JSO about the pastor’s request and if the agency will be following up on Howell’s performance with the public and whether his formal counseling included dealing with members of the public.
JSO said it rejected the premise of that question because the investigation determined the allegation of bias-based conduct was unfounded and that his formal counseling addressed his violations of social media policy.