LAKE WALES, Fla. — A Lake Wales Police detective at the center of a racism allegation has been put on paid administrative leave.
The accusation dates back nearly two years, but only now has Det. Travis Worley been told not to report to work.
“This complaint was put in almost two years ago,” said Pastor Clayton Cowart, whose organization, the Poor and Minority Justice Association, has been putting pressure on the department to take action.
Pastor Cowart says since the fall of 2018 they’ve been demanding the Lake Wales police department investigate Worley.
The complaint follows a case where a fellow officer, who is African American, says she overheard Worley call a suspect a racist slur. She then brought her concerns to her supervisors, but nearly two years later, Worley’s case was still open with no disciplinary action taken.
“When citizens make a complaint, and even a blank officer makes a complaint, it doesn’t seem to carry any weight,” Cowart said.
Now, finally, says Cowart, because of awareness brought on by the death of George Floyd, they’re seeing action.
Early last week, Lake Wales’ long-time city manager retired. A few days later more than 100 people gathered outside the police department to protest against Worley. And, by Friday night the interim city manager apparently directed Lake Wales Police to suspend Worley with pay.
“People’s ears have been stopped. And their eyes have been blinded to what’s going on. And so, I think the death of George Floyd gives into where people are paying more attention. They are more conscious. The voices are not being ignored now,” Cowart said.
We asked Lake Wales Police leaders about the case, but they say they’re legally not allowed to discuss internal investigations. They ask the public to trust them and the process.
As far as the protests, they say as long as they’re peaceful they welcome it.
Cowart says he was told investigators were waiting to take a statement from the police officer who originally filed the complaint, but that she’d been on active military duty and was expected to return to provide more information next month.
In the meantime, Cowart vows to keep the pressure on, with another protest at the police department scheduled sometime in the next three weeks.
“Just as George Lloyd said, 'we can’t breathe.' And what we’re doing today is going down to Lake Wales, so they can get a breath of fresh air,” Cowart said. “And we are taking the knee out of the neck of the citizens there; any minority population in the city of Lake Wales.”
Cowart says they want the chief of Lake Wales Police, Chris Velasquez, disciplined as well, asking why it’s taken this long to investigate Worley. Cowart also raised questions about any investigations Worley might’ve been involved in since the complaint was filed.
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