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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 20 March 2006 |
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TAMPA - Two Hillsborough deputies lost their jobs this month after an internal investigation revealed both accessed the driving records of supervisors, fellow deputies and celebrities while on duty, but not for legitimate purposes. Sheriff David Gee said former detention deputies Michael Barry and Daniel Green violated a department policy that prohibits deputies from calling up such restricted records except for official reasons. Both men worked at the Morgan Street Jail in the transportation unit. In addition, Barry admitted to posting disparaging comments about supervisors on LeoAffairs.com, an online message board frequented by members of local law enforcement, Gee said. The sheriff previously filed a court petition for the Web site's records that identify the Internet protocol addresses of deputies who posted to the message boards. A judge declined access, but Gee appealed that ruling. Gee fired Green, 33, when the investigation concluded. He allowed Barry, 37, to take early retirement. Along with their breaches of the office's code of conduct, Gee said, the men's negative attitudes played a large part in ending their employment. "It was more that they'd been at the root of some different issues and were not very content employees," Gee said. "Apparently, they were not very happy in their jobs." Both men admitted to snooping when presented with evidence they had accessed the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles database more than 100 times between January and August 2005, Gee said. Barry could not be reached for comment. On Saturday, Green characterized the records searches as "childish and stupid" but said he shouldn't have been fired. He attempted to resign in January but was refused. "It's a common practice throughout the department," he said of the tag checking. Gee disagreed and said they committed a fireable offense. "If other people are found out, they'll suffer the same consequences," he said. "His actions were such that he didn't deserve to be able to resign." Green blamed the investigation on a hostile work environment and to his reaction to an unsatisfactory job review. "Through stupidity or whatever, I went in and started looking up supervisors to see what they did," Green said. He learned of the investigation in August. Investigators later presented him with a stack of LeoAffairs.com postings and asked him which were his, but he refused to answer their questions, he said. "The sheriff is upset about the whole [message board] thing, and they're trying to find a scapegoat," he said. http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBGHBAWYKE.html?imw=Y
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