Ethics Complaints Filed Against 10 Anti-Gun Florida Campus Police Chiefs

By Lee Williams

Chief David Perry, Florida State University
Chief David Perry, Florida State University
HeraldTribune.com
HeraldTribune.com

TALLAHASSEE – -(Ammoland.com)- An attorney for Florida Carry Inc, a Florida gun-rights group, has filed formal ethics complaints against the 10 university chiefs of police who testified against Rep. Greg Steube’s campus-carry bill.

Click here to read the ethics complaint filed against 10 university police chiefs

The police chiefs appeared March 16 2015 before the Senate Higher Education Committee in opposition to Senate Bill 176, a companion bill to Steube’s HB 4005, which would allow those with a valid concealed-carry license to carry firearms on campus.

Eric Friday, general counsel for Florida Carry Inc., filed the 10 complaints Monday with the Florida Commission on Ethics, accusing the police chiefs of failing to register as lobbyists and of using state funds and resources to attend the hearing. Friday pointed out in his complaints that the chiefs were on-duty when they lobbied lawmakers.

“These chiefs used state resources and were on state taxpayers’ time to lobby the Legislature against the rights of citizens,” Friday said. “The statutes require that if a state employee is going to lobby during business hours, they’re expected to register as a lobbyist. None of the people we filed complaints against are registered as lobbyists in Florida.”

Friday filed ethics complaints against the following:

  • Chief Darren Baxley, University of Florida
  • Chief Terrence Calloway, Florida A&M University
  • Chief David Hendry, University of South Florida
  • Chief William Hope, Florida Polytechnic University
  • Chief Linda Stump-Kernick, University of Florida
  • Chief Charles Lowe, Florida Atlantic University
  • Chief Frank Mackesy, University of North Florida
  • Chief David Perry, Florida State University
  • Deputy Chief Jim Russell, Florida State University
  • Chief J.D. Withrow, University of South Florida

None of the police chiefs returned calls seeking comment for this story.

Ashley Searcy, a spokeswoman for the Florida State University Police, said Chief Perry had “no comment on the matter.”

Florida Carry
Florida Carry, Inc.

Friday said he received an email Perry sent to the other police chiefs, which provided bad information.

“We are aware that Chief Perry, in an email to the other chiefs, told them they did not have to take leave. We’re also aware that several turned in expense reports afterward.”

According to statutes, penalties for these violation can include being forced to repay the funds used to attend the hearing, and being barred from lobbying for two years.

“I find it ironic that these chiefs would wear their uniforms — including their firearms — even though they’re not supposed to be on duty when they lobbied the Legislature,” Friday said. “These chiefs could easily have been permitted to tell the legislature their views, but they can’t use taxpayer dollars, and they have to be registered as lobbyists.”

According to its website, Florida Carry Inc., is a “non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the fundamental civil right of all Floridians to keep and bear arms for self defense as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

Read the rest on Ethics Complaint Names 10 Campus Police Chiefs at the HeraldTribune.com.

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capndad

Going with the stats…going with the stats.

capndad

The accompanying photo says it all. Everything that is wrong with America today.

IluvFreedom

WOW. Immediately U turned this into a race thing.
That is exactly the type of comment that allows the gun grabbers to get traction in the media. U can’t blame the race hustlers on the left for this one. U went there all on your own. Way to go.
We should push the focus to the possible criminal activity of the LEO’s, but instead the first thing U come up with is race. smh

Janek

Maybe it’s time somebody stands up and counters the Black ‘race hustlers’ who use the ‘race card’ because it works almost all the time. Disagreement with a Black politician’s actions doesn’t make one a racist, but the race hustlers will mark you as one!

Dave from San Antonio

IF, and that may be a pretty big IF,…if they swore to uphold the Constitution of The U.S., as-well-as the State of Florida’s Constitution…they have, most likely, violated their oath of office…and should be fired…just on the “ethics” of that alone. When you have “Chiefs” in law enforcement, regardless where they work or who they are…violate the statutes they have sworn to uphold…termination is in order, but given the “color” of the apparent situation…I doubt if anything will be done. The only thing that may work…is a massive out-cry by the citizens of Florida on this issue and the lack… Read more »

hippybiker

I’m not a racists but if this man wishes to live as a slave, that is his business. Most of the rest of us free Floridians do not wish to. I have family in Salt Lake City, Utah. In Utah, people with valid CCW are allowed to carry on college campuses. They have had zero problems.

TEX

I’m sure the complextion on most the other 9 is the same as this guy.

Janek

@TEX – It’s called a ‘Monochrome Coalition’. They get away with it because no one has yet countered the formation of the ‘Congressional Black Caucus’ by forming a ‘Congressional White Caucus’ or a ‘United White College Fund’ or a ‘National Association for the Advancement of White People’ (NAAWP)!

JF

You’re both wrong, (takes all of 3 minutes to check) and as another commenter mentioned, stupid comments like both of yours do nothing to help preserve our 2nd Amendment rights.