VOLUSIA EXPOSED.COM

READER COMMENTS PAGE Review the comments we get from our readers Comments from civilian email addresses will ONLY be posted with the sender's permission. Emails sent from government email addresses are subject to public records, therefore these comments will be posted at the discretion of VolusiaExposed.Com (with or without the permission of the sender)

Updated Jan 3 2011

"Vi Veri Vniversum Vivus Vici"
By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe"- Latin proverb



With the start of a new year, we here at VolusiaExposed.Com have decided to come up with not only a new look but some new web pages. Thusly, welcome to our new reader comment page. All emails received from citizens / civilians will only be posted with the permission of the sender. However, any email communication from government officials are subject to public record disclosure, and will be posted, per the discretion of VolusiaExposed.Com. VolusiaExposed.Com will NOT post any comments that violate the law (express a threat, etc.) or uses inappropriate language.



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Reader Comment - December 21, 2010
VolusiaExposed.Com received the following email comment from
Volusia County Sheriff Department Public Information Officer, Gary Davidson.


"In the interest of accuracy, I thought you'd want to know that the allegation by Volusia Exposed that the Sheriff's Office has removed a news release from our web site is untrue. The news release has never been taken down or removed from our site. The problem is on your end in that you are linking to the wrong URL. For future reference, our news release postings remain on our home page for a period of time. However, when newer releases are posted on the home page, older news releasaes eventually get moved to an inside page on our web site. And when that happens, the URL is changed. Older, archived, news releases are posted here:

http://www.volusia.org/sheriff/press/content.htm

The URL to link to in order to access the news release referenced on your web site is as follows:

http://www.volusia.org/sheriff/press/2010PressReleases/November/100156.htm

As you well know, when we were recently shown to be in the wrong, we freely and quickly acknowledged our oversight and corrected the situation. I certainly hope that we can expect the same stabdard of accuracy from Volusia Exposed."

Regards,
Gary Davidson, PIO
Volusia County Sheriff's Office


In a December 21, 2010 email, VolusiaExposed.Com provided Mr. Davidson with the following response and invitation.

"Mr. Davidson:

Absolutely, VolusiaExposed.Com will gladly correct / clarify any statements.

Thank you for the below clarification in regards to how VCSO archives its press releases.

VolusiaExposed.Com wishes to extend an open invitation to the VCSO to advise us of any other statements, positions or questions we have raised in regards to the VCSO. In the particular, we ask you to review the VCSO Tracey Veira death investigation. We are still left wondering why VCSO Investigator Campanella apparently failed to follow up on his documented observation that Ms. Veira's apparently time of death was not consistent with the jail officers documented observations of Ms. Veira. Any clarification you can bring to this matter (as well as others) will gladly be posted on VolusiaExposed.Com.

Lack of any response from VCSO will tend to support that our statements, positions or questions in these matters are accurately posted.

Again, we wish to thank you for your responses, many of our readers have voiced their doubts that VCSO (or county officials) really take the time to review our site / concerns. Your responses clearly indicate differently.

VolusiaExposed.Com
Keeping the public safety employee we trust to enforce the laws, within the law.

Bcc. -- others"



SPECIAL NOTE - as of yet (January 3, 2011) VolusiaExposed.Com has NOT received any clarifications from Mr. Davidson (or the VCSO) regarding VCSO Investigator Campanella's investigation into Ms. Tracey Veira's in-custody death. We invite you to review our concerns of how this death was "investigated" by the VCSO - after such, we ask you to wonder why the VCSO will not address our concerns.






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Reader Comment - January 2, 2011
VolusiaExposed.Com received the following email comment from
a possible current or past county employee
As per the reader's request his / her name and identifying information has been redacted

After years of working for Volusia County Corrections, I can attest to the fact that reports are written with great collaboration.

I know that I have written reports on incidents only to have them "kicked back" because the county wants to avoid lawsuits. My original reports stated the "truth" in the who, what, where, how. However, each time the reports were kicked back it was because it is not what I "should have" written. I was told many times to collaborate with others who witnessed the same incident and to write what they wrote in order to keep it "consistent,safe and free from lawsuits".

It makes me sick that this goes on because the public honestly has no idea of the corruption that goes on behind closed gates.

The jail does not want "honest" officers. They want officers who will submit to their authority no matter what the cost. The worst part is that the county would never think of backing an honest officer. The honest officers have no place in the Volusia County Jail. I know...I worked there. What I found was that as long as I kept to myself and did not question the ill practices of some supervisors I was safe and my job was not threatened.

It is when I started speaking out, certain supervisors made my life a living hell. I know that the VCDC 52's are constantly falsified. I don't blame the officers. I blame the administration because the jail is always short-staffed. If we were allowed to do everything that was expected of us it would take 4-5 officers to staff North Wing and South Wing. The night shift is worse off. Usually, there is only one officer to staff a unit. Not only is that dangerous, it is unforgivable. I have seen Capts, Lts, Sgts log themselves on the units as "doing rounds". Most never did rounds. They only logged that they did.

' God forbid if we were to go against a supervisor. No,the administration forever closes their eyes to the falsifying of legal documents knowing full well what is going on. However, don't ever ask a supervisor because they would deny it to their grave. There are some good and honest supervisors but they are few and far between. Volusia County Corrections, like many law enforcement agencies, feel a sense of entitlement and they always have since my employment. It is the sad truth and thank God for this website.

I understand not everyone who should be held accountable will be held accountable. This is a great flaw in the legal system. If the public only knew what goes on behind these gates, in the report writing process, the falsifying of documents, etc..many supervisors and officers would be out of a job, as it should be. My heart goes out to the great officers who sincerely try to do the right thing only to be told they can't do the right thing because of staffing issues. This should never be an excuse and "officer safety" should always be a priority. This is what the administration preaches, however, only when it is convenient for the situation-at-hand. I am ashamed to have been a part of the practices that go on in that jail. Ashamed to the point where I could not live day to day knowing that I was not allowed to do the right thing. This becomes the "stress" for the officers, not the inmates. It is the administration and their, forever, poor practices. Today, I choose to be a non-favorite. It is easier to sleep at night knowing I did the right thing legally and morally.

Thank you for letting me have the opportunity to write this. Thank you for exposing the corruption in law enforcement. You may use my words for your website but please do not use my name or email address for fear of retaliation.

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