Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Fired for Inappropriate Off-duty Conduct

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Fired for Inappropriate Off-duty Conduct

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri will be holding a press conference at 4 p.m. on Monday, October 16, 2017 to discuss the termination of employment of Deputy Brian Britt. He was with the agency for about 17 years.

Below is the full report from the Administrative Investigation Division.

PINELLAS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 16,2017
TO: DEPUTY BRIAN BRITT, #55428
FROM: SHERIFF BOB GUALTIERI
SUBJECT: CHARGES RE: AI-17-023

An investigation has been conducted by the Administrative Investigation Division, Professional Standards Bureau, of the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office. As a result of this investigation, the Administrative Review Board has determined you committed the following violation:
Between, but not limited to, December 31,2016, and January 10,2017, while on and off duty in Pinellas County, Florida, you violated the Pinellas County Sheriffs Civil Service Act Laws of Florida, 89-404 as amended by Laws of Florida 08-285, Section 6, Subsection 4, by violating the provisions of law or the rules, regulations, and operating procedures of the Office of the Sheriff.

1. You violated Pinellas County Sheriff s Office General Order 3-1.2 Rule and Regulation 4.10, Associating with Subjects Involved in Criminal or Civil Cases and General Order 3- 1-1 Rule and Regulation 5.2, Loyalty.

Synopsis: On December 31, 2016, you were dispatched and responded to a residence in
Oldsmar, Florida. This call was in response to a teletype received from the St. Petersburg
Police Department. The teletype requested that the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office locate
and arrest an 18 year old female who was wanted on a charge of domestic battery.
Upon your arrival at the residence, you made contact with a subject you believed to be the
suspect. The suspect was wearing only a towel and it appeared she had just exited the
shower. In an effort to confirm the subject’s identity, you followed the female suspect into
a bathroom in the residence as she retrieved identification. As the female entered the
bathroom, you observed a second female that you described as “naked” in a shower while
the suspect retrieved her identification. The suspect was positively identified and allowed
to dress. She was placed under arrest, handcuffed and escorted to your patrol vehicle.
You then transported the suspect to a secondary location and waited approximately 20 to
30 minutes for a prisoner transportation van. You admitted that you had not conducted a
thorough search of the arrested subject, yet you removed her handcuffs and left her
unrestrained until the prisoner transportation van arrived. While waiting for the
transportation van with the un-handcuffed suspect, you engaged her in personal and
flirtatious conversation; revealing personal information about yourself, including your
financial status and the location of your personal residence. You also discussed the female
subject’s place of employment and that she was an adult entertainer/dancer. You inquired
whether the arrested female’s friend, who you had just observed naked in the shower,
worked at an adult club as well, and the arrested female replied that she did. You discussed
with the arrested female that you would like to go the adult club where she worked during
your off-duty time. You admitted during your testimony that “small talk included me
talking too much about my private life.”

After she was booked into the Pinellas County Jail, the arrested female placed a recorded
phone call to her female friend you inquired about and stated, “You know the officer that
came in there, the older one, how about he was trying to flirt. He took me out of my
handcuffs, tell your home girl again I’m sorry for seeing her, I mean I’m sorry for opening
the bathroom and looking at her. I didn’t mean to. And he was like what club do you work
at. I’m like Foreplay Gentleman’s Club. He’s like where is that located. I’m going to have
to come check you out. My girlfriends been wanting to come to a strip club. He’s like does
she work there to? I said yah, come see us.”

You admitted that the day after you arrested this female and within minutes of her release
from the Pinellas County Jail, you called her using your department cell phone at a phone
number she provided through the investigation. You explained you did this as you “cared
about her feelings,” and you “genuinely felt that, I don’t know, in some way that she was
probably arrested for something that didn’t occur.” You explained that you “felt bad for
her” and were “sympathetic to her situation.” You also inquired whether the victim
appeared in court and asked the arrested female if “it all worked out as I said it would”
concerning the court process.

You admitted that for the next seven to ten days after the arrested female’s release from
jail, using your personal cell phone, you continually communicated with the arrested
female via text messaging and that the two of you exchanged several texts. Your texts
were flirtatious and included information about your marital status and your personal life.
You also admitted to sending a photograph of yourself to the arrested dressed as the
“Hulk.”

During one of these texting conversations, you asked the arrested female if she trusted the
police, which was followed by your intentional effort to solicit her to come to your
residence for an encounter. The arrested inquired about the purpose of the invitation and
explained her time was not free. She also explained she was currently with the female
friend you had seen naked during the initial call for service. You told the arrested “she’s
hot too. Bring her. ” You explained to the arrested that the purpose of the visit to your
residence was for “conversation” and you offered to pay the arrested and her female friend
$100.00 each for a one hour visit.

On the same date you exchanged these text messages, the arrested subject agreed to go to your residence with her female friend who you referred to as “hot.” They travelled from
St. Petersburg to your residence in Pasco County. According to your testimony, when they
arrived, both girls showed signs of impairment. You also admitted you were impaired and
had consumed approximately 12 shots of Tequila. You invited the arrested female and her
“hot” female friend into your residence, had the lights dimmed, candles lit, and engaged
in conversation, including the arrested explaining to you that she is compensated for
engaging in “fetishes” requested by clients. The arrested referred to you as a client. At
some point during this conversation, you began rubbing the arrested female’s thigh.

As you rubbed the girl’s thigh she became angry, stating that this was not the agreement
for $100 and that they had only come to your house for “conversation. ” You explained to
the arrested female that you were not going to pay them for only “conversation.” The
arrested female stated she was angry as she and her female friend had driven hours to New Port Richey from St. Petersburg as you had agreed to nothing more than conversation via the text messages and were now refusing to pay. You provided the arrested and her friend with gas from a can at your residence to compensate them for their travel and they departed, though you suspected their impairment. You later texted the arrested and apologized for upsetting her and stated that you did not want hard feelings. You testified
that you invited the arrested female and her “hot” friend to your home because you were
drinking, depressed and wanted “interaction.”

In conclusion you stated, “I’m an idiot.” After the incident occurred, you recognized you
made a “crucial and regretful error in judgement.” You admitted to telling yourself,
“Stupid, stupid, stupid! What the hell were you thinking Chad?”

You also admitted that when the arrested female and her friend arrived at your home for
“interaction” that your 11 year old daughter was present and asleep in your residence.
It was determined by the Administrative Review Board that you failed to demonstrate
responsibility and your duty to maintain a standard of conduct in your personal and
professional life which is ethical. You failed to adhere to the principles of and to display
the degree of integrity required through the law enforcement code of ethics established by
the Pinellas County Sheriff s Office.

You admitted to both violations.