FORT MYERS, Fla. — On Friday, the final pages from what's known as the “Freeh Report,” now unsealed by the Department of Justice, show several Fort Myers Police Department officers who spent more than a decade tipping off local drug groups.
Acting Fort Myers Police Chief Randall Pepitone talked with Fox 4 about how new leadership spent the last six years cleaning up the department.
"Fort Myers Police is a more transparent agency today,” said Pepitone.
A transparency Pepitone said was influenced by what happened back in 2016.
Pepitone referenced the now public final pages from the audit report called the Freeh Report.
In the newly released pages, it details how former FMPD supervisors, before Pepitone was hired, spent one decade helping local drug groups evade police.
“There are certain reports that have to be done, there are certain oversights that go on and something like this wouldn't happen today,” said Pepitone.
The details include:
- An FMPD supervisor related through marriage to one of the most significant drug suppliers in the city
- Also, multiple times FMPD leaked information, including leading to a potential witness's murder.
Six years later, the acting Chief said proper oversight and making the right hires means people who have information can trust the police with their confidentiality.
“With the proper oversight and picking the right people to be in the position that accept that type of information, I don't think we are going to have that problem,” said Pepitone.
Better communication between witnesses and officers is what Pepitone emphasized when we talked to him last month.
That conversation followed a series of downtown shootings FMPD has dealt with during the last 8 months.
On Thursday, in the name of public safety, following weeks of conversations, including parking rates, Fox 4 reported how a Fort Myers city official said higher rates could mean, less "riff-raff."
On Friday, we asked Pepitone about that comment.
"I'm not going to comment on that, I didnt hear the comment and I didn't make it so I'm not going to comment," said Pepitone.
We also asked Pepitone if higher parking prices would lower downtown crime.
"I really have no opinion on that,” said Pepitone.
