A Florida jogger kept his cool while cops detained him. Then, they offered him a job
A man who kept his cool while Florida deputies detained him now has a new job — with law enforcement.
According to a Facebook post from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Joseph Griffin was taking a jog in Deltona last month when deputies stopped him for matching the description of a burglary suspect.
“African American male, with a white tank top and black shorts, initially,” the former military officer recounted to Click Orlando. “Of course, it was pretty scary. I didn’t know what was going on at first when he approached me.”
Griffin, 28, said his military training fared him well and taught him to remain calm and compliant during the incident, captured on police bodycam.
“No one will say you’re wrong for being frustrated because it’s scary and frustrating,” the 28-year-old told the media outlet. “But I will say if you remain calm, at least 85 percent of the time the situation will go your way. Yes, the officer has authority, but in the end, you have control.”
The father of two, who is now a registered nurse, also live-streamed the 17 minute encounter on his Facebook page. At one point, he is handcuffed and still doesn’t react.
“If something happens to me, y’all better raise hell,” Griffin says to his followers, alluding to the recent police brutality protests and Black Lives Matter protests.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood was so impressed by how Griffin handled things in such a “cooperative and respectful” way that he gave him a job.
“Joseph Griffin is going to come out and join us during implicit bias training, and tell this story from his perspective,” wrote Chitwood on Facebook. “I think we can all learn from his point of view, just like he has listened to ours. Mr. Griffin is a military veteran and a medical professional, and I told him we’d train and hire him as a deputy in a second if he ever wants a new job.”
Chitwood added that the actual suspect was eventually arrested.
