Palmetto Police Chief says agency complies with use of force reporting amid FDLE probe

Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler is pushing back against the findings of a recent Herald-Tribune investigation that highlighted a discrepancy in his agency’s reporting of use-of-force incidents.

The police chief claimed publicly during Monday night's Palmetto City Commission meeting that he submitted a use of force report for the November incident that led to the death of a Palmetto man.

More: Investigation: Palmetto police use-of-force report shows officers turn to Tasers most often

In a phone call with the Herald Tuesday morning, Tyler again asserted that he submitted a "restraint report" for the tasing incident involving Breonte Johsnon-Davis on Dec. 19, along with one other restraint report to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement six weeks after Davis' encounter with Palmetto officers.

But according to Tyler, he encountered an error when submitting it to FDLE.

"I submitted it on December 19 ... I submit to FDLE as is required. I've been trying to resolve this with FDLE. It was in there, but evidently, there were errors with the submission. It was hanging it up in the portal," Tyler said. "We are reporting these as required."

Tyler contends that a standard police report was also filed shortly after the incident at a Palmetto Circle K, where officers used a Taser on Davis during a Marchman Act call.

No record of the incident has been published by the FDLE. It cannot be found on the National Crime Data Explorer database.

Tyler has denied requests for the Nov. 2 police report, saying all information about the investigation should be made public soon.

"That report was done the night the incident happened, but it's an ongoing investigation, and until FDLE has done what it needs to do and the State Attorney's Office reviews it, that's part of what I'm not releasing," Tyler said. "Once that's done, we are going to release everything. The family and community will be able to see everything."

State Attorney Ed Brodsky could not be reached for comment as of Tuesday afternoon.

As the FDLE investigation continued into another week, community members and advocates reiterated demands for accountability from the Palmetto Police Department and pushed for answers over the death of an unarmed Black man.

Nearly a dozen concerned citizens and family members spoke during the Palmetto City Commission meeting Monday night. The commenters expressed concerns over the lack of trust between citizens and officers, while some claimed the agency lacks transparency.

FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger spoke briefly with the Herald-Tribune Monday afternoon ahead of the Palmetto City Commission meeting. A request for an update on the investigation by the agency was not received as of Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier: FDLE investigating Palmetto Police tasing incident, death of Breonte Johnson-Davis

Johnson-Davis' sister, Breona Davis, addressed city commissioners via telephone during the meeting. She said her brother's death still haunts her daily.

"I try to go to sleep at night, and I see the knot on my brother's head that he had when he was lying in the hospital" following the police use of the taser, she said.

"Nobody can explain anything ... hours before he passed, I was on a Facetime (call) with him. He had just got a haircut. His head was perfect, there was nothing wrong with my brother. So what happened to get to that point?"

Nakkia Bennett, a military veteran and Palmetto resident, said more could have been done.

"This is deplorable," he said. "What do you have to hide? Why not be open honest and transparent about what went on? Why keep this family going through this day after day, week after week, month after month?"

Residents also demanded the release of unaltered body cam footage.

Earlier this month, the Herald-Tribune reported that records available in the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer show Palmetto Police reported using force 28 times in 2023, not including the incident on Nov. 1. Twelve cases involved the firing of a Taser to deliver an electric shock, the same device deployed against Johnson-Davis, who was reported to be in mental distress when police were called. Another 13 calls resulted in officers drawing their firearms, two in the use of physical force and one in pepper spray.

The information, in "restraint reports" was provided in response to a Herald-Tribune public records request.

No investigation report or update has been received by the family as of Monday. The department released a nearly blank incident report in late December with little detail.

ICYMI: Palmetto family rallies, calls for answers from police in death of son last November

"That incident report had a total of 23 words and characters on it," said Alaina Martinez, Sarasota resident and community activist. "Breonte deserved more than that. His family deserves more than that, we deserve more than that."

Samantha Gholar covers social justice news for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Connect with her at sgholar@gannett.com or on Twitter: @samanthagholar.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Palmetto City Commission pressured to hold police accountable