Key West Police officers have been told that they can no longer make any arrests without the approval of a watch sergeant or lieutenant. Capt. Bill Fortune issued the special Order on April 6.
Although department officials refused to explain the rationale for the new policy, a source inside the department said that the decision to restrict arrests came after three officers were involved last month in wrestling a blind man to the ground and carting him off to jail. The blind man's companion claimed that the altercation occurred after a police car almost ran over them.
The department has also been criticized for being "arrest-happy" after dozens of women were arrested during Fantasy Fest for displaying painted breasts or for playfully exposing their breasts for beads. State Attorney Mark Kohl has refused to prosecute those cases.
"Approval must now be obtained before making an arrest," the source said. "That could present a problem for an officer who interrupts a crime in progress."
City Commissioner Tom Oosterhoudt, a longtime critic of what he calls "overkill" arrests, agreed that the new policy might be overly cumbersome, "but if it can help change the mentality of some officers who seem to measure the success of their shifts in terms of arrests made, I'm all for it."
"An arrest of an individual must be approved by the watch sergeant or lieutenant," Fortune's order said. "Approval may be made by radio or telephone. The officer making the arrest must articulate why the arrest is being made.
"Once the arrest is made, the sergeant or lieutenant must meet with the arresting officer either on scene or at police headquarters. The Arrest Affidavit then must be reviewed and notarized by the sergeant or lieutenant before transporting the arrestee to the county detention center."