Three JSO officers disciplined over 2022 strip searching incident

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Three Jacksonville Sheriff’s officers have been disciplined for strip searching a man suspected of selling cocaine on the side of the road in public view two years ago.

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The action by JSO comes after reporting first published by The Tributary exposed the incident.

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“You can’t bend me over like that bro. I know my rights,” said Ronnie Reed in body camera footage of his arrest in September of 2022.

The footage, first obtained by the Tributary, shows JSO officers strip searching Reed during an arrest for allegedly selling cocaine.

The video shows officers pulling down his pants and underwear, and exposing his genitals in front of onlookers near the scene.

Now, three of the officers involved have been disciplined by the agency for violating JSO policy.

“If the individual is concealing contraband, meaning drugs, he will pick up a second charge, which is introducing a controlled substance into a corrections facility. But that’s not the street officer’s concern,” said Action News Jax Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson.

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Carson argued since the officers were searching for a $20 bill and narcotics, a strip search out in public view was wholly inappropriate.

“It sends a message to the community that they shouldn’t cooperate at all with law enforcement. That’s the devastating aspect of this circumstance,” said Carson.

Florida statute does authorize law enforcement to conduct strip searches for narcotics upon receiving written approval from a supervising officer, but JSO policy only allows corrections officers to conduct the searches.

During the internal investigation at JSO, at least two of the three officers involved stated they didn’t believe what they had done to Reed during his arrest constituted a strip search, but after reviewing state statute, they came to believe it was a strip search.

Those same two officers, Joel Belgard and Nicholas Hackley, both testified they were never trained on the agency’s strip search policy.

“Had you ever had any type of training in the search that was conducted on Mr. Reed?” asked the JSO investigator in the recording of Belgard’s interview.

READ: DOJ: Former FHP Trooper and DEA officer from Jax pleads guilty to ‘theft of money and drugs’

“No, not to that extent. No,” Belgard responded.

But according to JSO, all officers are trained on the agency’s strip search policy.

“All police officers receive training concerning searches, to include that strip searches are to be performed by corrections officers rather than police officers,” said PIO for JSO in an emailed statement.

Carson argued at the end of the day, any officer should know the conduct captured in the body camera footage is wrong.

“You don’t need a general order to spell out what is common sense. The key to this is to not treat people like you would not like to be treated,” said Carson.

Charges against Reed were dropped in February of this year.

The three officers involved in the search of Reed received level two written reprimands, which is one step below a suspension under JSO’s disciplinary policy.

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