Protesters Call for Firing of Police Detective for Alleged Racial Slurs

A Tale of Two Worleys

Chevon T Baccus APR, Executive Editor

Charles Dickens wrote about the best of times and the worst of times. No doubt Lake Wales Police Detective Travis Worley can relate, since just five months after being named 2019 Officer of the Year Worley was specifically targeted by protesters accusing him of racial profiling, excessive force and a host of other offenses.

The 41-year-old Worley joined the Lake Wales Police Department in February 2015 after graduating from the Police Academy at South Florida State College. After three years’ service he was promoted to Patrolman 2, and he now serves as a detective in the department’s Crime Suppression Unit, focusing his efforts on drug investigations and repeat offenders. He is paid $20.21 an hour, or a little over $30 per hour for overtime work.

Worley graduated high school from Landmark Christian School in Haines City in 1997, and before becoming a police officer worked as assistant manager of an auto parts store and as a fiber optics technician for Verizon. He is the father of two sons and has coached little league baseball and middle school football.

Worley has received above average evaluations the last two years and has 10 letters of commendation in his personnel file, recognizing such things as support for other officers, positive interactions with the public and fast crime solving. In documentation for a Distinguished Performance Award, Deputy Chief Troy Schulze cited Worley’s “Can-Do” attitude, commitment to the job and his “speaking to criminals and turning them into productive confidential informants.”

The December 2019 Officer of the Year Award narrative signed by Police Chief Chris Velasquez said between September 2018 and September 2019 Worley made 49 arrests, “many of which are serious felonies. A majority of the defendants in these cases are subjects responsible for committing other serious crimes in our community such as theft, burglary and violent assault. Because of his efforts, many of these subjects now face mandatory prison sentences at both the state and federal level, thus protecting innocent people from being future victims.”

In recent months, rumblings about Worley have been growing, including allegations of racial slurs, intimidation, excessive force, theft of money from suspects, planting of drugs, harassment and more. But those making the claims have not followed up with formal complaints.

Velasquez says Worley is a good officer and unless people provide specific details he has nothing to investigate. The five complaints released by police, none specifically alleging racism, were determined by police to be unfounded. They included allegations of theft of $1,200 from a suspect’s truck, enlisting a confidential informant to make false accusations, rude and aggressive treatment including repeated use of profanity during a traffic stop, and false arrest resulting in injury. A fifth complaint was from a woman who was being arrested on an outstanding warrant for grand theft and possession of methamphetamine. Bitten by a police dog and charged with resisting arrest, the woman listed her complaints against Worley and Dale Hampton, the canine’s handling officer, as 1) breach of public trust, 2) police misconduct, 3) unethical behavior/conduct, 4) conduct unbecoming, 5) physical abuse, 6) personal injury, 7) violation of policy/procedure, and 8) perjury.

The only disciplinary action in Worley’s personnel file was a warning when it was determined he didn’t follow procedure regarding checkout of a marked police vehicle and didn’t inspect the back seat, where illegal narcotics were later found.

Velasquez said citizens with complaints can contact any officer, who will direct them through the process: “They just have to reach out to us and we’ll do our job. We’ve done it historically and we’ll continue to do it. We’re never going to stop.

“We’re always going to do what’s right whether it’s popular or not, with our folks or the pubic. It’s the job we have to do and we take it seriously,” Velasquez said.

Lake Wales attorney Sara Jones has at least one client with a beef against Worley and she’s been documenting complaints from others, including at least 10 filed with police officials. She says citizens, especially those with criminal records or who are on probation, are afraid to come forward because Worley “harasses people. He terrorizes the Northwest section,” which is predominantly black.

During a Jan. 30 workshop Jones requested to discuss the possible implementation of body cameras, more community policing and additional training, commissioners expressed concerns about the current complaint process, suggesting a simpler, online form should be considered.

The current Lake Wales Police Department Citizen Complaint Procedure requires written, notarized statements and a possible polygraph examination, and it cautions “If a complaint obviously has no merit and is intended solely to cause anxiety for the officer, civil proceedings may be filed against you.” But it then concludes: “This is not intended to discourage anyone from filing a legitimate complaint.”