A recent grand jury report has put the Kissimmee Police Department (KPD) under scrutiny for systemic issues that have allowed a culture of silence to permeate the department, particularly regarding officer misconduct. In its presentment, the grand jury recommended a reevaluation of KPD’s command staff and policy updates following an investigation into an April 2023 incident where Officer Andrew Baseggio was charged with multiple felonies after knee-spiking a man in the face. According to the State Attorney's Office, the jury indicted Baseggio on six charges, including Felony Battery and Official Misconduct.
The report goes further than just the Baseggio case. It lays bare a culture within KPD where misconduct is unreported and often accepted. Bodycam footage captured instances of other officers at the scene failing to intervene and later making light of the incident. Initially, there was no haste to launch a criminal investigation, and only after internal review did KPD hand Baseggio a minimal punishment of one day off without pay despite policy violations.
Moreover, the grand jury expressed a lack of confidence in the department’s command staff, citing instances where former Police Chief Betty Holland disregarded evidence of misconduct, declined criminal investigations, and failed to follow up on policy violations. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement's investigation was also impeded, as Holland tipped off Baseggio, who managed to review the final report before it reached prosecutors, leading to witness tampering.
The grand jury’s revelations don't stop there. They have also highlighted deficiencies in KPD's Internal Affairs Section, which they found to be understaffed and poorly managed, leading to inadequate case investigations and subpar record-keeping. Leaked discussions of internal investigations and a lax attitude towards formalizing criminal probes after use-of-force incidents have underscored the need for KPD to tighten its protocols and discipline. The grand jury recommends that KPD establish formal discipline for officers who discuss pending IA investigations, sourced from the full presentation.
Training and policy gaps were also part of the grand jury’s attention, especially as officers involved in the Baseggio incident didn't recognize the mental health crisis of the individual and wrongly entered his home without a warrant. The grand jury suggests comprehensive officer training in crisis management and legal standards for searches and seizures to quell these issues. Alongside these findings, KPD’s failure to report sustained policy violations has resulted in nearly ten instances of slipping through the state law's mandatory reporting requirements.
