Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee to officially resign

[maddezmom]

Last edited Mon Apr 23, 2012, 04:49 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: CBS

Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee will officially resign today, CBS News has learned.


Lee had temporarily stepped down last month in the wake of criticism over his department's handling of the investigation in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.


A source within the Sanford Police Department said one of the acting chiefs may also tenure his resignation today as well.

UPDATE

The Sanford police chief criticized for his department's handling of the Trayvon Martin shooting case will resign permanently today, the city announced.

Update at 2:14 p.m. ET: The resignation will be part of a separation agreement with Chief Billy Lee Jr. that commissioners will be asked to approve later today.

"Under the separation agreement, Chief Lee would resign from his post, effective at midnight tonight," the city said in a statement. "The chief's resignation comes a month after he was allowed to temporarily step down from his position as police chief in an effort to aid in restoring calm to the City in the wake of protests surrounding the Trayvon Martin investigation."

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/04/report-sanford-police-chief-to-resign-permanently-today/1



Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57419136/sanford-police-chief-bill-lee-to-officially-resign/

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Sanford police chief to permanently resign

Move comes in wake of Trayvon Martin shooting investigation

SANFORD, Fla. -
Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee Jr., who temporarily stepped down from his position in connection to the Trayvon Martin shooting, will permanently resign on Monday, city officials said.

Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett has called a special meeting with city commissioners at 4 p.m. A public notice for the meeting only stated commissioners would consider adoption of a "resolution relating to the police department."

more: http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Sanford-police-chief-to-permanently-resign/-/1637132/11643760/-/wtkan2/-/

Trayvon Martin case: Sanford police chief quits, is called 'scapegoat'

Commissioner Patty Mahany said the chief submitted his resignation over the weekend; Lee temporarily left his post last month amid complaints about how his department handled the investigation of the Feb. 26 shooting. The city commission is scheduled to hold a special meeting late Monday afternoon to discuss Lee's severance package, Mahany said.

"Elected officials used this man as a scapegoat to heal our community," she said in a telephone interview with the Los Angeles Times. "Our community was never broken."

Mahany, who had supported Lee during the political furor over his department’s investigation, called the resignation a "terrible tragedy." She said she blamed civil rights activists whose protests "ruined the reputation and career of a really stellar law enforcement officer."

Lee "is nothing but a scapegoat," Mahany said. "Our police department did nothing wrong."

more:http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-sanford-chief-resigns-20120423,0,3336571.story


meeting updates here:

Update at 4:40 p.m. ET: Commissioner Randy Jones says, to applause from the audience, that any outside group that comes to Sanford "to get their 15 minutes" of publicity should "be shown the finger and shown the door."

Update at 4:28 p.m. ET: City Manager Norton Bonaparte responds to a question about why he changed his mind about waiting for results of an outside investigation before deciding on Lee's fate. He says it appears that it will be "three-plus more months" for outside agencies to conclude their investigations and that "it's time Sanford moves forward."

Update at 4:27 p.m. ET: Commissioner Patty Mahany asks, "What did he do wrong?"

Update at 4:23 p.m. ET: Commissioner Patty Mahany says she is "deeply saddened that someone has to stand up for Sanford and say, 'we are not a racist city, we don't have a racist police department' ..

She says Lee has "paid for the sins of past police chiefs, past officers."

Says she is "deeply sick, deeply disgusted" about the attacks on the city, Lee and commissioners, and "deeply disappointed" in City Manager Norton Bonaparte.

more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/04/report-sanford-police-chief-to-resign-permanently-today/1?csp=hf

[goclark]

1. So what pray tell could they ever have done wrong?

Bet they were big friends with Daddy Zimm ~

[itsrobert]

2. Sounds like a cover up was discovered.

The blood on Zimmerman head could have been Martin's. Zimmerman could have attempted first aid and got blood all over his hands and rub his head afterwards in a nervous, "What have I done" move.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. I suggested as much yesterday.

Because we'll never know the answer since they let George Zimmerman go.

In other words, they didn't take any blood samples and George took his clothes with him.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. The acting police chief too!

This is getting interesting.

And Norm Wolfinger announced he won't run for reelection.

Do you suppose this is happening early because they know Zimmerman will walk because of a poor police investigation?

[blm]

5. And Wolfinger the state attorney is out and sez he won't run again. My bet is that Wolfie

made the decision not to charge and told the chief to fit the 'facts' to the decision - like Bush and Cheney told certain agents charged with ginning up the Iraq intel.

The police chief was tasked with dialing the report down to let Zimmerman off the hook. The lead investigator being so certain that Zimmerman should have been charged that night makes it pretty clear what happened once the state attorney got involved.

[Baitball Blogger]

6. What a day.

I only hope that people will get a chance to reopen cases that Wolfinger refused to investigate. He's obviously a good ole boy who owes his longevity to following orders given by a powerful status quo within the area.

[catbyte]

8. I hadn't heard that--awesome!

[Amerigo Vespucci]

9. Whatta goon (I understand that's a "term of endearment")

He should have resigned instead of taking that little "time out." Good riddance, fuckface.

[eppur_se_muova]

18. !

[lunatica]

10. This means our speculations based on available facts are probably right.

I want full transparency on everything about this case to come out. Especially in the higher ranks.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

11. "Separation Agreement" in mentioned in the 2:14 p.m. update of the USAToday story ...

Some sort of severance package?

He should be talking with his own attorneys - he may find himself before a judge soon.

[Turbineguy]

12. Maybe he just wants to spend more time with

Fox News!

[solarman350]

13. "Color" MURDER suspect zimmerman GONE!

He's going to "walk." That's "Southern Justice" for you. I fully expect sanford to go high order after that, and be worse than the "L.A. Riots" after the Rodney King beating. Not that tough to read those tea leaves. zimmerman will very likely be checking his six for the rest of his life...wherever he runs to (bush CRIME family "ranch" in Paraguay, etc.). Some day though, I fully expect him to turn up dead --one way or another---not intended as a threat...just an opinion.

[obamanut2012]

14. What has led you to believe that?

[freshwest]

15. IOW, he and the rest of the gang are going on vacation at taxpayer expense or early retirement.

[drdtroit]

16. Add him to the "no fly list", he's a menace to society! n/t

[1StrongBlackMan]

17. Wow ...

Regardless of the criminal trial's outcome, I'm sensing a civil rights and/or obstruction of justice civil suit.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

19. KPFA news reported the city council voted not to accept the resignation...