SANFORD, Fla.,None — A series of racially and sexually inappropriate computer messages has cost one Sanford police officer his job. Eyewitness News first reported about the investigation into Jason Bowen back in December. Now we are hearing the explicit messages that were at the center of the case.
A second officer, Ned Golden, Jr., was also suspended from the department. His father is the president of the Fraternal Order of Police, but Sanford police say that has nothing to do with why he was not fired and only suspended for two weeks.
Officials say the messages Golden sent on the computer in his vehicle did not rise to the level of those sent by Officer Bowen. Officer Bowen was fired and Officer Golden was suspended for two weeks without pay, because of messages the two Sanford police officers sent from the computers inside their squad cars.
EX-COP INTERVIEW: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
The internal investigation started two months ago when another officer complained that one of the men sent him a message that said, "You're a piece of crap." When investigators searched the officer's computers, they found the two had been sending a flurry of inappropriate messages.
"It was degrading to other members of the agency, members of the community and, overall, just purely unprofessional," said Captain David Delrosso, Sanford Police Department.
Investigators said they believe Bowen was the ring leader, and sometimes even sent degrading messages from Golden's computer.
"The language they used in their terminals, definitely inappropriate, very embarrassing for our agency. I'd like to share some of that stuff with you, but it'd be inappropriate on camera," Captain Delrosso said.
Bowen was asked about the messages during an Internal Affairs investigation that was recorded.
"In jest, with no malice, with nothing like that, I said, 'I'm looking for young females,'" Bowen said during the Internal Affairs interview.
"What did you mean 'by minimum age of 13?'" the Internal Affairs agent asked.
"Again, just jokingly," Bowen replied.
Another time, Officer Bowen played a game that was exposed in a message that read: "Today's game is who can write the most tickets to one motorist on a traffic stop."
Investigators told Eyewitness News that Officer Golden's behavior and messages were more immature than derogatory, and that is why he was only suspended. However, Eyewitness News learned Golden was fired from the Winter Springs Police Department for inappropriate behavior during a traffic stop and he worked in Windermere before he was hired in Sanford two years ago.
Officer Golden will also have to go through diversity training.