Exclusive Video: Osceola County deputies disciplined for speeding, violating pursuit policy

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Four deputies in Osceola County have been written up for violating the department’s pursuit policy while reaching speeds over 100 miles per hour.

The deputies were responding to a report of a stolen vehicle in late November last year.

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The suspect vehicle fled and the four deputies gave chase, one of them reaching speeds over 130 miles per hour.

One Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant filed a complaint, saying he believed the deputies “were in violation of and/or did not have a clear understanding of policies,” including the pursuit policy.

Sheriff Marcos Lopez says his team completed an internal investigation of the chase- which happened under the previous sheriff’s administration- and each deputy subsequently received a written reprimand for violating policy.

RAW VIDEO: Osceola County deputies reprimanded for violating pursuit policy, speeding over 100 mph Dash camera video released by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office shows 4 deputies speeding during a pursuit, one in excess of 130 miles per hour. (Alexa Lorenzo, WFTV.com/WFTV)

Sheriff Lopez says they’re taking steps to prevent it happening again.

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“We are going to engage in actively pursuing criminals, because we can’t let them run wild here,” Sheriff Lopez says. “But we’re also going to look at the environment.”

Lopez says there’s already a system in place to help monitor when deputies are speeding.

“Say a deputy starts traveling 90 miles per hour...It activates an alert system, and activates his camera system,” Sheriff Lopez says. “And it sends an alert to his immediate supervisor. Why are you driving at excessive speeds? That’s to help prevent guys going rogue or just speeding.”

The four deputies reviewed the policies they violated and were placed back on the job.

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Sheriff Lopez says a number of factors went into that decision.

“We look at the history of the deputy. We also look at the policy,” Sheriff Lopez says. “No one was hurt, no one was injured during this process. But like I said, they are implementing better procedures in order to prevent things like that.”

Lopez says every situation is unique, and he’ll continue to look through the details and circumstances closely when reprimanding deputies.

Cox Media Group