OAK HILL, Fla.,None — WFTV found out some Oak Hill police officers are accused of cheating to get promotions, and the police chief is suspected of trying to cover it up.
AT THE SCENE: Images Of Oak Hill Police Department
Wednesday the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said it's looking into allegations that one officer took tests for others who may not have been able to pass on their own.
The Oak Hill Police Department is small, with only eight officers, but three of them, including the police chief, are under investigation.
WFTV obtained a 30-page report completed by the State Attorney's Office. In it, former Oak Hill Officer Robert Walker explained how he "did not take the training or the tests for the areas of mandatory retraining."
Walker also accused Sgt. Mike Ihnken of logging onto the FDLE's training website and representing himself as both Walker and Officer Thad Smith. Ihnken then allegedly completed the online training courses and tests on their behalf.
"If they can't take the test on their own, I guess they aren't smart enough to be a cop," said one Oak Hill resident.
Investigators are also looking into whether the Police Chief Diane Young knew about the cheating. Walker told investigators Young was aware that Ihnken took the training and tests online.
WFTV found there were also allegations Young threatened to expose the fraudulent training and testing activities of Ihnken if he failed to accept a demotion to patrol officer. Investigators did not find enough evidence to substantiate that accusation.
The officers have not been punished, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Oak Hill Police Department was temporarily shut down last July. Volusia County deputies took over emergency calls while officers were retrained. They were not properly certified to use their weapons and had to be pulled off the streets. An officer resigned two months before that after he admitted to being involved in a high-speed chase and shooting at another car while off duty, according to officials.
Some residents told WFTV Wednesday that they would like the Volusia County Sheriff's Office to take over the department for good.
"They just need to shut them down and bring Volusia County in. They've been talking about it for years. There's too many investigations going on, too many," said an Oak Hill resident.
The FDLE can't say when this investigation will be complete or what action might be taken based on the findings.