Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Misconduct topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge outside probe after alleged evidence deletion and officer misconduct at St. Augustine Police Department
Summary
Two residents told the commission they experienced alleged mishandling and deletion of police evidence, unaddressed internal complaints, and ongoing harassment; they asked the commission to request an outside investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Two residents used the City Commission public‑comment period to urge an outside investigation into handling of evidence and internal discipline at the St. Augustine Police Department (SAPD).
Shannon Sapp told the commission she is “directly affected by a disturbing breach of integrity within the Saint Augustine Police Department evidence” and said evidence key to her justice claims has been deleted. Sapp named records supervisor Patrice Strickard and said her request that Strickard be excluded from the investigation was ignored; she requested that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conduct an external internal‑affairs review of Chief Jennifer Mushock and Patrice Strickard for alleged destruction, deletion or covering up of evidence.
Christy Hamilton said she received the completed Clay County Sheriff’s Office internal affairs investigation into former SAPD officer Kelly Baker, alleging over 200 images of private information were retained on Baker’s phone, including NCIC screens with Social Security numbers and addresses, and a video in which the officer joked about killing someone while on duty. Hamilton told the commission she reported the images to city leadership in July and said no action followed until Clay County intervened months later. She said motions filed by the officer in family court cost her $67,891 in legal fees and that she has documented approximately 80 alleged instances of harassment and stalking by Kelly Baker, which she has reported to the sheriff’s office.
Both speakers accused SAPD leadership of failing to conduct transparent, independent investigations and of changing internal policies in ways they said limited accountability. Sapp said the chief had “quietly changed policies just days before my complaint,” and Hamilton questioned why citizens whose data were exposed have not been notified.
Neither the city commission nor SAPD announced any formal action during the meeting; the two speakers asked the commission to request an FDLE investigation. No commissioner motion or staff response committing to an outside probe was recorded in the meeting minutes.
Sources: public comments by Shannon Sapp and Christy Hamilton during the May 20 public comment period; statements are presented as made by speakers.
