Three employees fired from Leon County’s Joint-Dispatch Center are contesting their termination. The employees were let go after a Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy was shot during an ambush last month.
An internal review of the Consolidated Joint Dispatch Center found four of its employees never relayed information about potential premise hazards. Shortly after Deputy Chris Smith was killed, Leon County Sheriff spokesman James McQuaig told reporters the shooter—was known to local law enforcement:
“We have information that we received that this person was anti-government, was anti-establishment and had discussed at some time, planning to harm law enforcement.”
The three fired employees say the system failed the day Smith was killed. They claim the alert system never went off, and they say they followed the protocols and responded appropriately to the 911 call. The attorney representing the employees say they were never trained in the hazard alert system, which contradicts the agency’s own report.
"The employees have had this training," CDA Director Timothy Lee said earlier in the month."And they had it as part of their training as they came to the CDA.”
The joint-dispatch center has been plagued with problems since becoming operational. State attorney Willie Meggs has launched a grand jury investigation into the circumstances surrounding Smith’s death.
