Will Sheriff Tony reinstate ex-Broward deputy acquitted in teen’s head-slamming arrest?
Despite being acquitted by a jury that watched cellphone video of him smashing a teen’s head to the pavement, fired deputy Christopher Krickovich may not wear a Broward Sheriff’s Office uniform again, as long as Gregory Tony remains sheriff.
Tony, in a statement released to the media last week following the verdict, said BSO “maintains an unwavering commitment to holding all employees accountable.”
“Under my administration we will never be an organization that finds excessive force tolerable,” he said. “That standard has been set at the Broward Sheriff’s Office and will not change. Independent criminal investigations or convictions of former employees do not supersede BSO’s administrative policies, standards, or expectations.”
On Monday, the International Union of Police Associations Local 6020 fired back, issuing a letter to Tony asking that Krickovich be returned to the force and saying the former deputy didn’t break the law or BSO’s use-of-force policy.
“The Professional Standards Committee, after reviewing the Internal Affairs report and BSO’s Training Division, concluded that there was no violation of BSO’s use-of-force policy or the law,” the union said. “A jury comprised of the citizens of Broward County, that make up the very community which we protect and serve, [has] come to the same conclusion [as] the PSC.”
READ MORE: Ex-Broward deputy acquitted after video revealed him banging teen’s head to the ground
Tony fired Krickovich in December 2019, around eight months after cellphone video captured him slamming 15-year-old Delucca Rolle’s head into the pavement during a rough takedown and after the PSC panel determined Krickovich did no wrong.
Tony said at the time that he disagreed with PSC’s recommendation. “We don’t have a policy that allows a deputy to slam someone’s head into the ground,” he said.
Last week, a jury found Krickovich not guilty of battery.
Rolle was arrested on April 18, 2019, outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Tamarac where dozens of teens had gathered and police were trying to disperse a crowd.
READ MORE: Broward fires deputy over rough arrest of teen. Union says sheriff overstepping authority
Krickovich and other deputies were there because a fight had broken out the day before. When an officer went to arrest a different teen believed to be involved in the tussle, police say the teen dropped his cellphone near Rolle, who was a J.P. Taravella High School student at the time.
Police said Rolle disobeyed orders when he picked up the phone. Gregory LaCerra, another deputy, pepper-sprayed Rolle before Krickovich, then 29 years old, grabbed the teen, banged his face to the ground and punched his head.
Rolle was initially charged with assaulting an officer and obstruction without violence, but the charges were soon dropped.
This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 3:16 PM.
