A Florida Keys deputy has been fired for unacceptable on-the-job behavior

A 12-year veteran deputy of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has been fired over two on-the-job incidents, including one in which he used a Taser stun gun when it wasn’t necessary, police said.

Jon Riggs displayed an excessive use of force when he decided to use a stun gun and also pepper spray on an unidentified person in Key West, said sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt.

In a separate incident on Big Pine Key, Riggs lost control and used threats and profanity while speaking with a group of teenagers, Linhardt said.

The sheriff’s office received complaints about Riggs in December and began two separate internal affairs investigations into the accusations.

Riggs, who was hired Oct. 6, 2008, was fired Monday.

Riggs could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday evening, when MCSO announced the firing.

Sheriff Rick Ramsay made the call to fire Riggs, who under the “Police Officer’s Bill of Rights” was allowed to dispute the decision through an administrative process.

Ramsay described Riggs’ behavior as a combination of a short temper and “disproportionate” responses.

“I require my deputies to treat those they serve professionally and with respect,” Ramsay said. “Mr. Riggs fell short of that and I have lost confidence in his ability to safely enforce the law.”

Riggs patrolled the Lower Keys for MCSO and earned a salary of $67,876, Linhardt said.

“I won’t allow the actions of one individual to tarnish the rest of my deputies who are the best law enforcement officers anywhere,” Ramsay said.

This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 7:23 PM.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.