JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The internal affairs investigation into seemingly racist tweets and texts sent by members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit concluded that the most serious allegations were “unfounded,” according to a report released by the agency late Friday afternoon.
The investigation did find Gang Unit Sgt. Doug Howell violated JSO social media policy “by engaging in speech that disparages or expresses bias against any protected class of individuals” and by using JSO equipment or resources on his social media platforms.
But although the investigation found that his “Twitter account disrupted the JSO,” it said allegations of bias based or discriminatory conduct were “unfounded.” The report said Howell insisted he “never made a work-related decision based upon Howell’s personal beliefs due to any individual’s race, religion, sexual orientation or other protected class.”
JSO said Howell received formal counseling for his violations.
The investigation was initiated in November following reports by First Coast News and News4Jax about problematic tweets and texts from gang unit members, some dating back a decade.
The tweets in question all belonged to Howell. The unit’s ranking officer locked his Twitter account after news reports began appearing, but screenshots preserved many tweets and retweets that raised concerns both in and outside JSO. One tweet called an appearance by boy and girl scouts at an LGBTQ Pride parade “sick and demented.”
Howell also retweeted a meme that stated America’s three biggest problems are "marijuana abuse, marijuana abuse and Black people.”
Other tweets offered snide takes on diversity, and many espoused deeply partisan political views.
In an interview with investigators on March 1, he offered explanations for 16 tweets that JSO "viewed as possible violations of JSO policy." For instance, he said the retweet about Black people included the emoticon O_O to convey that he was "shocked and dumbfounded" by the content of the tweet.
He said his seeming dig at "pronoun people" was actually "how Democrats describe themselves."
He explained he tweeted "Michelle Obama's nuts" in response to a question about what investigators found at Mar-a-Lago because the tweeter requested "humorous answers only" and that was his "humorous answer."
He explained that his tweet about the PRIDE parade referenced "participants and individuals that walked around fully nude in front of children in public."
The report says Howell currently does not have any social media accounts.
Lt. Jonathan Barrier, who supervised Howell, told investigators that Howell acknowledged he was “pretty outspoken on [Twitter].” But he said he “has never received any complaints on Howell based on biased behavior or racially motivated behaviors from citizens or JSO employees.”
In addition to Howell’s social media posts, a First Coast News investigation revealed an internal group chat among members of the gang unit. The group chat, titled “Pu***A**Crackers,” included a discussion of one Black officer on the thread called “offensive” and “completely out of line.”
In the thread, which was started by Howell, officers discuss an NFL ceremony honoring a FAMU student killed by JSO Officer Jouse Garriga. After several officers bemoan the ceremony, Garriga writes: “Goes to show no matter how wrong they are, they still will be recognized just because they are Black.”
*Full thread at bottom
Investigators spoke to all gang unit officers, and some who work alongside the unit, like JSO Community Outreach Manager Garland Scott. He said that Howell was his main point of contact and that he “never observed Howell acted in a biased manner or make any racially motivated comments.”
Scott said he was asked to mediate a dispute between the Gang Unit and an JSO detective who participated in a Black Lives Matter protest. Scott said the unit was in an “uproar” and felt “betrayed” by the detective’s actions, and the officer later left the unit.
Another detective who participated in the ‘Pu***A**Crackers group text advised he never saw Howell or any other member of the Gang Unit disparage any member of the community.
However, he stated Howell treated two people of color differently from other unit members, such as constantly questioning their whereabouts.
He noted Howell treated the detective who participated in the BLM march differently after that. The detective says he ‘saw the writing on the wall’ and decided to transfer out of GIU.
The gang unit is responsible for policing neighborhoods that are often majority Black and interacting with Black youth. The unit is also responsible for classifying someone as a gang member, which can double criminal penalties.
The investigation found that the substance of the Pu***A**Crackers thread did not violate any policy. Although it prompted one Black detective on the thread called it "offensive... stereotyping," the report said all Gang Unit members "stated they were not offended [by the thread] although some of the detectives disagreed with some of the topics and opinions discussed."
JSO Statement on Sergeant Doug Howell Investigation:
Following the completed investigation into Sgt. Doug Howell’s social media complaint, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is publicly releasing the entire internal affairs summation. Sheriff Waters directed the release of this summation to the public and media outlets consistent with the high premium his administration places on transparency. Transparency is the currency by which Sheriff Waters believes public trust is earned. In that spirit, this agency is providing to the public the summation pertaining to the internal affairs investigation with the appropriate legal redactions.
Based on two complaints, Sgt. Howell was investigated by internal affairs for three counts of potential policy violation: one count of Biased Based Conduct and two counts of Violation of Social Media Policy. Based on a thorough and lengthy investigation, the count of Biased Based Conduct against Sgt. Howell was unfounded, and the two counts of Violation of Social Media Policy were sustained. As a result, Sgt. Howell received formal counseling for his sustained violations. For a complete understanding of this investigation, please review the summation released in tandem with this statement.
Summary of the Gang Unit thread investigated by internal affairs
The first post in the gang unit group chat is from Howell, which includes a story link about an NFL ceremony honoring Jamee Johnson, a FAMU student killed by gang unit officer Josue Garriga in 2019, along with an emoji with closed eyes and a flat mouth.
“Sad,” Officer Matt Bolen replies. “Just one more reason I won’t be watching.”
Garriga sends a faceplant emoji. “Why are they recognizing that clown” he asks.
Bolen replies, “If sway (Garriga’s nickname) would have been shot or drug to death I guess that would have been better, unreal.”
“They are so far outside of reality,” Howell writes. “Ignorance in its purest form.”
“Goes to show no matter how wrong they are, they still will be recognized just because they are Black,” Garriga responds, adding an OK emoji.
Two hours later, a Black officer on the thread responds.
“The shooting with Jamee Johnson was justified,” he begins. “However, for you to make a specific comment saying that just because a person is Black that people feel sorry for them, I feel like that was completely out of line and I find it offensive.”
He continues, “You have no right to stereotyping [sic] Black people … that’s just like saying all officers are racist…”
“We all have our opinions and that’s cool, but I’m not going to take the indirect disrespect,” he concludes. “If you want to talk about these situations then I ask that you do it without me.”
Without missing a beat, Garriga responds. “It’s truth,” he writes one minute later, with a screen grab of a story critical of the Johnson memorial.
The officer later quit the gang unit.
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Howell's supervisor called Howell "outspoken on [Twitter]." However, Howell's supervisor quoted Howell as saying Howell, himself, was "outspoken on [Twitter]."
The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville offered this statement:
This officer has made clear that he dislikes Black people. It is shocking that JSO brass decided to overlook his racist behavior.The Sheriff should instead fire him and publicly condemn his behavior. The lack of punishment and the bogus internal investigation is a sham and a scam. This lack of accountability further erodes the level of trust between JSO and the Black community.