- April 19, 2024
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Police officer Amanda Kasper was fired for deliberate disregard for established policies and procedures, the Ormond Beach Police Department said.
BY MATT MENCARINI | STAFF WRITER
The Ormond Beach Police Department fired an officer after it said it lost faith after a history of disciplinary actions.
Amanda Kasper, 24, was fired Jan. 9, when the police department said she had “shown a deliberate disregard for established policies and procedures,” as well as incidents the department said compromised ethical standards.
The police department notes seven instances of disciplinary action filed against Kasper, dating back to April 2009.
In September 2012, Kasper was removed from her position with the department’s explorer program after an internal investigation revealed she had an inappropriate relationship with a 19-year-old program member.
That investigation began July 26, 2012, after a police officer received an anonymous phone call and, several days later, an anonymous letter making it aware of Kasper’s possible relationship with Nicholas Champion.
While Champion wasn’t a minor, the explorer program’s charter, according to the police department, “prohibits fraternization between explorers and advisors, regardless of age.”
During its investigation of Kasper and Champion’s relationship, the police department discovered other behavior it deemed inappropriate.
The investigation found Kasper had had a conversation with two male explorer members about “the shape and weight of her breasts,” the report said, during a June 2012 convention for the Florida Association of Police Explorers.
“The explorers stated that Officer Kasper went on about telling them that one felt like it weighed 10 pounds, and another felt like it weighed 15 pounds or something to that effect,” the report said. “She would also go on about how her bathing suits cost more because they are bigger.”
Kasper and Champion told the department’s investigators their first “date” occurred July 14, 2012, but Chris Raley, the lead police explorer advisor, said he became suspicious of the relationship shortly after the conference and witnessed them arrive together to an explorer event.
The most recent disciplinary issue stems from an Oct. 28, 2011 traffic stop, when the police department said Kasper failed to follow protocol during active pursuit.
Kasper, during a Dec. 26, 2012 predetermination conference, said she didn’t think she was involved in a pursuit, but instead was attempting to make a traffic stop while the vehicle was fleeing.
After the police department's investigation of the incident, it determined Kasper provided “significant conflicting accounts of key elements” to justify that she was never in a pursuit.
The investigation found Kasper had violated several department policies dealing with neglect of duty and vehicle pursuits.
