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Florida Department of Corrections fires 32 guards involved in inmate abuse

Thirty-two Florida prison guards who were on paid leave for their alleged involvement in the deaths of inmates have been fired.

By Gabrielle Levy
(wikimedia/DASHbot)
(wikimedia/DASHbot)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- The Florida Department of Corrections fired 32 prison guards in a "Friday night massacre" last week, removing staff accused a criminal wrongdoing or misconduct from four state prisons.

Eighteen of those fired by Secretary Michael Crews were involved in the April 11 death of Matthew Walker at Charlotte Correctional Institution on April 11 in an incident the DOC called an "inappropriate use of force." Five others from Union Correctional are accused of excessive force in the death of Rudolf Rowe on Aug. 16, 2012.

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Crews had ordered his staff in recent weeks to comb through cases involving alleged inmate abuse. All 32 guards dismissed Friday had been on paid leave.

"I've made it clear that there is zero tolerance for corruption or abuse," Crews said in a statement Friday. "We continue to root out any and all bad actors who do not live up to our expectations."

The Teamsters Union that represents the officers blamed incidents on protocols set by management who have not been held accountable for the deaths of inmates.

"The procedure they were following in Charlotte was well known and condoned by the warden," Teamsters spokesman Bill Curtis said. "Essentially they promoted the people most responsible and liable for the incident and fired everybody else down the chain."

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The DOC said dismissals won't necessarily lead to criminal charges, even when accused of criminal wrongdoing. That, they said, will be a decision of local law enforcement.

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