Are Charges Against Florence Detective Valid?

WAFF has reported a citizen has filed charges against a Florence police officer. Anyone can file charges against anyone--that doesn't mean the allegations have merit. A contact at the Florence Police Department could not give us any specifics concerning the recent complaint stemming from a murder investigation, but he did have some non-specific comments.

Assuming it was the Jerry Ivy murder scene, various factors came into play. The shooting took place at the well-traveled intersection of Central Avenue and Connor Street. There was some light remaining at around 8:30 p.m. on July 19th and several neighbors were either on their respective porches or taking a walk. Family members of the victim, including his sister, were also present, and many have stated they feared retribution in some form.

Police arrived approximately five minutes after the initial shooting call. Bystanders were told to vacate the scene immediately. Some traffic was diverted in an attempt to preserve evidence. Our source says this is standard procedure and no one would have been treated any differently if the murder has occurred in any other area of Florence.

Obviously the behavior of the officer in question could have been unprofessional and involved much more than a raised voice. We're hoping it wasn't and didn't. We are sure Florence's new police chief Ron Tyler had hoped he wouldn't face such allegations about his department this early in his tenure.

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