Lawson Lamar .com

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SPECIAL RISK RETIREMENT AND THE "DIRECTOR OF INVESTIGATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION"

In a complaint that Lindamood raised with the Auditor General's office, which audits state attorney offices among others, she asked why the (then) Executive Director (Jones was called that title on the attendee roster for the 1997 Florida Prosecuting Attorney's Annual Convention in Key West despite his status of Director of Investigations and Administration") who by statute can't make more than 90% of the State Attorney's salary, made the salary shown on the payroll registers from the Justice Administrative Commission that exceeded that salary cap.  Jones said in his deposition that he was only in the job classification of Executive Director" for nine days when Lamar first took office as State Attorney in 1989 ˜and then that was switched to investigator."  We just continued whatever the job classification was of the predecessor, and then when we saw what needed to be done to fit the job description or what I came over to be, and then we changed it formally." 

Jones issued Personnel Changes Memoranda at the State Attorney's office under his signature and until October 20, 1989, he was shown as Executive Director" on these memoranda. He became employed at the State Attorney's office on January 3, 1989 as Executive Director" per the Personnel Changes Memorandum.  His position description change to "Director of Investigations and Administration" was never listed in any of these Personnel Changes memoranda, although Randy Means, the Press Information Officer, and fellow special risk" employee was shown as "Deputy Director of Investigations and Administration" in a Personnel Changes Memoranda dated July, 1995.

One of the reasons it concerns Lindamood about others receiving special risk retirement is because she spent five years as a sworn law enforcement officer, earning special risk retirement status for making arrests, serving search warrants, sitting on surveillance long hours, in bad weather and bad neighborhoods.  Lindamood was never shot at, but people she worked with were shot.  She never shot anyone, but one of the people she arrested was killed in a shoot out while a fugitive from a felony conviction.  This is Lindamood in January, 1981, participating as an FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) agent in the seizure of over 90,000 lbs. of marijuana in Hillsborough County.

At the Orange County Sheriff's office during Lamar's term there as Sheriff, Jones, according to his personnel file,  was Executive Administrator" until the waning months of Lamar's term as Sheriff, when Jones then became Undersheriff."  Jones was first recommended for special deputy" status by memorandum (contained in the personnel file), dated June 19, 1981 (although Jones didn't complete the police academy until December 16, 1988¤his curriculum vitae in the personnel file fails to indicate any other law enforcement experience.)  The file reflects a memorandum dated June 22, 1983, revealing that Jones was never registered with the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (which certifies law enforcement officers) as a law enforcement officer and needed to complete a refresher course to be certified.  Jones was approved for part-time certification (along with the Sheriff's Legal Advisor, Vose) as a law enforcement officer.  It wasn't until June 16,1988, in a memorandum that the Employee Relations Manager with the Sheriff's office was directed to change Jones' retirement status to special risk" effective May 29, 1988.

When asked in his deposition how it was that he was special risk class, Jones replied:  Because I supervise the investigators.  I meet the qualifications, the requirements under the Florida Statutes."  When asked what statute:  Whatever they are. I don't know off the top of my head." When asked earlier in the same deposition, Who else would you supervise?" (Jones having previously indicated that he supervised the head of the personnel section), Jones replied:  I supervise the Deputy Director, Randy; Randy Means.'  QUESTION : Anyone else?" ANSWER:  Not that I know of.  Not that I can think of anyway."  Lindamood did performance evaluations of investigators as their supervisor, yet I was not classified special risk.

When asked what he did to supervise investigators (and thereby justify his special risk retirement status), Jones said:  Whatever it takes to, again, supervise investigators, make sure they're doing the job right, if they need anything, allocate vehicles, make sure that they're up to date on their qualifications; anything it takes to supervise."  Jones admitted he did not do their performance evaluations, naming (incorrectly) two other people he thought did it, before admitting it was the attorneys (who were formerly division chiefs) who did the actual performance evaluations of the investigators. ( The Intake Bureau Chief, in his deposition, said the investigator's chain of command was interesting".) Jones added:  Occasionally I will go out and ride and just listen on the radio and check on them that way.  It's not an every-day thing." I didn't say I rode with them.  I said I went out¤I can listen to them on the radio and see how¤if they're talking to each other and calling back to the office and so forth.  That's not where you actually physically watch them that much.  Again, they're out in the field delivering subpoenas virtually all day."  Vose said:  I know he rode around with them sometimes and he did things with them.  He went to lunches with them˜" Asked who supervised Jones, Vose said me or Lawson" (Lawson couldn't articulate in his deposition what exactly Jones did with the investigators, either.)

When Lindamood challenged in a formal complaint the special risk classification and sent over 30 pages of documents to support her contention to the Division of Retirement, the agency asked for supporting documentation from Lamar's office to justify the classification. Lamar's office supplied copies of documents they themselves prepared for that purpose. Jones is now retired-- under special risk status.