BRADENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

Melanie Bevan, Ed. D. - Chief of Police

March 30, 2023

For nearly a year, I have been the target of several allegations of misconduct by a small facet of
officers within my agency, most of whom were assigned to a specialized unit that was under
investigation for suspected department policy violations. These officers were supported by and
have been provided a platform by the Southwest Florida PBA, under the direction of its President,
Mick McHale. Today, I’m setting the record straight.

This handful of officers filed complaints against agency members via sworn affidavits which were
subsequently released to the media by McHale. It should be noted that these affidavits were
obtained and released during contentious contract negotiations between the Union and the City
over salary and benefits. I firmly believe these affidavits were used as a distraction to gain the
upper hand in these negotiations.

Following McHale’s release of the affidavits and multiple interviews he gave to local news outlets,
the Mayor of Bradenton, in concurrence with the City Council, contracted with an independent
investigator, to investigate all allegations.

Countless hours and resources were spent during these investigations, and multiple people were
interviewed, including current and former employees. These investigations exonerated all agency
members accused in the affidavits. Summaries will be provided upon request.

Furthermore, during the independent investigations, there was concern that some of the officers
who submitted sworn affidavits provided untruthful statements. The independent investigators
recommended that an additional investigation be conducted regarding those potential untruthful
statements and conduct. Upon completion of this secondary investigation, it was concluded that
an officer was untruthful and has recently been terminated.

In total, four members of the now dissolved specialized unit are no longer employed with the
Bradenton Police Department, not because of any personal vendetta that I, or other senior staff
members have against them, rather they either resigned during the investigations or were
terminated because they lied, engaged in conduct unbecoming members of this agency, utilized
excessive force, or violated department policy in some manner. In short, these officers failed to
uphold the oath they took when they were sworn in as police officers.

100 10th Street West Bradenton, FL 34205 - 941-932-9300

www.bradentonpd.com
OneCityOneTeam
 BRADENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWS RELEASE

Melanie Bevan, Ed. D. - Chief of Police

Throughout this process, the Southwest Florida PBA has continued to stand behind these
disgruntled former employees and propagate their negative agenda, despite having full access to
the results of the investigations which clearly exonerate everyone accused.

The investigations are over. We are moving on from this. My focus is and always has been, on
preventing, fighting, and solving crime. As you might know, we are actively working on a
homicide investigation, conducting specialized traffic details, disrupting the trend of catalytic
converter thefts, dealing with our growing fentanyl problem, addressing human trafficking crimes,
all the while responding to routine calls for service. Suffice it to say we are very busy. Additionally,
my focus remains on hiring and retaining the best police officers during a very challenging time
for law enforcement agencies across the country.

The Bradenton Police Department is comprised of many outstanding officers and employees. I
won’t allow the negativity and inappropriate actions of a few, now former, officers to continue to
tarnish the great reputation of the men and women who serve the citizens of Bradenton.

And finally, as your Police Chief, my job is to ensure the safety of every citizen and our officers
in our great City, and lead my department with integrity, respect, and professionalism. I have done
that, I am doing that, and I will continue to do that.

Melanie Bevan, Ed.D.

100 10th Street West Bradenton, FL 34205 - 941-932-9300

www.bradentonpd.com
OneCityOneTeam