COALITION AGAINST INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD ABUSE
 HEADLINE NEWS                                                                                                                                                                                                             CAICA EN FRANÇAIS
 

CAICA     HOME   │   NEWS  │  PROGRAM NEWS  │  STORIES │  DEATHS  │   WWASPS   │  PARENTS' CORNER  │  MISSION  │ SITE MAP │  LINKS & RESOURCES
  _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

              AUTISM  │ LITIGATION  │  LEGISLATION  │ JUVENILE JUSTICE  │ MENTAL HEALTH │ LIGHTER SIDE │  EN FRANCAIS  │ COMMENTS  │ LIST SERVE  │  BLOGS  
 

 

Juvenile Justice

South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board

Posted April 24 2006

ISSUE: Gov. Jeb Bush has a private meeting with the parents of Martin Lee Anderson.

Gov. Jeb Bush met with the family of Martin Lee Anderson, the teenager who died after being beaten by guards at a Panama City boot camp. If nothing else, the closed-door session showed his empathy for a family that is dealing with a tragedy.

The governor did the right thing, and he has an opportunity to build on that with the abrupt resignation of Guy Tunnell, the embattled commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Tunnell, a Bush appointee, disgraced himself and his agency's reputation by his handling of the Anderson case, which occurred at the very boot camp Tunnell started when he was the Bay County sheriff. There are also allegations that he made disparaging remarks against African-American leaders who protested Anderson's treatment.

Anderson, 14, was initially confined to the camp in January. The sheriff's office said the guards were trying to get the youth to participate in camp activities after he had become uncooperative. A videotape subsequently released showed a group of guards beating the boy's limp body. He died the next day.

Normally, the FDLE would investigate such matters, but in March the law enforcement agency was removed from the case after it was revealed that Tunnell had sent e-mails to the Bay County sheriff, informing him of the FDLE probe's progress.

The governor has come under some criticism for not using his authority more forcibly in the Anderson case. The record shows otherwise. He quickly appointed a special prosecutor to ensure an independent probe after Tunnell's e-mails were disclosed.

Bush now has the opportunity to appoint a commissioner who will exude the integrity needed to match the law enforcement credentials and remove the agency from under the cloud of Tunnell's tenure.

It may not be easy to find a stellar appointee in the waning days of Bush's last term, but a new commissioner who is both competent and honest will go a long way toward redeeming the agency.

BOTTOM LINE: Bush can ease the tragedy by appointing a class act to head FDLE.
DISCLAIMER, WARNINGS, AND NOTICE TO READERS: This website does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information, content collectively, the "Materials") contained on, distributed through, or linked, downloaded or accessed from any of the services contained on this website (the "Service"). None of the contributors, sponsors, administrators or anyone else connected with this website in any way whatsoever can be responsible for the appearance of any inaccurate or libelous information or for your use of the information contained in these web pages. All information provided using this website is only intended to be general summary information to the public.

FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages may contain copyrighted (© ) material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

REFERRALS: CAICA is not a referral agency. CAICA does not refer to or promote facilities or transport companies for children or teens. CAICA warns parents that the parent pay / parent choice programs ie. Residential Treatment Centers, Therapeutic Boarding Schools, Behavior Modification Programs, Christian Programs, Positive Peer Culture Programs, etc., are not regulated by the Federal Government and that it is a "Buyer Beware" industry. CAICA provides the following for parents: Message to Parents, Help for Distraught and Desperate Parents, and Questions to Ask and Warning Signs.

© 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008