OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The Osceola County Investigative Bureau operated for more than two decades with members from several law enforcement agencies teaming up on a single goal.
As of this morning, it’s over.
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The Sheriff’s Office and smaller police departments couldn’t see eye to eye, and that’s too dangerous when dealing with violent criminals.
Each agency will still bust drug dealers and other criminals, but they’ll just be doing it separately. It’s a move that Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell said is best for everyone.
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The bureau was made up of officers from Kissimmee, St. Cloud, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Highway Patrol.
In June, Channel 9 reported that three of the agencies decided they wanted out after an FDLE officer was shot working a bureau drug investigation.
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O’Dell said a lack of experienced leadership is the big reason the unit isn’t working.
“I hate that it came to this, but I just felt strongly over the last several months that we didn’t have the decades of experience at the command level of the responsibility that we have down here,” he said.
O’Dell said money wasn’t an issue for the bureau.
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