VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A former Volusia County lieutenant surrendered his law enforcement certification on Thursday after six women, including fellow deputies, accused him of sexual harassment.
The surrender of Kyle Bainbridge’s certification prohibits him from serving in another department in the state.
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“The conduct we discovered in this investigation was a disgrace to our badge and a black mark on our organization,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said. “The only positive here is the lesson that harassment, abuse of authority and inattention to duty won’t be tolerated at the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.”
Bainbridge resigned from the sheriff’s office after an internal affairs investigation revealed that at least six women working in a sworn or civilian capacity said they’d been harassed by him.
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The sheriff’s office said the investigation also revealed a pattern of Bainbridge failing to respond to significant calls for service. By looking back at his automatic vehicle locator data, deputies said they concluded Bainbridge was spending many on-duty hours at his or his girlfriend’s home.
At the conclusion of the investigation, Chitwood said he determined Bainbridge had committed policy violations including leaving his assigned work area, inattention to duties, failure to follow general orders, harassment, sexual harassment, and failure to comply with a direct order.
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“While I’m anything but proud of the behavior of our disgraced former watch commander, I couldn’t be prouder of everyone who spoke out,” Chitwood said. “Their complaints were valid, and we took action. Today, the Sheriff’s Office and our profession as a whole are better off without a law enforcement officer who’s more interested in harassing women than doing his job.”
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