Communication Officer Charles M. Morris was demoted from training officer to dispatcher after an internal affairs investigation revealed he played handheld video games instead of dispatching 911 calls for a shooting and hit and run in October.
Morris, 52, was reprimanded in early November as a result of the investigation, according to internal affairs reports. His inattention to his duties, including this incident, resulted in his demotion, PBSO spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.
Investigators say Morris left a caller on hold for 40 minutes during a hit and run in Lake Park while he played video games. In another instance, Morris delayed a call to report a shooting in suburban West Palm Beach for nine minutes, the reprimand states.
Morris, who has been employed with the sheriff’s office since 2004, also has been reprimanded in the past for misuse of sick days.
Supervisors have complained that as a training officer, Morris would watch television instead of giving attention to his trainees, the internal affairs files state.
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