Jameis Winston case has Tallahassee police revising policies
Last December, in the middle of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston’s Heisman Trophy winning season, he was also being re-investigated for an alleged sexual assault from 2012. Ultimately, charges were never filed against him, but state attorney William Meggs was less than pleased with what he uncovered about the Tallahassee Police Department during his investigation.
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Meggs’ words hit home and according to the New York Times, the department is revising its policies regarding handling of sexual assault cases and many other crimes.
Chief of Police Michael DeLeo announced that those policies were in review in partnership with an advocacy group known as End Violence Against Women International.
“They’re looking at our procedures, how we document things, to make them better,” DeLeo told the Times.
Meggs brought in to question many tactics used and leads not followed by the Tallahassee police in the early part of the initial investigation during an interview with the New York Times this past spring.
According to Meggs, many things went wrong during the investigation. However, he specifically pointed to things like the TPD’s attempts to personally reach out to Winston, failing to follow a lead with a local taxi company and failing to readily identify a key witness to the alleged incident.
Tallahassee police certainly have a long way to go in terms of regaining the trust of the general public following this investigation, and this move to revise and update policies can only be a good thing for all involved going forward.