Sheriff’s Office Severs Ties With FAITH

Daytona Beach, FL - According to a Facebook post from Sheriff Mike Chitwood, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office has ended its relationship with a local organization following an opinion piece the group published that allegedly contains false statistics about juvenile arrests. In that piece, published on Sunday (March 14th) in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Reverend Wendell Webster—pastor of the Mount Zion AME Church in Daytona and the co-chair of FAITH (Fighting Against Injustice Towards Harmony)—claims that children in Volusia County are being criminalized over "misbehaviors," alleging that kids as young as six are "routinely arrested" for minor misdemeanors, which in turn labels them a "criminal for life." "Even after expunging their record, a second-level background check will reveal past arrests, regardless of the offense or the offender’s age," wrote Webster. "This discretion forever burdens them, potentially destroying future education, housing, and employment opportunities." Webster went on to say that law enforcement agencies could correct "misbehavior," and possibly save taxpayers money, by issuing civil citations to minors instead of arresting them. He then quoted a figure from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) that said over 1,300 children were arrested in Volusia between 2015 and 2020, despite being eligible for civil citations. Webster further alleged that the VSO issued civil citations to only 28 percent of all eligible youth last year, while other local agencies, such as the New Smyrna Beach Police Department, issued civil citations to 94 percent of those who were eligible. But none of that is true, according to Sheriff Chitwood. In his Facebook post, which was published just hours after Webster’s letter, Chitwood claimed that the VSO actually issued civil citations to 82 percent of eligible youth offenders, not 28 percent. "That number is false, and FAITH knows it, because we told them," wrote Chitwood. According to Chitwood, deputies issued 69 civil citations out of 111 juvenile cases from last year. Out of those 111 juvenile cases, 27 individuals were arrested for domestic violence instead of receiving a civil citation. Out of the remaining 84 juveniles, 69 received a citation, which equates to about 82 percent. "To my knowledge, most FAITH members have zero law enforcement experience," said Chitwood. "FAITH may not realize we arrested a juvenile who blew a 0.104 after speeding through the streets of Deltona. They may not realize we have 15 and 16-year-olds who shove their grandmother to the ground, or punch mom or dad in the face when their phone is taken away." Chitwood then continued to comment on FAITH’s statistics, saying that while New Smyrna Beach police gave 94 percent of eligible juveniles a citation, they have a fraction of the cases—15, per Chitwood—that the VSO handles. "It’s important to note that the Department of Juvenile Justice—not FAITH—screens our juvenile defendants and determines which ones are eligible for civil citations," said Chitwood. Sheriff Chitwood also added that he does not support the group using "misinformation, a gang mentality and the shield of ‘faith’ to try to force action on issues." "I won’t take part in any future FAITH meetings or action assemblies where the name of God is used to intimidate," added Chitwood. FAITH has already responded to Sheriff Chitwood’s reply. In their rebuttal, FAITH provides data tables from the DJJ that shows how many juveniles were arrested compared to how many received an "alternative to arrest." In one table, the DJJ shows that VSO did in fact issue alternatives to 28 percent of eligible offenders. But, if domestic violence cases are excluded, that number jumps to 52 percent. "FAITH is more than willing to review data from the Sheriff’s Department that contradicts this information," the organization wrote. "If information reported here is factually inaccurate, it should be reported to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice." FAITH went on to say that the organization is disappointed in Chitwood’s reaction over the presented data. "As a public figure who is direct and often speaks his mind bluntly, we would hope that he wouldn’t take our push for civil citations personally," the organization wrote. "Our only goal is to ensure all children in Volusia County are treated equally and able to better their lives through civil citations without getting a criminal record." Per Webster’s letter, FAITH plans to hold an action assembly at the Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church next Monday (March 22nd). According to Webster, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young plans to attend, but not Chitwood or State Attorney RJ Larizza. However, Sheriff Chitwood spoke to News Daytona Beach on Monday (March 15th) and stated that he spoke to Chief Young, who has not committed to showing up to FAITH’s assembly, as previously stated by Webster. In addition, Sheriff Chitwood stated that the VSO plans to release a spreadsheet that will offer correct statistics on local juvenile cases. They plan to release that sheet later today. News Daytona Beach has also reached out to FAITH for further comment. They have yet to reply. Their assembly begins at 6:30 in the evening and the public is welcome to attend. If you do not wish to participate in-person at the drive-in church, you can view the assembly at FAITH’s watch party at Our Lady of the Lakes in Deltona, or online through their website.