Jacksonville man files complaint against police following traffic stop, gets arrested for filing fal

Jacksonville Police released the following information on the arrest: On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office made a misdemeanor arrest of Breion Brown for ‘Making a False Official Statement’ in violation of Florida State Statute. Investigators developed probable cause for Brown’s arrest after he filed an administrative complaint alleging that an officer used excessive force and illegally searched him during a traffic stop. In this complaint, Brown made several specific allegations, to include, that the officer pulled him out of his vehicle by the neck and choked him with his vehicle’s seat belt. Brown signed the official complaint attesting that the information he had given was true and accurate. The standard complaint form utilized by Brown included verbiage indicating that anyone knowingly making a false statement in writing with the intent to mislead a public servant in the performance of their duty would be subject to criminal prosecution. Given the nature of Brown’s allegations against the officer, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office immediately commenced an Internal Affairs investigation into the officer’s reported actions. As would be standard in this type of allegation against an officer, investigators reviewed the body worn camera footage associated with the traffic stop. As a result, investigators discovered that Brown’s allegations were patently false. Moreover, through review of the body worn camera footage associated with the incident, investigators failed to uncover any criminal or policy violations having been committed by the officer. Given that Brown attested to the truthfulness of his allegations in his complaint, and the claims were found to be false, detectives with the Integrity and Special Investigations Unit began a criminal investigation on Brown. When interviewed by law enforcement, Brown reiterated that the allegations made in his complaint were accurate and truthful. Through careful review of the officer’s body worn camera footage, Brown’s complaint, and his subsequent interview, detectives developed probable cause for Brown’s arrest. Detectives requested an arrest warrant which was reviewed and signed by a judge. Breion Brown was subsequently located and arrested pursuant to the warrant and faces criminal prosecution by the State Attorney’s Office. In response to this arrest, Sheriff T.K. Waters said: “As law enforcement, we have a duty to investigate all allegations of wrongdoing and ensure that justice is served. Our officers are held to the highest standards of professionalism and accountability, and we take complaints of misconduct seriously. However, it is equally important to hold those who file blatantly false complaints against our officers accountable. By taking decisive action in this case, we are sending a clear message that victimizing our officers in order to push an agenda will not be tolerated. We remain committed to serving our community with integrity, transparency, and respect, and we will continue to work tirelessly to maintain the trust and confidence of our citizens.”