Justin Peppers
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Service Record
Jacksonville Florida Sheriff's Office
| Rank | Officer |
| Salary | $60,812 (2018)[1] |
| Last Known Status | Active |
We asked the Sheriff's Office for the (relatively new) Sheriff's position on Peppers. They addressed a different issue, really only saying that, "every complaint that JSO has received concerning Officer Peppers has been comprehensively vetted, investigated, and fully addressed". We've reached out to the Sheriff directly.
Incident Reports
From 2020 to 2022, Peppers was the subject of 10 internal affairs investigations.[2]
2019 Use of Force
On September 9, 2019, officers were called to a domestic violence incident and handcuffed and tased a suspect. As Peppers attempted to put the man into a police vehicle, Peppers claimed that the man was preparing to spit at him. Peppers punched the man in the face two times while trying to put a spit mask on him.[3]
A second officer told Peppers not to punch the man and pointed out that his body-worn camera was recording.[3]
Peppers' incident report did not mention the punches, only that he "restrained" and "turned" the man's head.[3]
Response Timeline
The agency opened an investigation.[3]
Peppers admitted to using "two hammer fist strikes to his forehead".[3]
The agency determined that Peppers' actions were "within policy".[3]
2021 Arrest of Javarius Bell
On March 16, 2021, Bell was riding a scooter when Peppers stopped him for obstructing traffic. Bell refused to give Peppers his identification and refused consent to be searched. Peppers radioed in that Bell was "about to fight". Peppers grabbed Bell and pushed him against a car before taking him to the ground.[4]
Bell was charged with resisting an officer with violence, failure to ride the right curb, and failure to obey a traffic sign.[4]
The incident was captured on Peppers' body-worn camera.[4]
Response Timeline
On May 4, 2021, the Assistant State Attorney declined to prosecute Bell "after reviewing the evidence".[4]
2021 Citations of Glenn Jones and LaShada Harris
On August 27, 2021, Peppers stopped Jones and Harris for illegal window tinting. Peppers claimed to smell marijuana in the car, removed Jones from the car, and handcuffed him.[5][6]
As Peppers was searching the couple's vehicle, another car tried to get by on the road blocked by the stop.[5] See 2021 Driver Detention, below.
Jones and Harris were cited for possession, and Jones for the illegal tint.[5]
The same day, Peppers drove to the couple's apartment building to determine if they lived there. After Peppers contacted Jones' brother, their mother called 911 to report harassment.[5]
On September 14, 2021, Jones and Harris filed a complaint against Peppers with the department.[5]
On September 15, 2021, Peppers stopped the couple again for illegal window tint when Harris was driving. Jones' brother recorded the incident. Harris was cited. Peppers, who was working an off-duty security detail at the apartment building, parked outside the couple's apartment. Jones' brother called 911 and said that he was in fear of Jones being arrested "on some fraudulent charges".[5]
On September 17, 2021, Jones and Harris took out a restraining order against Peppers for harassment and stalking[5]
The same judge later rescinded the restraining order, noting that Peppers' actions served "a legitimate purpose".[5]
On October 24, 2021, Peppers went to the couple's apartment to "re-issue the [earlier] citation" due to the use of a duplicate ticket number.[5]
Response Timeline
The possession charges against the couple were dropped.[5]
The department's investigation noted that Peppers' actions were "lawful, proper and in accordance with his duties" and "in no way appeared unnecessary or excessive".[5]
2021 Driver Detention
On August 27, 2021, during the search of a vehicle from the earlier incident with Glenn Jones and LaShada Harris, another driver tried to get by on the road which was blocked by the traffic stop. Peppers asked the driver to go a different way, repeatedly telling the driver to back up, which upset her. Peppers asked for the woman's identification, which she refused. Another officer accused her of being under the influence. Peppers ordered the woman from the car and noticed a handgun on the passenger seat. Peppers called her a "fucking retard" and "crazy", and detained her for 90 minutes before releasing her without charges.[5]
The incident was captured on Peppers' body-worn camera.
2021 Driver Arrest
On November 4, 2021, Peppers attempted to stop a woman with a broken tail light. The woman continued to her house and refused to cooperate with the issuance of a traffic citation. Peppers took the woman to his vehicle, held her by her hair, handcuffed her, and arrested her for resisting. Peppers told bystanders to "shut the fuck up" and described the woman as "a pain in the ass". Peppers searched through the woman's purse. During the incident, Peppers lectured the woman about her manners and made other dismissive comments.[7]
The incident was captured on Peppers' body-worn camera.[7]
2021 Arrest of Shuronda Hester
On December 11, 2021, Hester was stopped for excessive window tint. An officer claimed to smell marijuana and Hester consented to a search. Hester grew impatient with the delay and said that she was going to get her phone from her car. Peppers attempted to handcuff Hester, who resisted. Peppers grabbed Hester's hair, pinned her to the hood of her car, and struck her once with his handcuffs.[4]
Hester was charged with felony resisting an officer with violence, and possession of marijuana.[4]
The incident was captured on Peppers' body-worn camera. [4]
Response Timeline
The felony charge against Hester was reduced to misdemeanor resisting without violence. The illegal tint charge was dismissed. Hester participated in a pretrial diversion program, after which the charges for resisting arrest and possession of marijuana were resolved.[4]
2022 Detention of Braxton Smith
On November 24, 2022, Peppers attempted to stop Smith as he drove away from a gas station.[2] Smith stopped after about 300 yards and complied with Peppers' commands to put his hands out of his window. Peppers and another officer pulled Smith from the car, took him to the ground, and handcuffed him.[8]
Peppers threatened to charge Smith with felony fleeing. Officers searched Smith's vehicle and tested his window tint.[9]
Peppers planned to cite Smith for the window tint, but his computer system was down.[9]
The incident was captured on Peppers' body-worn camera.
Response Timeline
On November 28, 2022, Smith filed a complaint with the department, accusing Peppers of racial profiling and excessive force.[10][2]
On November 28, 2022, the department opened an investigation to alleged misconduct.[10]
An internal investigation found that the stop and the arrest were "based on probable cause" and were within the department's policies. While Peppers demonstrated conduct unbecoming of a police officer through his use of foul language during the stop, they concluded that the incident was not biased.[11]
LEO Ratings
Public Comments
References
- ↑ Justin Peppers R, City Of Jacksonville, govSalaries
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Anne Schindler, Jacksonville officer accused of excessive force in traffic stop previously accused of stalking, First Coast News, 2022-12-15
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Anne Schindler, Exclusive: Jacksonville officer accused of excessive force previously punched handcuffed suspect, First Coast News, 2022-12-17
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Anne Schindler, Prosecutors flag 2 cases after bodycam debunks Jacksonville officer's version of events, First Coast News, 2023-05-12
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Anne Schindler, Window tint 'harassment' prompts Jacksonville couple to take out restraining order on cop, First Coast News, 2022-07-08
- ↑ Window tint 'harassment' prompts Jacksonville couple to take out restraining order on cop, First Coast News, 2022-07-08
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Driveway Traffic Stop Goes Sideways, The Civil Rights Lawyer, 2023-09-11
- ↑ ‘You Might Be Going to Jail’: Video Shows Florida Cops Snatch Black Veteran from Car Because He Drove Further to Find A ‘Safe Spot’ For Both Their Safety, New York Beacon, 2023-01-10
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Raw video: JSO releases body camera footage after veteran says he was racially profiled, First Coast News, 2022-12-15
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Internal Investigation, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
- ↑ Tarik Minor, JSO officer ‘demonstrated conduct unbecoming’ during traffic stop of Black veteran, internal investigation finds, News 4, 2023-08-07
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