Florida Black jogger offered job by sheriff as cops wrongly detained him after appearance matched burglary suspect
DELTONA, FLORIDA: A sheriff has offered a job to a Black man who was wrongly detained by police. Joseph Griffin was jogging last week when cops stopped him as he matched the description of a burglary suspect they were looking out for.
Griffin, the former military policeman, was reportedly approached by officers from the Volusia Sheriff's Office. The Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the deputies were searching for a burglar, also a Black man, with a white tank top, dark shorts and a beard in the area when they saw Griffin. He reportedly fitted the description. Though Griffin is currently working as a registered nurse, Chitwood told WSAV: “Mr. Griffin is a military veteran and a medical professional, and I told him we’d train and hire him as a deputy in a second if he ever wants a new job.”
After the sudden approach by police last week, Griffin went live on Facebook while recording the whole incident. The bodycam footage was also released and in the clip, one officer said to the man, “Just bare with me because you fit the description. I’m not saying you’re guilty but my sergeant is telling me to detain you.” The man then put his phone down on the ground as the officer put handcuffs on his hand. “If something happens to me, y’all better raise hell,” Griffin told his Facebook viewers while the cop responded, “Again, buddy, you’re not under arrest, it’s just that you fit the description.”
The officer also offered help to Griffin, while the man said: “It’s just a lot going on today,” making a reference to the death of George Floyd and the recent shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. Griffin reportedly stood there with the officers for more than 12 minutes before he was set free. Cops apologized for the inconvenience caused by them and also thanked him for his calm attitude.
After the incident, Sheriff Chitwood said in a statement: “I want to take a moment to stand up and recognize the great work of every deputy involved in this call. Not only were they respectful to Mr. Griffin - they held his phone for him so he could stay on video on Facebook Live. There are about 18 minutes of video here if you want to see it. Witness descriptions are never perfect, and these deputies did an outstanding job given the limited information they had about a call in progress. AND they arrested the suspect actually responsible for the burglary. Likewise, Mr. Griffin was calm and cooperative even though he had reason to be frustrated with the inconvenience. To each and every deputy who was involved in this response, I am extremely proud of your hard work and dedication. This is exactly the kind of effort that has allowed us to cut down the crime rate in Deltona. To Mr. Griffin, I appreciate your cooperation with these deputies, and I'd like to invite you on a ride-along sometime in the future. To some of the harsher critics who have been second-guessing and criticizing these deputies on social media, I think you need to put yourselves in these deputies' shoes. I don't think just anyone can fill them. Great job, Deltona deputies. Stay safe and keep up the great work.”
Griffin wrote a message on Facebook after Sheriff Chitwood’s statement. Quoting his words that “Witness descriptions are never perfect”, he said, “that’s what’s scary.” He added: “Having your future in the hands of an un-perfect witness description while being cuffed on the side of the road. I wasn’t asked to be put in this situation but I am thankful that I made it out safely. Officer Estrada told me that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me and he kept his word. I don’t completely agree with everything that happened but this an excellent example of how to remain compliant. I could tell that the officer was just as nervous and confused as I was. Thank you everyone for your support. I would like for this to be a learning experience for officers and civilians! Put yourself in each other’s shoes. God Bless!!”