A high-ranking Vero Beach police officer has filed a “whistleblower” lawsuit against the city, claiming he was targeted for retaliation after he accused the department’s chief earlier this year of creating a hostile work environment.
Lieutenant Daniel Cook filed the suit in Circuit Court in November, alleging Police Chief David Currey gave him the first “substandard” annual job-performance review in his 35 years with the department and later suspended him because of the allegations.
The 24-page filing – which contains eight exhibits, including text messages, memos, administrative action forms and an email – states that Currey’s “antagonism” toward Cook stemmed from an “unfounded belief” that the lieutenant was “revealing internal information” about adverse working conditions to people outside the department.
In one text message and follow-up email sent to City Manager Monte Falls in March, Cook wrote that Currey was trying to connect him to the failed efforts of John’s Island philanthropist Tom Corr and Gorilla Ammunition co-founder Lanse Padgett to oust the chief early last year.
Corr and Padgett attempted to make the case that Currey was unfit to lead the department, contending his administration closes cases that demand further investigation, deflects and dodges any questioning of its performance and practices, and has created an intolerant work environment in which employees are afraid to speak openly about agency matters.
Cook denied any such link to Currey’s...
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