The NAACP is tapping the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, citing an “alarming” number of deaths inside the jails.
In a letter to Assistant Attorney General For Civil Rights Kristen Clarke dated Jan. 29, President Derrick Johnson highlighted how 21 people have died in the facilities since 2021.
However, the number of deaths skyrocket to 80 if counting from 2011. People who have mental illness make up a significant amount of those cases, Johnson argued, and among these incidents are a string of suicides and alleged abuse at the hands of staff. He called on the agency to look into the conditions, the management, and whether inmates are receiving adequate medical and psychiatric treatment in the jails, which he described as “dangerous.”
“The NAACP is horrified by the continued injustice that Broward County families have been forced to endure. Make no mistake, every jurisdiction is responsible for the safety and well-being of any detained persons in their custody,” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson mentions Kevin Desir, a 42-year-old man who died in Broward County Sheriff deputies’ custody in Jan. 2021. An independent autopsy determined that the manner of his death was homicide by manual strangulation. His family filed a lawsuit last August accusing deputies of excessive force and outlining the alleged pattern of poor care inside the jails.
Desir, who had bipolar disorder, was housed in the North Broward Bureau when he had a mental health crisis, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Staff discovered that he had cut himself, was not communicating clearly, and was naked inside his cell, which was inundated with water.
A struggle between the officers and Desir led him to be placed in a restraint chair where he was struck, tased, and pepper sprayed multiple times, according to the report citing an internal affairs document. He suddenly became unresponsive, and the medical team attempted CPR as well as other resuscitation methods.
Desir was transported to a local hospital and passed away days later. His family called for accountability, and the force used against him was “unreasonable, unnecessarily, gratuitous and punitive,” per the Sun-Sentinel.
Another grim example mentioned in Johnson’s letter is the story of Tammy Jackson, a woman with bipolar schizophrenia who gave birth alone in her cell without help from staff. According to CNN, her lawyers said after nearly seven hours, she delivered the baby with no doctor or medication. They argued that Jackson, whose screams were reportedly heard throughout the unit, was neglected and her child’s life was “put at risk.”
“The Broward County Sheriff’s Department has failed its community. Now, it’s time for our Justice Department to intervene, and ensure that this tragic pattern of negligence is addressed, and any bad actors are held accountable. The NAACP is unrelenting in our work to ensure that justice prevails and every person is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve,” Johnson said.
According to reports, the DOJ received the NAACP’s inquiry but has announced a probe into the jails. The organization’s Broward County president, Marsha Ellison, emphasized that an internal investigation is insufficient.
“We don’t want to hear we’ve investigated ourselves and found that we’ve done no wrong. We want to find out what’s really happening,” Ellison said at a press conference, per WINK-TV. “I don’t honestly believe and don’t trust the process of the internal (sheriff’s office) to investigate themselves.”
