The weeklong conference, which wrapped up Friday, was sponsored by a company with a controversial past that has been banned in some states.) -
A city spokesman confirmed that then-Police Chief Paul Prine in February signed off on two officers attending this week’s program. An Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman told FOX10 News that one deputy attended. But she did not respond to request for further information. Street Cop Training did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the company’s founder and CEO, Dennis Benigno, disputed the New Jersey findings in a statement to The Associated Press in December.
Some of the allegations in the New Jersey report mirror findings by former U.S. Attorney Kenyen Brown in a report he issued two weeks about policing practices in Mobile – particularly a lack of respect for the public. The report also contends that trainers have taught practices that violate court rulings, such as a police officer from Indiana explaining how he pulls over drivers who stay in the right lane when they have the opportunity to pass.