Lake Wales city manager suspends Police Chief Chris Velasquez, plans to seek replacement

Lake Wales City Manager James Slaton plans to replace Police Chief Christopher Velasquez, citing concerns about favoritism and a lack of transparency.

In a memo sent to Velasquez on Monday, Slaton informed the chief of a three-day, unpaid suspension to begin on March 18. Slaton also wrote that he will launch a search for a new police chief beginning next month, ending Velasquez’s 13-year tenure as the department’s leader.

Slaton’s actions follow years of complaints against the police department from the Poor and Minority Justice Association. In delivering the suspension, the city manager cited Velasquez’s handling of an officer’s promotion to the position of lieutenant in November.

Though a review did not support the outside group’s claims of racial bias, the city found that “an appearance of unfairness in the process was evident as a result of deviations from past promotional practices and the amendment of minimum qualification requirements in the position announcement,” Slaton wrote.

The Rev. Clayton Cowart, founder and acting local president of the PMJA, said that Velasquez revised the job requirements for the position to favor an internal candidate who was not qualified, Officer Dale Hampton.

The original position stated that all candidates must possess an associate of arts degree and must have completed middle management training. Hampton did not hold such a degree, Cowart said, while other applicants did. Two of the qualified applicants were Black and one was Latino, he said.

Velasquez amended the listed requirements, allowing applicants who either held an associate’s degree or planned to obtain one, Cowart said. Hampton modified his application after a first interview to say that he would have an associate’s degree in December, according to Cowart.

Velasquez then promoted Hampton to the position of lieutenant.

In his memo, Slaton wrote that he had appointed Sandra Davis, the city’s human resources director, to interview relevant witnesses and gather facts in response to the complaint from the PMJA. He wrote that the inquiry found no supporting evidence that Velasquez made promotion decisions based on any candidate’s race but still faulted the chief for his approach.

“During the course of the investigation an appearance of unfairness in the process was evident as a result of deviations from past promotional practices and the amendment of minimum qualification requirements in the position announcement,” Slaton wrote.

The city will reopen the position to which Hampton had been appointed, and all applicants may apply again “after a promotional process is defined and adopted,” Slaton wrote.

Velasquez, 52, joined the Lake Wales Police Department in 1994 and was promoted to deputy chief in 2005 and to chief in 2011. He holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Leo University and a master's degree from Troy State University, The Ledger has reported.

Slaton’s memo made it clear that the Hampton promotion was only his latest concern with Velasquez’s performance. He wrote that he had heard repeated public complaints during his time as city manager about the appearance of nepotism within the department and a perceived lack of transparency.

Several officers expressed similar concerns about recent promotions, Slaton wrote. He faulted Velasquez for seeking approval to hire the daughter of an LWPD sergeant to a position in the department.

“The mere appearance of nepotism or favoritism causes low morale among the department personnel and erodes public confidence,” Slaton wrote.

He added: “I have been too involved in the administration of the Police department during my tenure as City Manager in an effort to find solutions to concerns raised by the community. Our environment demands proactive, adaptive, and creative leadership.”

While acknowledging Velasquez’s “contributions and dedication” to the department, Slaton wrote that it was “time for new leadership to address the challenges we face.” The city will advertise a search for a new chief in April, allowing Velasquez to remain in his position until a replacement is hired, Slaton wrote.

The city manager invited Velasquez to speak at the next City Commission meeting on March 19 but said he could not appeal the suspension.

Velasquez did not respond to a request for comment left with the department. Slaton declined to comment further.

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Cowart praised Slaton’s decision to seek a new chief but said his organization would like Velasquez to be dismissed immediately.

“That search will take a while,” Cowart said. “That could be a year; that could be two years. And he doesn't need to remain there, with the climate that he's created there. It’s going to be very difficult for those officers who have made complaints to work under someone with that type of attitude.”

Cowart and others shared concerns about Velasquez and the promotion of Hampton at the Feb. 26 meeting of the Lake Wales Citizens and Police Community Relations Advisory Board.

Complaints about the Lake Wales Police Department have arisen periodically since the 2000s. In 2008, the NAACP branch in Lake Wales filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, claiming officers used unnecessary force to disperse a crowd on Lincoln Avenue after a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.

The arrest of a Black driver following a traffic stop in the city’s majority Black Northwest neighborhood in 2009 provoked a melee, The Ledger reported at the time. The demotion and eventual firing of Burney Hayes, a Black officer, in 2010 also angered many residents.

The city reinstated its Citizens and Police Community Relations Advisory Board in response to those tensions.

Cowart’s organization filed a complaint in 2018 after a Black citizen accused an officer of directing a racial slur at him. The outcome of the investigation was unclear, but the officer remains with the department.

The PMJA plans to stage a community rally in Lake Wales soon, Cowart said. As of Tuesday, the date and location had not been settled.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lake Wales manager suspends police chief, will seek replacement