Once an outside group looked into some of Kissimmee’s police officers’ actions during a 2023 use of force case for several months, the department will make changes.
Since last year, there has been a lot of trouble since the kissimmee police chief quit and a former officer pleaded guilty to charges that could put him in jail.
At a news conference on Wednesday, New Kissimmee Police Chief Charles Broadway talked briefly about what was found and the changes that will be made.
Broadway says that because of the investigation, three police officers were fired, two were demoted, and three were banned from work.
The agency also released the full 268-page report, which included texts, emails, interviews, and other talks that the officers in question had with each other.
Broadway says he has hired a new assistant chief of police and added new people to the internal affairs unit to help make sure that officers are following the rules of the agency.
The agency will also work harder to spot early “red flags” in employees and help them by giving them more training. Broadway also wants to know that workers are telling them about wrongdoing when they see it.
Broadway, who became police chief in April, said, “It’s about building a culture and an environment where people are quick and feel at ease to report wrongdoing.”
Broadway also said it would work closely with the office of the state attorney to make sure it followed its own rules.
Broadway said, “I can tell you that we will be consulting with the State Attorney’s office or with anything that comes up as criminal.” “I can promise you that repeated offences of that level of moral turpitude will be sent to the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.”
Community reporter Mike Valente asked Broadway if the report would make people in Osceola County less trusting of the police, especially since Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was recently charged with a crime.
Broadway said, “I get it.” “And I’d tell them, ‘Changes have been made, changes are still coming, and progress has been made. Those responsible have been held accountable,'”
There was an investigation into the use of force case involving former Kissimmee Police Officer Andrew Baseggio in 2023. Baseggio was charged with felony and misdemeanour battery, official misconduct, solicitation for perjury, and witness tampering by a grand jury in August 2024.
During an internal investigation in October 2024, the Orange-Osceola state attorney’s office said that 11 KPD officers had not been honest about what happened, including giving different accounts in interviews.
Betty Holland, who was the police chief of Kissimmee until she quit on October 29, 2024, was named in the letter.
Afterward, on October 31, prosecutors made public the results of a grand jury’s investigation. They said at the time that the agency “fosters a culture of silence where officer misconduct is not only not reported but also accepted.”
Baseggio’s overuse of force was known to the police, but they did nothing to stop it and did not report it, according to the prosecutors.
It was also said that Holland gave Baseggio the final report on the event before the prosecutors could look it over. They say that this let him mess with witnesses.
The report, which was a summary of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office’s independent investigation, said that former Police Chief Betty Holland was not competent and harmed a criminal case.
According to the report, she did not relieve Baseggio of duty, which is standard practice after a use of force incident, she did not start a criminal investigation into Baseggio’s actions, she did not tell the state attorney’s office about Baseggio’s misconduct, and she gave the state attorney’s office contradictory testimony.
“Chief Holland grossly mismanaged the aftermath of an excessive use of force incident involving an officer of the Kissimmee Police Department and failed to take appropriate action in numerous aspects of her duties and responsibilities,” the report concluded. “This compromised the agency’s integrity and efficiency and had an impact on a criminal investigation being conducted by the State Attorney’s Office.”
The report said Holland did not want to be questioned during the investigation.
Other police officers were criticised for not finding mistakes in Baseggio’s arrest report, giving false information, getting in the way of the state attorney’s office, and not telling the truth when they were sworn in.
According to Broadway, 13 people were named in the report. Holland and Deputy Chief Camille Alicea quit before the investigation began, Baseggio quit, and another officer was fired.
Finally, three officers were fired, and two were lowered in rank to officer, one a sergeant and the other a corporal.
Three more were put on leave for 24 hours without pay: a lieutenant, a sergeant, and a corporal.
Broadway said that one of the 13 people named in the internal affairs report was found not guilty.
In April 2025, Baseggio admitted to felony battery, tampering with a witness, and public misconduct. He should get his sentence in late June. He could go to jail.
Broadway stressed that even though some employees were fired because of the investigation, it did not mean that the whole agency was bad.
Broadway said, “This was not a cover-up by the whole department.” The men and women of the Kissimmee Police Department as a whole are committed, honest, and have high moral standards, but the actions of a few who have been held responsible do not show these qualities.
Because of what was going on at the agency, there were calls to bring back a civilian oversight board for KPD.
On Tuesday, leaders in Kissimmee gave the board its first green light to meet again. For final approval, there needs to be a second vote.
