Officer subject of administrative review
The actions of one Cape Coral police officer are again under review.
An internal affairs investigation was recently opened by the Cape Coral Police Department after a complaint was received regarding the alleged actions of Officer Georgeann Lytle. The complainant questioned Lytle’s actions in an incident dating back to 2008.
“Somebody came forward and made a complaint,” Lt. Tony Sizemore, the spokesman for the police department, said. “I think it was an improper use of force during an arrest procedure.”
Sizemore could not comment on the specifics of the complaint, stating that the police department cannot discuss open investigations.
“It’s an active internal investigation,” he said.
On Wednesday, Lytle deferred questions to the local union attorney.
Gene Gibbons, attorney for the Cape Coral Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 33, said he will represent Lytle if she needs it. Unaware of the details of the complaint, Gibbons has an idea of what the allegation is from media reports.
“This thing was recorded when it occurred,” he said.
“It was investigated and looked into,” he added. “Her actions were found to be lawful and appropriate given the circumstances.”
According to Gibbons, someone is “just digging up an old issue.”
“I think someone is trying to make an issue where there isn’t one,” he said.
The complainant could be reached for comment Wednesday.
Lytle has been employed with the Cape Coral police since June 2001, the city’s human resources department reported. Her annual salary is $61,984.
In July, Lytle was the subject of another internal affairs investigation, which resulted in her being demoted from sergeant to patrol officer and suspended for 24 hours without pay. Her pay was cut from about $68,245 to $59,946.
In the July investigation, Lytle was found in violation of using her official position for private gain and engaging in conduct that adversely affects the the department or destroys public respect or confidence in it. It was found that Lytle ordered a traffic stop on four people without probable cause.
During the investigation, Lytle admitted that she knew one of the individuals was the girlfriend of her ex-boyfriend and Lytle thought that the woman was talking about her on an online blog. Lytle ordered two officers to conduct the stop because she thought that she wanted to say something to the woman.
The officers checked the driver’s licenses of the four, and about 20-25 minutes later, the group was told that they could leave. None of the vehicles involved were searched, and no one was handcuffed nor issued a citation.
It could not be determined Wednesday whether Lytle had been involved in any other internal affairs investigations prior to July.