LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Sgt. Fred Jones of the Lake County Sheriff's Office has given several talks on law enforcement use of force over the years, but it was death of George Floyd, and the ensuing protests that erupted, that made the subject raw for him.
What You Need To Know
- Sgt. Fred Jones has been with Lake County Sheriff's Office for 23 years
- He says deputies, officers need to use "emotional intelligence" on the job
- RELATED: Thousands Peacefully March Through Downtown Orlando Over George Floyd Killing
In his 23 years on the force, Jones, an African American deputy and spokesman for the agency, has seen how stress can take its toll.
"A lot of times as law enforcement officers, we go (snaps fingers) like that, we go from call to call to call. We need to pause, to take a step to readjust," he said.
Jones says two words have become very important in law enforcement training: Emotional intelligence.
"As a deputy sheriff, for instance, if I had an argument with my wife right before I left home to come to work, I should be aware of that before I make that traffic stop, so that I don't project what I'm feeling inside on that person. Because our emotions impact our actions.”
On social media, Jones strongly denounced what happened in Minnesota.
"If we see wrong we report wrong," he said. "We have to evolve."