VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Volusia County Sheriff’s office is taking new steps to change the relationship between law enforcement and the community. On Thursday, VCSO Command staff participated in their first round of implicit bias and cultural awareness training. This training was sparked as part of a larger conversation, after a jogger was detained in August for matching a description of a burglary suspect.

What You Need To Know

  • Speaker Joseph Griffin described being stopped because he looked like a burglary suspect

  • Sheriff Mike Chitwood plans to expand this type of bias training for his staff

  • Chitwood went through the training himself

“When I was approached, I was definitely scared," said Joseph Griffin, a nurse and veteran, while recounting the experience to VCSO leaders. "After all the countless videos I have seen, I was scared.”

The incident was captured on body camera video. A deputy detained Griffin, telling him he met the description of a burglary suspect. 

Griffin explained that the deputy handled it well and with respect and said he should have been stopped. He did not, however, like that he was handcuffed.

Now, Griffin shares his message of empathy for all. 

"Whether you are the person being detained or the officer doing the detaining, just think as if it were you on the other side," Griffin pleaded.

After Griffin, guest speaker Rev. John Long took over the training, challenging and discussing bias with the command staff. 

“Bias can be addressed with knowledge ,and that when the deputies have that knowledge of their personal biases that they can then interact more positively with the citizens they encounter,” said Long. 

Sheriff Mike Chitwood, who went through the training himself, said this kind of training is more important now than ever before. 

“You've got to understand the other folks in this community’s perspective, whether they are Black, whether they are Hispanic, whether they are rich, whether they are poor, because that is really the essence of policing, because we protect everybody," said Chitwood. "Everybody does not have to think the same.”

As for Griffin, he is hopeful for what these kind of conversations could mean for the future.

“I would love for the relationship between policing and the community to be better," he said. "I feel like my kids shouldn’t be scared of the police. It should be something they look forward to, like 'oh yeah, the cops are here. I feel safe.' And that is what I am looking for.”

Chitwood said he plans to expand this type of training for his staff.

He is planning to have community-based training for his deputies with the Spring Hill neighborhood in the next few months. Eventually, he hopes to have this be part of their new-hire training. ​