Davie Police Chief Dale Engle To Retire Amid Inquiry Into Police Union Complaint
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Davie Police Chief Dale Engle is retiring.
Engle has been on administrative leave since April after a complaint from Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council Committee.
The complaint claims Engle berated several Davie officers who expressed concerns about the level of protection from COVID-19 while on duty.
Engle also reportedly belittled the death of Broward Sheriff's Deputy Shannon Bennett claiming his death was caused by his 'homosexual' lifestyle, the officers allege.
The complaint states "Chief Engle allegedly yelled about a 'backstory' which proclaimed Deputy Bennett contracted and died from the virus because he was a 'homosexual who attended homosexual sexual events."
It states, "He intimated that it was because of the homosexual lifestyle that Deputy Bennett first contracted a serious underlying disease which aggravated the COVID-19 virus and lead to his death."
Later, Engle sent a departmental email where he attempted to "walk back some of his comments and minimize them as an attempt to 'provide as much information as possible,' and that they may have been 'taken out of context'."
In a letter to the city, Engle said he will retire on September 3rd. Until that time, he will continue to collect his pay but will not be working.
Engle, who has been with the department for more than 20 years, said his decision to retire was because of the backlash his children received on social media after the allegation was made, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
The Town Administrator appointed former Davie Police Chief Patrick Lynn as the Acting Police Chief when Engle was placed on leave. Chief Lynn served as Davie's Police Chief for close to 10 years before he retired in 2017.
