Marco Island police officer decertified for sex on the job

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Sgt. James Inlow. (Credit: MIPD)
Sgt. James Inlow. (Credit: MIPD)

How far should your past follow you? In the case of one Marco Island police officer, it is across the entire state. One Sergeant is decertified in Florida for having sex on the job.

Sgt. James Inlow was caught in the scandal years ago. We asked what do you think – does that punishment go too far?

“I’m really puzzled, I really am,” said Ann Marie DeNicholas. “I have a son probably his age and maybe he made a mistake. Who knows what he was going through.”

A former Marco Island police officer was stripped of his certification.

“They should be ethical, but people are driven,” Barry House said. “They’re impulsive. They make mistakes. If he admits he was wrong, perhaps he should be given a second chance.”

The criminal justice standards and training commission for the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement revoked former Sgt. Inlow’s certification after an internal investigation by the Marco Island Police Dept. found he was having sex on duty.

“I’m not saying he shouldn’t be a police officer anywhere just in Florida you know he broke the law and that’s the way it should stand,” Robert Monaco said.

The commission is made up of 19 members with representation from the Attorney General’s Office, secretary of the Dept. of Corrections and the director of the Florida Highway Patrol.

The governor appoints the rest. It is their mission to hold law enforcement who may have engaged in misconduct accountable.

According to the professional compliance process, engaging in sex on duty can come with a penalty from suspension to revocation.

The former sergeant resigned two months into the investigation. But the law states the agency has to continue with the investigation if there is the belief of misconduct.

“I kind of feel disrespected as an islander,” Jay Stallion said.

But while people we spoke to all agree Inlow was in the wrong, many were on the fence about if he should be decertified in our state.

“Everyone does something wrong now and then,” Baltasar Martinez said. “But, I feel like he should, of course, reflect on his actions.”

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