DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - The Town of Davie has officially appointed their acting police chief.
Town Administrator Richard Lemack appointed former Davie Police Chief Patrick Lynn as the Acting Police Chief on Thursday afternoon.
Lynn previously served as the police chief for nearly 10 years before retiring in 2017.
His appointment comes just days after Davie Police Chief Dale Engle was placed on administrative leave over some alleged disparaging remarks about the sexual orientation of a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy who died due to complications from COVID-19.
In a letter sent to the Davie town administrator, Mike Tucker with the Broward County Fraternal Order of Police wrote that Engle claimed BSO Deputy Shannon Bennett contracted and died from the virus because he was a “homosexual who attended homosexual [sexual] events.”
After the incident, Engle sent an email to the department that read, “On Tuesday, April 7, I attended Charlie shift briefing to address concerns brought forward by the FOP. There, I made comments concerning the death of BSO Deputy Bennett as reported in the local media. These comments were relative to COVID-19 and personal protective equipment. My intent was to provide as much information to personnel as possible. If my comments were taken out of context, they were not intended to be derogatory. If anyone would like to discuss, please contact me directly.”
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