money Melbourne police officer resigns after multiple internal investigations, notice of termination
A Melbourne police officer resigned this week, after receiving a "notice of termination" in which he had the option to appeal the firing that was recommended in a recent internal investigation.
Officer Peter Dolci was the subject of multiple internal investigations over the span of four months, one of which occurred following a January traffic stop when he was pulled over on suspicion of drunken driving.
In the notice of his termination, Chief David Gillespie cited "multiple incidents of inappropriate conduct, rule violations, instances of poor judgment and dishonesty" as the reasoning for Dolci's termination.
Dolci, who's been working with the department a little over three years, was pulled over at about 12:24 a.m. Jan. 20 near the intersection of Babcock Street and Malabar Boulevard in Palm Bay after Palm Bay Officer Eddie Lutz observed him driving 70 mph in a 45 mph zone and drifting across the lane divider, according to a report from an internal investigation.
When stopped, Dolci showed Lutz his police identification, the report said. Lutz asked him if he or his passenger, another Melbourne police officer, had been drinking, saying he could smell alcohol. Dolci blamed the smell on his passenger.
When asked why he was speeding, Dolci said he had to use the restroom, the report said. He also said he was swerving because he and his passenger had been engaged in oral sex.
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Dolci was placed on administrative leave with pay Jan. 28, and an investigation into both officers began, conducted by Melbourne police's internal affairs unit, the report said.
During the investigation, Lutz, who has been with Palm Bay police since 2010 and primarily focuses on traffic enforcement and DUI investigations, provided a sworn statement, during which he described his interaction with Dolci and the other officer, the report said. He said he detected a "strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from within the vehicle," observed Dolci's eyes to be bloodshot and glassy and that he could smell alcohol on Dolci's breath when he exited the vehicle.
During Dolci's sworn statement, he denied this.
"I can't really tell you what (Lutz) saw," Dolci said. "What he saw is what he saw. I just know that I didn't have anything to drink, so I was very fatigued from the day. That was about it."
Dolci's passenger told investigators that she couldn't remember how much alcohol she and Dolci had consumed that night, but that she recalled Dolci last drinking from red Solo cups containing water or soda.
Lutz told investigators he "definitely thought (Dolci) had been drinking" but didn't have strong evidence that the officer was impaired. He had advised Dolci to call a friend for a ride home.
Lutz added that Dolci committed at least one traffic violation and described his driving as careless. The report did not say why Lutz did not give Dolci a citation.
When asked about Dolci's comments regarding his actions with his passenger, Lutz said he did not believe Dolci was telling the truth, as his "appearance indicated otherwise," the report said.
The passenger told investigators Dolci made the comment as a joke.
"That did not happen," she said. "He thought he was being funny."
While Dolci said he and the passenger were "messing with each other," he also said the comment was a joke because he knew Lutz and the other responding officer.
He added that he showed his police identification to Lutz to put him at ease and not to gain any special treatment, the report said.
On April 1, an internal review panel determined Dolci violated department policies of general conduct, conduct unbecoming and honesty, the report said. The panel recommended that the incident result in his termination "due to the ongoing, continued and recent violations of the same policies that resulted in progressive discipline."
On April 13, the panel recommended that his passenger did not violate any policies.
In Gillespie's notice of Dolci's dismissal, he wrote that three internal affairs reviews had been initiated in the course of four months because of Dolci's actions, the report said.
Twice in November, Dolci used sick leave inappropriately, once to visit an Orlando theme park and once to visit the downtown Melbourne area, the report said. He received a written reprimand and was suspended without pay for 52 hours, having violated departmental policies use of sick leave, honesty and conduct unbecoming.
In 2022, he was involved in two traffic stops in his personal vehicle, in which he showed "significant poor judgment and a disregard for basic standards of conduct expected of a police officer," Gillespie said, with one of these being the stop performed by Lutz and another being a traffic stop on Feb. 3, 2022.
On that date, he received a uniform traffic citation for speeding in Palm Bay, with an estimated speed of driving 70 mph in a 45 mph zone. This investigation found that he violated departmental policies general conduct and conduct unbecoming.
Finch Walker is a Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 3 internal investigations in 4 months lead to Melbourne officer resigning
