BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BROWARD COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2021 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — This is the week set aside to honor police and emergency dispatchers nationwide. In Broward County, the shine of good work by quick-thinking emergency communicators is being tarnished by the apparent fraud committed by one of their own. (News app readers access our full report).
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office arrested supervisor Jennifer Blum for official misconduct. Here is the advisory issued by investigators:
The Broward Sheriff’s Office Public Corruption Unit arrested a veteran BSO communications employee on Wednesday on charges of workers’ compensation fraud and official misconduct.
BSO Regional Communications Duty Officer Jennifer Blum told her superiors that she suffered a fall in the early morning hours of August 13, 2020 while at work at BSO’s Central Communications Center. Blum signed forms attesting to the information, and, as a result, BSO incurred a cost in excess of $1,300 in medical bills. However, after reviewing surveillance video and other evidence, detectives determined that Blum did not suffer a fall and lied about the incident.
Detectives arrested Blum on Wednesday evening at BSO’s Public Safety Building.
“It’s disappointing that we have to announce the arrest of one of our employees, but I made a commitment to Broward residents that BSO would be an agency of transparency and accountability,” Sheriff Gregory Tony said.
“When employees violate the law, my administration will have the moral courage to police our own. We will be moving toward termination proceedings.”
Blum has been suspended without pay. She began working for BSO in January 2000.
