Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell on Friday expressed optimism that the joint training her office held with local law enforcement this week will help resolve the recent tension between her and other agency leaders while also producing stronger cases.
“It was a wonderful time for us to get from in front of the cameras, in front of everyone, and have a conversation behind closed doors on how my office can work better with the agencies and how the agencies can work better with us,” Worrell said at a press conference. “Ultimately, the results of this training will be that we will be able to better serve the constituents of the Ninth Judicial Circuit because we are going to be on the same page.”
In a brief overview of the Thursday and Friday training, Worrell said she started the discussion by speaking with command staff about how to go from probable cause, which is the standard to make an arrest, to proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the threshold for a conviction.
Then, she said, her chief assistant went over information and evidence often requested by a jury and the court when cases are being reviewed. The general mechanics of building a strong case, including the evidence required, were also discussed. The training concluded with a talk about recent firearms cases.
Worrell said could not go into further detail because the training involved discussion of ongoing cases.
The sessions were attended by most of the agencies in her circuit, including the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Orlando Police Department, said Worrell. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will have a separate training session later.
The state attorney said the two-day session was different from the block training her office has participated in with the agencies because the recent training allowed those below command staff to hear where Worrell stands and what her “agenda actually is.”
The training comes off the heels of a particularly contentious span of months between Worrell and the heads of the largest law enforcement agencies in her circuit, who have criticized her for her office’s prosecution of certain cases.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina accused Worrell’s office of not properly prosecuting repeat offenders; Osceola Sheriff Marcos López complained about prosecutors’ handling of drug trafficking cases; and Worrell and Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith had a back-and-forth after the state attorney announced her office she was dropping charges against a teen arrested on second-degree murder charges.
Worrell, in turn, has said the agencies have filed cases to her office that could not be prosecuted because of police misconduct, like an illegal search, or faulty evidence that points to a conclusion that couldn’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
On Friday, she again addressed the recent strife, saying the training was a great first step to move beyond politics.
“I think that we are all committed to doing whatever is best for our community and our methods and our philosophies on how to get there may be different, but people have disagreements and it’s unfortunate that the community had a front row seat to [ours],” she said.
“The training is an excellent first step because it helps to get the politics behind us,” she added. “Let’s get to the work.”