PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – Fredrick Lise, a detective with the Clearwater Police Department, was arrested today on eight felony charges related to public corruption.
Lise, who has been with the department since 2014, is accused of sending warning text messages to two key suspects in a major drug trafficking investigation dubbed “Operation Snow Cap.”
During the yearlong investigation, Lise, who was assigned to the Narcotics Unit, was made aware of the operation to gather additional information.
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However, detectives discovered that he used his access to confidential law enforcement databases to alert suspects Matthew Turner and Henry Smith about the investigation.
During the press conference, Sheriff Gualtieri said, “Lise is supposed to be looking out for cops, not putting them in harm’s way. Lise was supposed to be getting drugs off the street, not protecting drug traffickers so they could sell more drugs, and Lise has betrayed everything that law enforcement officers stand for. At the end of the day, he’s a corrupt cop that needs to go to prison”.
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Chief Gandy said, “This leaves me really angry beyond belief – he’s the president of the officers’ union and he represents hundreds of Clearwater officers and their interests. It appears that he put the interest of drug traffickers over those interests of his own officers.”
Lise has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation by the Clearwater Police Department. He is currently in custody at the Pinellas County Jail.
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