TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The widow of a Leon County Sheriff's Deputy Chris Smith, who was killed in the line of duty back in November of 2014, is suing Tallahassee's Consolidated Dispatch Agency.
The lawsuit claims that the CDA failed to properly inform Deputy Smith that a man at a house fire, that he was responding to, had threatened to kill law enforcement officers.
Tallahassee attorney Matthew Foster who is representing the widow of Deputy Smith, says the reason for the lawsuit is to inspire change, "we filed the lawsuit for two primary reasons. First to make sure the CDA and Motorola are held accountable for their contribution to what happened to Deputy Chris Smith. Second, to make sure this never happens again to any other first res ponder."
Communications Company, Motorola Inc., the developer of the dispatch system, is also named in the lawsuit. They released a statement saying, "while we haven't seen the complaint, anytime a first res ponder makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect our communities is a tragedy, and we extend our sympathy to the family of Deputy Smith."
The CDA's interim director, Dee Crumpler also responding to the lawsuit saying,"our hearts and thoughts from the CDA...remain with the Smith Family and the Leon County Sheriff's Department. We are working diligently to resolve the lawsuit, and make appropriate procedural changes to make sure this doesn't happen again to one of our first res ponders."
