St. Johns County sheriff's officer Gregory Suchy. | News4Jax
Published on March 20, 2025 at 11:22 am
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A St. Johns County sheriff’s officer has been demoted and reassigned after posting an inappropriate social media comment about homeless people.
The Sheriff’s Office told News4Jax earlier this month that Cpl. Gregory Suchy was placed on administrative leave amid an investigation sparked by a comment posted on an Instagram video showing what appeared to be a homeless man throwing a rock at a vehicle.
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The comment read: “We need like a 3-day open season on the homeless. No bag limit.”
News4Jax then obtained Suchy’s letter of reprimand, which shows he was reassigned to another unit and lost his corporal status.
The internal affairs report states that Suchy was remorseful for posting the comment. It also quotes him as saying:
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“I thought, you know, it would be something funny, but, you know, obviously I didn’t think about the reach of it and the context of it, that … they don’t know the work that I’ve done with the homeless or the work that I’ve done with the Sheriff’s Office.”
Sgt. Richard White of the Salvation Army found the comment disheartening.
White said the comment surprised him because it’s not what he’s seen from that community, which comes out often to feed those in need.
“Anyone can find ourselves in a place where we may be without a home or in a tough spot and we would hope that there would be someone to come along that would lift us up and not lift us down,” White said.
The internal affairs investigation also included a section about why Suchy’s comment wasn’t protected by the First Amendment, citing two cases. One of them deals with public sector employees.
Tom Hackney, a News4Jax crime and safety analyst and a former law enforcement agent, said what happened to Suchy shows the fine line public servants must follow. He also said it shows the public that Sheriff Rob Hardwick does not put up with nonsense.
“Due process works that when these types of things happen an investigation gets started, they take them seriously there’s repercussions for them,” Hackney said. “There’s teeth to when the sheriff talks about wanting to hold his people accountable.”
The Sheriff’s Office told News4Jax that Suchy’s comment does not reflect its mission to “serve with excellence.”
The Sheriff’s Office also shared with News4Jax some of the things they do to help those experiencing homelessness.
One of those things is its Outreach/Re-entry initiative, which helps the unhoused population with housing, employment and transportation.
The Sheriff’s Office also said there is a specialized team of deputies, in collaboration with community partners, that addresses mental health and substance abuse if applicable, and assists with family reunification by helping recruit a support system, which may consist of family, friends or other resources.
The office said patrol deputies and police officers from other agencies who encounter people experiencing homelessness can contact the Outreach/Re-entry Team for immediate assistance or send a referral for nonurgent issues.
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
