The Flagler Beach Police Department made a surprising hire this week, bringing on ex-Daytona Beach Shores police lieutenant Michael Schoenbrod. Late last year Schoenbrod made headlines when it came to light he’d handcuffed and jailed a three-year-old in 2022 in an attempt to teach him potty-training.
Schoenbrod resigned his post with the Daytona Beach Shores Police Department in October, bringing a career of over two decades there to an unceremonious end. He was recorded in bodycam footage telling a Department of Children of Families worker that when the child started crying in the jail cell, “I was getting the response I expected from him”. He later confirmed he’d taken the same approach with his own four-year-old son after he admitted to hitting a girl.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement recommended Schoenbrod be prosecuted for child abuse, but prosecutors opted against it on the boy wasn’t physically endangered. The boy’s mother, Daytona Beach Shores Police Sergeant Jessica Long, was aware and consenting of the bizarre punishment and remains employed with the agency to this day. When Schoenbrod’s conduct was reported to the DCF, he was quoted in a report by the Daytona Beach News-Journal as having called those who reported him ‘liars’ and ‘disgusting human beings’.
Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney speaks with a resident. ⓒ AskFlagler
The choice to hire Schoenbrod is especially surprising given the mostly uncontroversial nature of the Flagler Beach Police Department. Chief Matt Doughney, unlike a few of his local counterparts, actively shies from the spotlight and has not pursued any sort of personal branding or edgy reputation for his agency. The FBPD is the most PR-savvy branch of the city government, making this newest hire a rare potential cause for community backlash.
Schoenbrod reportedly started Monday with the FBPD, and is currently an entry-level officer paid $26 an hour. He’ll be on a standard probation of a year to 18 months, typical of any new hire within the FBPD. Doughney said he’ll have to prove he’s deserving of his opportunity.
“Everybody’s entitled to a second chance,” Doughney said in an interview on Wednesday. “How many thousands upon thousands of great decisions that he made is he not being given credit for?” As for potential concerns residents may have with Schoenbrod, Doughney hopes the community can keep an open mind. “Let him prove himself,” the chief continued. “When he does something that is worthy of recognition I hope [the residents], along with the media, give him the same amount of time and coverage that they do for one incident in 25 years.”
