OLDSMAR, Fla. — Mayor Jane Castor accepted Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor's resignation Monday just days after it was revealed the chiefwas stopped by a Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy on Nov. 12.
Assistant Chief Lee Bercaw will serve as acting Chief during this time. A statement also said that "there is no deadline for selecting the next chief, but [Mayor Castor] fully expects that a national search and hiring process will take several months."
In a statement released Monday, Mayor Castor said the following:
"The Tampa Police Department has a code of conduct that includes high standards for ethical and professional behavior that apply to every member of our police force. As the Chief of Police, you are not only to abide by and enforce those standards but to also lead by example. That clearly did not happen in this case.
It is unacceptable for any public employee, and especially the city's top law enforcement leader, to ask for special treatment because of their position. Public trust in Tampa's police department is paramount to our success as a city and community. This is especially disappointing because I gave Mary O’Connor a second chance, as I believe in second chances for people. Which is one of the reasons that the disappointment today runs so deep. I had high hope for Chief O’Connor, as she was off to such a strong start by reducing violent gun crime, proactively engaging with our community and focusing on officer wellness. But these accomplishments pale in comparison to the priority I place on integrity.
In Lee Bercaw, we have a thoughtful and highly regarded leader in progressive policing. I am grateful he can hit the ground running and continue working with our community to keep our city safe.”
Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor said she used "poor judgment" when she was stopped for operating a golf cart without a license plate in Oldsmar.
Read her full resignation letter below:
Tampa Police said Chief O'Connor was stopped while riding in the golf cart with her spouse. The incident was recorded on the Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy's body camera.
During the encounter, O'Connor asked the deputy if his camera was rolling before telling him she was the Tampa Police chief and showing the deputy her badge.
"I'm hoping you'll just let us go," O'Connor told the Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy.
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O'Connor also gave her business card to the deputy, saying, "If you ever need anything, call me."
O'Connor said she understood how the incident could be viewed as "inappropriate, but that was certainly not my intent," and said she "expressed great remorse to the Mayor, and I apologize to the residents of Tampa..."
Statement from Chief Mary O'Connor:
"It was poor judgment on our part to be driving a golf cart on a public roadway without the appropriate tags. This was the first time we had exited the golf-cart-friendly community in which we own property with this vehicle, prompting the need for a license plate.
In hindsight, I realize how my handling of this matter could be viewed as inappropriate, but that was certainly not my intent. I knew my conversation was on video, and my motive was not to put the deputy in an uncomfortable position. I have personally called the Pinellas County Sheriff offering to pay for any potential citation.
I have expressed great remorse to the Mayor, and I apologize to the residents of Tampa who have a reasonable expectation of better judgment from their chief of police.
As someone who has dealt with, taken ownership of and grown from my past mistakes, I know that no one is above the law, including me."
ABC Action News talked to people about the chief's traffic stop on Davis Islands, a popular golf cart community.
"She of all people should know what the rules are that you're going to have a plate on there," Patty Geiger said. "I think the biggest thing for me was, I was kind of surprised, you didn't live in Tampa or even in the county? It's like, you don't even live in the county? I don't know where it goes from here. I think that her apology was the right thing to do. But the next step is, you know, what's going to happen?"
We took Geiger's question about residency to the city.
"Chief O’Connor is fulfilling the residency requirements of her position as she is leasing a condo in Tampa and a house in Pinellas County. Her husband and young daughter live primarily at the Pinellas county residence due to schooling. She resides at both the Tampa and Pinellas locations," Lauren Rozyla, Media Relations Manager, Marketing, and Communications for the City of Tampa said via e-mail.
"She messed up and that's the bottom line," Tom Charnas said. She shouldn't get fired over anything. She's a human being we all are."
Tampa Police said O'Connor "voluntarily reached out to the Tampa Police Professional Standards Bureau" and asked for the "same discipline that any officer would receive for similar conduct."
