TAMPA, Fla. — The police chief of Tampa has been placed on leave after a video emerged of her flashing her badge from the passenger seat of a golf cart to get out of a traffic ticket.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor placed Chief Mary O’Connor on administrative leave Friday pending an investigation of the Nov. 12 traffic stop in Oldsmar, a city northwest of Tampa.
As the Canadian national soccer teams head to their respective FIFA World Cups, Derek Van Diest is on the scene to cover all the action. Expect expert insights and analysis in your inbox daily throughout the tournaments, and weekly on Thursdays for the rest of the season.
Thanks for signing up!
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Corner Kicks with Derek Van Diest will soon be in your inbox.
The body camera video, posted online by the Tampa Police Department, shows O’Connor’s husband driving the cart and the chief in the passenger seat when a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy pulls them over for not having a tag.
“Is your camera on?” O’Connor said. “I’m the police chief in Tampa.”
“I’m hoping that you’ll just let us go tonight,” she says, showing the deputy her badge.
The deputy let them leave without a ticket, saying “it’s nice meeting you.”
In a statement, O’Connor said it was “poor judgement” for them to have taken the cart out on public roads without a tag. She said it was the first time they had driven it outside of a golf cart-friendly community where they own property.
𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞:
— TampaPD (@TampaPD) December 2, 2022
In light of Mayor Castor’s decision to place Chief Mary O’Connor on leave as the Professional Standards Bureau completes its review of an off-duty traffic stop, the department will continue operating with (1/3) pic.twitter.com/3EYg6637Or
“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,” she said.
The mayor said an internal review is underway. Assistant Chief Lee Bercaw will serve as acting chief.
“We hold everyone accountable, no matter their position, and this behavior was unacceptable,” Castor said. “Chief O’Connor will go through the due process and face appropriate discipline.”