Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor has been placed on administrative leave after she flashed her badge at an officer during a traffic stop, saying she was “hoping that you’ll just let us go tonight.”
Body camera footage of the incident, which occurred last month, was released earlier this week, showing Mary and her husband getting pulled over in a golf cart in Oldsmar, Florida. The pair were approached by a Pinellas County Sheriff because the vehicle did not have a license plate.
When the officer took note of Mary’s badge, his attitude towards the offense changes and he lets her go. Before he leaves, however, she tells him that “If you ever need anything, call me. Seriously.” Mary issued a statement after the video was released to the public, expressing, “It was poor judgment on our part to be driving a golf cart on a public roadway without the appropriate tags,” she said. “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.”
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Tampa Mayor Jane Castor announced that Mary will remain on administrative leave, with an investigation into the incident currently underway. It was further revealed that Assistant Chief Lee Bercaw will now be serving as police chief. “We hold everyone accountable, no matter their position, and this behavior was unacceptable. Chief O’Connor will go through the due process and face appropriate discipline,” Jane assured.
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