Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor has resigned, at the request of the city mayor, after the release of body cam footage from a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy showed her asking for special treatment when her husband was pulled over driving an unregistered golf cart on the street, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
O’Connor was a passenger in the golf cart being driven by her husband when they were pulled over for not having license plates on the vehicle, a golf cart, being used on the roadway. During the stop, O’Connor asked the deputy if his body cam was on. She then reaches into her purse and pulls out her badge, which her husband helpfully hands to the deputy, identifying herself as the Tampa police chief. Later in the stop, she hands the deputy her business card and tells the officer to contact her if he needs anything.
Mayor Jane Castor initially put O’Connor on administrative leave on Friday after the video became public, but requested O’Connor’s resignation from the $192,000 salary job Monday, which was delivered by O’Connor.
“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,” Castor said in a statement. “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.