Divided City Lawmakers Confirm New Fla. Police Chief

TAMPA, FL—Mary O’Connor is officially Tampa’s police chief, but it was close.

A divided City Council voted 4-2 Thursday to confirm O’Connor, a 51-year-old former assistant chief for the department who retired in 2016 and then worked as a law enforcement consultant and trainer.

Council members Joe Citro, Guido Maniscalco, Luis Viera and Charlie Miranda voted to confirm O’Connor. Council chairperson Orlando Gudes and Bill Carlson voted no. Both of them, along with some who voted yes, voiced concerns about the process Castor employed to pick O’Connor.

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Viera said the chief selection process had been “mishandled.” But, he said, “I think we need to distinguish between the process and the very good record of this woman.”

Carlson and Gudes weren’t willing to do that. Carlson called O’Connor a great candidate but said Castor’s moves were neither transparent or inclusive.

“I would ask the administration to start over, be respectful of the public, be respectful of the City Council, be respectful of the balance of power,” Carlson said.

Citro, as chair of the council’s public safety committee, said he was among those who should have been more involved in the selection. Citro had supported Assistant Chief Ruben “Butch” Delgado, one of three finalists for the permanent job. But Citro called O’Connor a “solid candidate,” and when it was his turn to vote, he told O’Connor he wanted the chair of the public safety committee to be in the loop “if anything happens.”

“Thank you, council,” O’Connor said after the vote. “I won’t let you down.”

The vote came after five weeks of speculation and controversy that has swirled since Mayor Jane Castor announced she had selected O’Connor from among three finalists.

When Chief Brian Dugan retired last fall, Castor tapped Delgado to serve as interim chief while Castor conducted what she described as a nationwide search. She opted not to advertise for the post. Instead, she worked with Rodney Monroe, a former police chief for multiple U.S. cities, to seek out candidates.

On Jan. 26, Castor’s office announced that she had narrowed her search to Delgado, O’Connor and Cherise Gause, an assistant chief with the Miami Police Department. The announcement said there would be an invitation-only public forum that evening featuring the three candidates. Delgado was unable to attend the event, which was also live-streamed online, because of his father’s death.

In announcing the nomination Feb. 8, Castor said O’Connor’s familiarity with the department, coupled with her work as a policing consultant for other departments, made her the best candidate. Castor was Tampa police chief from 2009 to 2015 and knows O’Connor well. So does Castor’s chief of staff, John Bennett, a former assistant Tampa police chief who retired from the department the same year as Castor.

At the time, Castor said she didn’t expect any issues securing the council’s confirmation of O’Connor. But the choice puzzled and disappointed members of some key constituencies along with some council members.

Members of the Hispanic community thought Castor missed an opportunity by passing over Delgado, a West Tampa native and Spanish speaker. The Tampa Police Benevolent Association also supported Delgado.

Members of Tampa’s Black community had concerns about O’Connor serving in department leadership when police were disproportionately citing Black bicyclists, a practice the U.S. Department of Justice determined to be burdensome and ineffective in fighting crime.

Across those constituencies, people wondered why Castor would pick someone who was arrested as a rookie officer, fired from the department and then reinstated — as O’Connor was in 1995 — instead of another leader with a clean record and as much, if not more, experience.

During a traffic stop that year, O’Connor struck a deputy and kicked the windows of a patrol car. She was arrested on charges of battery of a law enforcement officer, obstruction and disorderly intoxication after she struck a deputy in the chest and kicked patrol car windows. She pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and obstruction and a judge withheld adjudication. She successfully fought to get her job back and stayed out of trouble for the rest of her career, ascending to assistant chief of operations.

O’Connor, who was 24 at the time of her arrest, called her actions a terrible decision by an immature person who made the most of her second chance at a career in law enforcement. She said the experience of getting arrested gave her valuable perspective that helped her as a cop and would help her as the department’s leader.

A range of public sentiment was conveyed in some three hours of comments by council members and members of the public who spoke before the vote. O’Connor looked on, flanked by her assistant chiefs Delgado and Lee Bercaw. Her husband Keith O’Connor, a retired Tampa assistant chief and now the city’s neighborhood enhancement manager, sat nearby with the couple’s two children.

Yvette Lewis, president of the Hillsborough branch of the NAACP, faulted what she called a lack of transparency and community input in O’Connor’s nomination.

“This process was flawed and needs to start over in order to build trust in the community,” Lewis told the council. She said the wounds from the bicycle citations are still open in the Black community.

Community activist Connie Burton agreed.

“Harm was done to the African American community, whether people were captains or mere officers, and now those same persons are asked to take the next level when they haven’t repaired the damage,” Burton said.

East Tampa resident Valerie Bullock also criticized the process and questioned whether Black people would have received the same sort of second chance after an arrest that O’Connor did.

“Today we throw out the red carpet for second chances,” Bullock said. “Is that just for today, just for certain people or is it for all people?”

Among O’Connor’s supporters were former Tampa police officers who worked under her and described her as an innovative, dedicated leader who holds her employees to a high standard and cares deeply about crime victims.

“Mary always reminded us that behind the numbers were actual people who deserve justice,” said Stephanie Puleo, a retired homicide detective.

Some who spoke in support of O’Connor acknowledged Delgado was their first choice, but said they were impressed with O’Connor after meeting her

Simon Canasi said Castor reached out to him and asked him to meet with O’Connor. He said he found her to be forthright, engaging and “ready to lead.”

“I judge people by the totality of their merits, not by an isolated incident and I would hope this council does the same,” Canasi said. He added, “I firmly believe that Ruben Delgado will be standing before you someday for his confirmation, but that day is not today.”

After the public comment and before the vote, O’Connor told the council that the last five weeks have allowed her to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones.

“We need to continue to allow this community to have a voice at the table so we can work together to come up with some real solutions to problems,” she said.

She emphasized what she called her four priorities: working “side-by-side with all community members;” ensuring the department has a robust officer safety and wellness program; reducing crime, especially violent offenses; and developing a strong “quality assurance program” for the department “to ensure everyone in the city is treated with dignity and respect.”

She said her work as a consultant for the Department of Justice and the FBI taught her it’s critical that police departments not only solve crime, but “identify the root causes of crime and work with our partners including social services to address those root causes.”

“Not only does addressing the root causes prevent crime, it also eases the burden on our officers and provides families with the services and help that they so truly need,” she said.

Speaking with reporters after the vote, O’Connor was asked what she would say to “naysayers” who spoke during the meeting.

“I say, ‘Give me a chance,’” she replied. “Let me talk to you, let me explain who I am, what I stand for and what this fine police department can do to turn the naysayers around.”

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