New Tampa Police Chief's Felony Arrest Doesn't Bode Well For City, Says Critics

TAMPA, FL — She's officially official.

Although Mary O'Connor, 51, has been serving as Tampa's police chief for more than a month, on Thursday the Tampa City Council voted 4-2 to seal the deal.

Council chairman Orlando Gudes and council member Bill Carlson voted against naming O'Connor to replace former Police Chief Brian Dugan who called it quits in September.

It was O'Connor's first chance to address the council since she was appointed by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor Feb. 8.

It was also the council's first opportunity to ask O'Connor some hard questions, including the circumstances of her felony arrest in 1995 and the transparency of the selection process that landed her the job.

But those questions were never asked. Instead, council members made cryptic comments about the process being "disrespectful" and "mishandled."

Only Carlson spoke up to say he thought the city should start the selection process over.

“I would ask the administration to start over, be respectful of the public, be respectful of the city council, let's be respectful of the balance of powers in the community, and let us be respectful of democracy in this country,” Carlson said.

The elephant in the room stemmed from O'Connor's arrest during a DUI traffic stop 26 years ago while a 24-year-old rookie Tampa police officer. She was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, obstruction and disorderly intoxication after she struck a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy and kicked the windows of a patrol car.

She ultimately pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and obstruction. She was fired but won her job back a year later and continued working for the department for 22 years, rising to the rank of assistant chief of operation before retiring in 2016.

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She then worked as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI and helped train law enforcement and criminal justice officials around the country.

She chalked her arrest up to immaturity and poor decision-making, adding that being given a second chance to prove herself is what shaped her into the kind of leader she is today — one that understands that humans are flawed and make mistakes but can redeem themselves.

Not everyone was willing to forget the past.

"Could someone please question the good old boy network at TPD and ask them how they allow a person to advance after receiving a battery on a police officer?" asked Yvette Lewis, president of the Hillsborough branch of the NAACP. “This process was flawed and needs to start over in order to build trust in the community."

Despite the fact that the city's top law enforcement officer once found herself handcuffed in the back of a patrol car, it wasn't her history that most concerned members of the council.

It was the process that led to her appointment as police chief.

After announcing his retirement, Dugan designated Assistant Police Chief Ruben Delgado as his de facto replacement, naming him interim chief.

Respected by both the Hispanic and Black communities in Tampa, he was the popular choice to be named permanent police chief.

So, both the council and the public were caught off guard Jan. 26 when Castor's office announced that she'd narrowed the field to three candidates: O'Connor, Delgado and Cherise Gause, an assistant chief with the Miami Police Department.

Castor then followed up two weeks later, announcing on Feb. 8 that she'd named O'Connor police chief.

“While we had three very skilled candidates as finalists for the position of the police chief, Mary stood out,” Castor said. “She brings to the table not just her innate knowledge of the Tampa Police Department, but her time spent with other police departments across the country. Mary understands where we may do things differently. “

The city's charter requires the city council to confirm the appointment, but at that point, the council hadn't even had a chance to meet and interview O'Connor, noted council member Joe Citro, chairman of the city council's public safety committee.

While Carlson said he believed O'Connor was qualified to lead the department's 1,000 sworn law enforcement officers and more than 350 civilian staff members, he thought the process have been subverted.

"Today, I think we have a great candidate but I have to set that aside and talk about process, and really it's not just process, this is about democracy. Democracy is at risk in this city and most of the calls I'm getting are not about the candidate, it's about protecting democracy in this city," Carlson said.

Gudes echoed Carlson's comments.

“I like you, Mary,” Gudes said. “I think you can do a good job. But the community has spoken and they feel disrespected.”

Council member Luis Viera, however, urged his fellow council members not to discount a qualified candidate simply because they felt the appointment had been "mishandled."

“I think we need to distinguish between the process and the very good record of this woman," he said. "We ought to say thank you to Mary O'Connor for her service a 110 percent. I don't think that's in dispute."

A stream of supporters and critics added their opinions to those of the council as O'Connor, dressed in her formal uniform, sat between her assistant police chief, Delgado and Lee Bercaw.

Seated nearby was her husband, Keith O'Connor, a retired assistant police chief for Tampa and now the city's neighborhood enhancement manager, and the O'Connors' two children.

When O'Connor finally had a chance to speak, she asked the council to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"For me, law enforcement was a calling, not a job or a profession. And 28 years ago I was called to the city of Tampa to serve the citizens," she said. "I am not yet done serving. I deeply care about this city, the people that call it home."

She told council that she has four simple goals as police chief: to work side by side with the community; provide a safety and wellness program for officers; reduce violent crime; and ensure that all members of the community are treated with dignity and respect.

When the council voted to confirm her, she responded, “Thank you, council. I won’t let you down.”

As for her critics, O'Connor pleaded, "Give me a chance. 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."

O'Connor is Tampa's 43rd chief of police and the second woman to head the department. The first was Castor, who served a police chief from 2009 to 2015.

Her salary is $193,000 a year.