Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 2-18-22

Feature
Mayor Castor Appoints New Police Chief
Some issues of last week’s paper did not have the article on the new Police Chief.
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Mayor Jane Castor an- nounced Tuesday that Mary O’Connor had been selected for the city’s top police job. The final slate of candidates included O’Connor, In- terim Police Chief Ruben “Butch” Delgado, and Miami Police Depart- ment Assistant Chief Cherise Gause.
“While we had three very skilled candidates as finalists for the position of police chief, Mary stood out,” Mayor 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 dif- ferently.“
While at TPD, O’Connor worked closely with a Tampa Police Chaplain in implemen- tation and efficient running of a post-trauma training and retreat program to assist Tampa and other local police officers cope with symptoms of stress associated with first responder careers.
“After serving over two decades as a Tampa Police of- ficer, I had an opportunity to spend the last few years as- sisting major cities and police agencies nationwide with strategies to reduce violent crime and improve public trust. As our city has grown, the needs of our residents and the landscape of policing have also evolved. Tampa needs a bold approach to ad- dress the rise in gun crimes, ensure our department is cul- turally diverse, and restore safety to all our neighbor- hoods. But it will take all of us—police and community— coming together to achieve these goals.” Incoming Chief O’Connor said.
O’Connor spent over 20 years with the TPD and re- tired in 2016. As she rose through the ranks, O’Con- nor worked closely in the de- partment with Mayor Castor (who was chief) and with John Bennett, a former Tampa police assis- tant chief who is now Cas-
Mayor Jane Castor names retired police Major, Mary O’Connor as Tampa’s new Chief of Police.
Association and Yvette Lewis, president of the Hills- borough branch of the NAACP.
The third candidate, Miami Police Department As- sistant Chief Cherise Gause, was the first Haitian American Assistant Chief in Miami. She has been with the Miami Police department for over 27 years. She is currently an assistant Chief. In that role, she oversees a $276 mil- lion budget and roughly 1,750 employees.
At her promotion cere- mony to Assistant Chief in 2019, Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina spoke about her leadership abilities and declared that it was not only a good day for Little Haiti but for the entire city.”
The Rev. Dr. Glenn Dames, Jr., senior pastor of
Allen Temple AME Church felt that Assistant Chief Gause was the best choice.
“I respect the mayor’s right to appoint the person she wants, but I am disap- pointed that a woman who is educated, articulate, well- trained, and comes from a much larger department was- n’t appointed.”
“We deal with a lot of the same issues as Miami in terms of diversity. Tampa’s demographics of Black, Cuban, Haitian, and other ethnicities closely align. As- sistant Chief Gause also has a spotless record.”
“That said, I am open to collaborating with the new chief and pledge to support her, although she wasn’t my first choice. We all have to come together and work to make Tampa better.”
tor’s chief of staff.
Former Chief Brian
Dugan retired in September 2021. Castor choose Del- gado to serve as interim chief while she searched for a per- manent replacement.
Delgado will serve as the assistant police chief.
City Council members have to vote to approve O’- Connor, but would not comment on O’Connor’s appointment. City Council chairman, Orlando Gudes offered no opinion and City Council member, Joseph Citro said his first prefer- ence would have been to re- tain Delgado.
O’Connor spent several years as a sergeant and lieu- tenant in District 2, which covers north Tampa, focusing on economic crimes. As a major, she oversaw the crim- inal investigations division. As assistant chief, O’Connor oversaw patrol operations in each of the department’s three police districts.
Tonya Lewis, commu- nity activist and CEO of Chil- dren with A Vision stated that she was unfamiliar with O’- Connor, despite successfully working with TPD on multi- ple occasions throughout the years.
“I have never met her at all. With all my community service in all parts of Tampa, all neighborhoods. Never once have I ever run into her.”
“We need police officials who are familiar with all the communities in Tampa. We need fresh ideas so that as a city, we can heal. I pray that she puts an emphasis on community policing and building relationships.”
In addition to the support of City Council member Joseph Citro, Delgado has had significant support from the Tampa Police Benevolent
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