Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-11-22

Feature
Mayor Castor Appoints 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 in- cluded O’Connor, Interim Po- lice Chief Ruben “Butch” Delgado, and Miami Police Department Assistant Chief Cherise Gause.
“While we had three very skilled candidates as finalists for the position of police chief, Mary stood out,” Mayor Cas- tor said. “She brings to the table not just her innate knowl- edge of the Tampa Police De- partment, but her time spent with other police departments across the country. Mary un- derstands where we may do things differently.“
While at TPD, O’Connor worked closely with a Tampa
Police Chaplain in implementa- tion and efficient running of a post-trauma training and re- treat 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 offi- cer, I had an opportunity to spend the last few years assist- ing 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 land- scape of policing have also evolved. Tampa needs a bold approach to address the rise in gun crimes, ensure our depart- ment is culturally diverse, and restore safety to all our neigh- borhoods. But it will take all of us—police and community— coming together to achieve
Mayor Jane Castor names retired police Major, Mary O’Connor as Tampa’s new Chief of Police. (Photo by BRUNSON)
these goals.” Incoming Chief O’Connor said.
O’Connor spent over 20 years with the TPD and retired
INTERIM POLICE CHIEF RUBEN “BUTCH” DELGADO
in 2016. As she rose through the ranks, O’Connor worked closely in the department with Mayor Castor (who was chief) and with John Bennett, a former Tampa police assistant chief who is now Castor’s chief of staff.
Former Chief Brian Dugan retired in September 2021. Castor choose Delgado to serve as interim chief while she searched for a permanent replacement.
Delgado will serve as the as- sistant police chief.
City Council members must 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 preference would have been to retain Del- gado.
O’Connor spent several years as a sergeant and lieu- tenant in District 2, which cov- ers north Tampa, focusing on economic crimes. As a major, she oversaw the criminal inves- tigations division. As assistant chief, O’Connor oversaw pa- trol operations in each of the department’s three police dis- tricts.
Tonya Lewis, community activist and CEO of Children with A Vision stated that she was unfamiliar with O’Con- nor, despite successfully work- ing with TPD on multiple occasions throughout the years.
“I have never met her at all. With all my community service in all parts of Tampa, all neigh- borhoods. Never once have I ever run into her.”
“We need police officials who are familiar with all the com- munities in Tampa. We need fresh ideas so that as a city, we can heal. I pray that she puts an emphasis on community polic-
MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT CHIEF CHERISE GAUSE
ing and building relationships.” In addition to the support of City Council member Joseph Citro, Delgado has had sig- nificant support from the Tampa Police Benevolent Asso- ciation and Yvette Lewis, president of the Hillsborough
branch of the NAACP.
The third candidate, Miami
Police Department Assistant Chief Cherise Gause, was the first Haitian American Assis- tant Chief in Miami. She has been with the Miami Police de- partment for over 27 years. She is currently an assistant Chief. In that role, she oversees a $276 million budget and roughly 1,750 employees.
At her promotion ceremony to Assistant Chief in 2019, Miami Police Chief Jorge Col- ina 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 disappointed that a woman who is educated, articulate, well-trained, and comes from a much larger de- partment wasn’t appointed.”
“We deal with a lot of the same issues as Miami in terms of diversity. Tampa’s demo- graphics of Black, Cuban, Hait- ian, and other ethnicities closely align. Assistant Chief Gause also has a spotless record.”
“That said, I am open to col- laborating with the new chief and pledge to support her, al- though she wasn’t my first choice. We all have to come to- gether and work to make Tampa better.”
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