Then-Tampa Police Chief O'Connor should have kept mouth shut, Pinellas sheriff says 

The Chief wasn't the driver of the cart. She should have just sat there and let the driver get what he was going to get.

At least she had the decency to resign. She showed poor judgement and a lack of integrity. A Chief with those faults has no place atop a police agency of any size. This Sheriff has the absolute right of it. Most traffic stops result in warnings because the stop is mostly about correcting behavior not punishment of behavior. The deputy did nothing wrong. The Chief did and he spells out her failings.

It's not about getting a break, it's the fact she used her position to gain favor

Yeah right. She handed him a business card and said if there was anything that he needed unbelievable

We investigated ourselves and found no wrong doing..............

The problem is she asked for and received special treatment.

how about charging the corrupt sheriff....he is 100% a criminal and corrupt

The deputy did do something wrong too. If the sheriffs department is not giving tickets to every person they pull over that broke the law, because you can only pull someone over if they’re breaking the law, then the deputies are just as negligible at upholding the law as the police chief was. The sheriff is wrong, stating “it’s a golf cart, who cares”. If no one cares, then why pull them over? If no one cares, does that mean anyone can just drive the golf cart on public roads? What a hypocrite sheriff

What if she had drugs in her, why didn't she get searched? Why didn't they run a dog around the golf cart lol or do a sobriety test on the driver? Most cops are looking and searching for a reason to arrest citizens...

This Sheriff deputy gave the Tampa Police Chief special treatment and when it comes to Joe Public, they do not get special treatment but will be fined or arrested. How can the Pinellas Sheriff say that his deputy did nothing wrong, when his deputy body cam clearly shows shows that he did not do his job. The Tampa police resigned after an internal investigation, but the Pinellas deputy will allows a prominent public figure to go free. No way Sheriff, this deputy is the part of this scandal and the right thing you should have done, was to fire that deputy. It is clear that the Pinellas Sheriff covers for his deputies despite clear video footage is screaming the obvious facts.

Deputy Jacobi let a cop off the hook . As usual we investigated ourselves and found nothing wrong . The least he should have done is report it immediately to internal affairs .

The cop that pulled them over should be fired as well for 1. releasing the video that screws over a fellow LE over something so minuscule 2) accepting bribes.

…it’s almost becoming a guarantee that any time you hear “he (or she) did nothing wrong!” it’s literally because he (or she) did something wrong. That was a horrible look. Your officer was clearly intimidated, but you’re acting as if there’s no higher standard for LAW ENFORCEMENT in a country where the Constitution has an entire amendment devoted to equal protection under THE LAW.

How silly to pull over a golf cart

The stats he's quoting show they're making way too many traffic stops.

They all do it. Ask for special treatment. I don''t know why all of the hoopla. This country has much bigger crime issues and problems they should be dealing with other than a traffic ticket in a darn golf cart for goodness sake!

Get your boots on it starts with the bullshit being pretty deep

For reall are we kidding? She fired for a name drop. They better keep that same energy for everyone else.

Officer discretion. Plain and simple.

is this the same Florida where cop shoots a crackhead carrying a bb gun and kills partner?

"We only ticket 20% of the Folks we pull over" Begs the question, then why were the other 80% pulled over.

Speaking power to truth! Thanks for the blunt honesty, double fund the police, my nose is clear, I picked it, I can breathe!

We live way out in a Rural area here in Texas with very little Traffic most of the time. My Youngest Son has been stopped for Speeding (and I do mean SPEEEEEDING, LOL) more times than I can Count and he's only been cited one time, he was let off with a warning the rest of those times. I, on the other hand, have been stopped in the past for speeding (5-10 miles over the 70 mph speed limit ) probably 4 or 5 times in my 50 years of driving and I've been ticketed for every single one. When People ask if I was Mad about being given a ticket, I told them "No, The Officer was doing the Job he was hired to do". And as far as being "given" a ticket....I told them I wasn't "Given" anything....I EARNED each and every one of them, LOL! 🤣🤣

Tampa Mayor Jane Caster new statement should read: Former TPC Mary O'Connor is now standing out in disgrace across our nation.

my step-grandfather was a retired captain on the vernon police dept. it's in southern calif. near LA. He drove his car like a bat out of hell all the time, from light to light, ok and he drank so he's semi drunk and he would get pull over, the officer would ask for his license and he would take out his bill fold and flip it open and his badge, that said retired on it, would be visible, big time ok . the officer would ask if he had been a cop and he would tell them yes, they would let him go with a warning to just slow it down. it's a club just like the elks lodge, masonic temple, whatever. it ain't ever going to change ok, ever. that's what she was hoping for, probably was drinking and wasn't thinking clearly when she ask if his camera was on and still blabs her mouth to let them go ok. there are more dishonest cops out there than honest ones ok and that will never change. people with power abuse that power every day in this country. that's why she resigned before she was fired to keep her benefits and they all want this to go away cause it shines light on the entire police departments around the country. like cockroaches in the night.

The last 75 years no police chief has ever gotten a ticket from my Trooper

Cop covering cop

The officer that let her off should also be FIRED!!!!!!!! Sheriff Bob Gualtieri is completely wrong! The people Sheriff Bob, have a right to question this situation and what you and your officer did in this situation. This is why people distrust the police! Just for that fact alone!!! The officer should have been disciplined over this period!!!!!!!

I'm willing to bet he was drinking and driving and got a pass, why use a golf cart?

"She was running her mouth." "She should have kept her mouth shut." = He's so unrefined. His unrefined manner of speaking is typical of most people in this country.

I don't doubt the numbers & statistics cited. I'm sure the deputy would have let an affluent couple living in a gated community off with a warning even if she didn't produce her badge. I'd love to see how those citation statistics match up across income divides or along racial lines.

This dude making excuses. They would have treated all of us differently. It's a DUI. Any of us woulda been put in jail.

The police in FLA are bred differently. Must be the water.

For the chief to ask for a "break" was dead wrong. For the deputy to not issue a citation was a judgment call. If it can be shown that he has cited every other golf cart driver for the same violation, you can say he demonstrated preferred treatment to the chief by not citing the driver, her hubby (also a retired asst chief). If the deputy wanted to issue a warning for a violation that isn't worth issuing its his option. No need to jeopardize a career over something so simple. Stupidity is no reason to end a career. And if they did get a citation, simply pay the damn thing and get on w life. I'm certain they could afford the fine.

At least they didn't use golfcart to ram a gun store,whoever pulled over golf cart should be proud to have stopped a DANGEROUS criminal

Good ol boy network!!! 👁️👄👁️

So why even stop them?

91k traffic stops only 16k get tickets? Why are you harassing 75k people for no apparent reason? Don't say these were only warnings.....

It was an unlicensed golf cart, against the law. The officer was in the wrong. The male (presumably the husband) was in the wrong, she had nothing to do with the stop, should have kept her mouth shut. The male(husband/boyfriend) looked like he may have been drinking, did the officer smell alcohol on his breath?

Laws are laws. Not meant to be broken. The whole situation did not look good. Make excuses you want too but it still is breaking the law.

Another incompetent 👮‍♂️cop!!

The sheriff has a great suntan for a working executive. Maybe he's got a rooftop deck on the SAB.

I worked for an absolute 💩 chief of police who created such a hostile and toxic work environment that I left after 19 years on the job to go work for a different agency for less money. He’s currently under internal investigation for sexual harassment and creating that hostile work environment. He did not resign and is trying to fight it. There are narcissists and abusive people in all professions but in my experience the military and policing professions seem to elevate them to leadership positions disproportionately to other career fields.

Police officer should’ve just kept his mouth shut and issued the golf cart driver a ticket for the fine. Don’t become a sissy just because she flashed her badge. End of discussion. Don’t say he did just fine. He did not finish his duty.

They obviously made her resign and it’s overboard because she barely did anything wrong… people must have been waiting on her to slip for other reasons

“Never Miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut.” Anonymous

Every cop that ever lived flashed the badge when getting pulled over. Not saying it is right but they were on a golf cart folks.

I disagreed with the sheriff. To say that the deputy did nothing wrong is a flat out lie. She asked for special treatment and she got it. It’s right there on the camera. The public needs to start pushing harder for the deputy to be punished or fired. If there’s a big enough outcry something will be done

I have a feeling the numbers being listed for traffic stops and citations do not include arrests. Could we get confirmation as to whether or not that is the case?

Sadly she resigned before they could fire her. Which based on an article from a local paper, she was arrested in 1995 for battery against a police officer while her then boyfriend now husband also a Tampa officer was being arrested for DWI. Both were given a second chance... he made assistant chief and retired in 19, she pushed on and became chief, "against all odds" according to her. No, silver platter.

Monday morning quarterbacking. Easy to say you wouldn't, unitil you actually do.

even if this "less than 20%" figure is right, one has to then wonder "who" get the tickets as a "brown" person i have been pulled over time after time, and i seriously doubt i have been "educated" more than twice, the rest i have been ticked (and in some case, i was NOT doing anything wrong, they just made up the traffic violation. as if i would run a red light in DC at 11pm whilte the cruiser is behind me, and more cases)

listen to this cop lying .. I got a ticket for the light over the rear license plate was out !! Liar

Guessing on his counts that many of the stops were multiple tickets to the same person. So that is an even lower percentage.

what about the people " Traffic Stops" that were taken to jail??? I get it they may not have gotten a ticket. But your numbers do not tell the REAL story, True they fit your narrative!

“Rules for thee, but not for me”.!!! Plain & simple!!!

I actually felt bad for the officer, watching the video because she put him in a bad position!🤷‍♂️🙄

I take exception to his statement about tickets. driving for 50+ years I only remember 3 times being stopped and not getting a ticket. the first was a DWI checkpoint. the second was for my tag light out. the cop lied about that and the third was for the back of my car riding low, I had my tool chest with tools in the trunk. all three times they did not have probable cause.

Except he didn’t ID them or do field sobriety by a guy who looked to potentially be intoxicated

The deputy DID cut her a break. His shock in his voice when he hears who she is was followed by a hello how are you attitude she was not given when he approached initially. You have no way of proving he didn't cut her a break and all the actions suggest he did. He should have wrote the citation because she is an officer of the law.

I respect you Sheriff but saying the Deputy handled it 100% like he would any other stop is just plain wrong. No officer would let a regular citizen go just because their spouse requested they do. They deputies, at least would run the their names. Your deputy did none of that. Didn't even ask the drivers name.

How does a news channel, in the 21st century, not have stereo microphones?

I applaud this police chief. A real human being. Such minor b*******, getting so much attention and energy. What in the world has happened to this incredible country of ours?

The mere act of driving the cart, even if while obeying all traffic laws, was the infraction. The golf cart was not road worthy. He should not have let them go on their way. It was a mandatory impound. The deputy absolutely did do O'Connor a favor by letting them resume driving. That was intentionally allowing them to resume committing the infraction.

That’s what happens when someone loses themselves to their position and power. Professional courtesy should be illegal.

what about the corrupt cop who let her go /

Lol, the only right thing for the deputy to have done was to arrest her on the spot for the bribe.

OKAY WHAT THE HELL AM i MISSING.... professional courtesy. WTF. HIS HYPOCRISY IS AMAZING. He never spoke on behalf of a friend or family member to another cop.

how many of those 'traffic stops' were unnecessary or unlawful

She could've been more subtle with it. After she handed her license and registration I'm sure the cop would've ran the info and find out who she was. Then he would've let her go

I guess they're fine with having deputies with zero integrity on their force. The sheriff apparently doesn't see anything wrong with that. 🙄 Because his demeanor definitely changed when she mentioned who she was. So the "he did absolutely nothing wrong" line doesn't work here. I guess that entire sheriffs department has zero integrity.

Fire the cop that let her walk.

Most of us think when we are stop by a cop we are going to end up DOA.,and that's why we run and still ended DOA

She was drunk or had some drinks. She wasnt actually even involved. Shouldve kept her mouth shut.

I find it interesting he got all these stats on normal stops but how many tickets have you issued to people operating golf carts?

they are all completely full of it.

Bet he punishes the cop that pulled her over

If the cop who gave her preferential treatment did nothing wrong then why did she need to resign? Clearly, this is utter nonsense on the part of the cop in the video. She asked for and got preferential treatment and both her and the cop should go.

The officer didn’t have probable cause to pull her over

I don't get to tell any police officer "If you need anything let me know, wink"...

Oh he did exactly what his job was? I'm sure nobody else would ever say hey I'm the sheriff to this officer and then the officer would just walk away with her business card. While thinking in the back of his head boy I got a favor from the sheriff

Officer should have asked for ID of the driver.

Why did he stop them to begin with? It's ridiculous.

He let her husband off. Whether or not by her statement as being "chief" the appearance of getting a favor from a fellow cop is there. He should have issued the ticket to remove all shadows of doubt.

"She asked for special treatment and she didn't get it." Whoa. Wait a minute now. Did he look at the same video as the rest of us? All that talk about Jacoby doing exactly what he was supposed to may have turned out true had the chief not "implied" a sort of professional courtesy privilege. But the fact is, as soon as she brought up that she was police chief, the tone and tenor of the deputy completely changed and he immediately went into an accommodating mode instead of, as the sheriff above suggested, an "educational" mode. And I'm okay with that. Everybody knows that cops give other cops a break especially on minor traffic violations. And that's fine. Every job has it's perks. But for this sheriff to stand there and boldly claim that doesn't happen is simply a lie. I'm sorry, but a lie is a lie and there's just no polite way to say that.

Hey how about getting rid of the criminal police unions and a complete outlaw on qualified immunity?

01:31 - "So, the outcome wouldn't have been any different if she had just kept her mouth shut." ...after she found out the camera was on. There, fixed it for him.

The old "do you know who I am?" tactic.

I heard him say ~ she was only ___ yards from her house. Something like this - But we do Not know if they were about to stop riding in their golf cart or they were going further for an evening drive.

She shouldn't have been hired in the first place. Toxic hire who was fired in the 90s and never should haven't gotten her job back. She was also required to live in Tampa not in a gated community in Pinellas county.

I like this guy - he's got the stats!

I believe she should have just sat there and said nothing. By pulling out her badge and asking for a quid pro quo and on camera no less she signed her termination papers.

Bleah. Why the hell did the cop even bother then.

Is it 100% or 110%?

So you're saying you've unnecessarily pulled over 74,000 people this year! Worst Sheriff ever!!!!!!!

Let me Educate you here... Article 1 Section 9 & 10 No Bill's of Attainer... 18 USC 242 deprivation of Rights under the color of law.. Those Policy's, Statutes, Code, Mandates, Rules and reg's are NOT LAW,, They are the Color of law... Rights are the Law.. Hale V Henkel 201 U.S 43.. And you can't take a God Given Right (The Right to motion, The Right to travel in the Private) Turn it into a Privilege, License it and charge a fee... Thats the Law..The case law on this is endless... And this Sheriff knows it.... These are Servants...II Am Jur 1st Constitutional Law 329 pg 1135 States personal Liberty largely consists of the Right to Locomotion to go where and when ones pleases.. So how many times did this Sheriff say he violates the Rights of the People under the Color of Law? 18 USC 242.. Fines. Penalties and Sentences for those that Violate the Peoples Rights also under 18 USC 3571...I can write a lot more on this subject.. But here is one more thing... The lower courts are not even part of our 3 branches of Government... They are Foreign to this Republic.....

Light Traffic Stop with no tags ??? No insurance? It’s 100 yards away when never happens to me MR scam bag…

D.U.I. isn't "aggravating circumstances?" I don't think the cop would have let an ordinary citizen go without an arrest or a ticket at the very least. So yes, he did do her a favor. He didn't ticket or arrest her husband.

WHATTTTTTTT!!??? They were riding around on a golf cart.!! If that would’ve been anyone else we would still be in jail!!!! This bald guy is lying!!! Plain and simple!!!

Gualtieri--"We investigated ourselves and found No wrongdoing!". Next year, "Every dept has a few Bad Apples". 3 years later, "The FBI & this Consent Decree is waaay out of line. We've been addressing these problems IF we find them."