'I'm hoping that you'll just let us go': Tampa police chief resigns after golf cart traffic stop

Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor has resigned from her position as top cop of the department after an internal affairs investigation into last month's golf cart traffic stop in which body camera video showed her displaying her credentials and saying, "I'm hoping that you'll just let us go tonight."

The Nov. 12 encounter in Pinellas County involving O'Connor's husband did not meet the level of "high standards for ethical and professional behavior that apply to every member of our police force," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said in a statement Monday morning. O'Connor's husband was behind the wheel of the golf cart, which authorities say didn't have a license plate and was being driven outside a residential area.

According to the city, Castor made the request and received the resignation letter. O'Connor wrote, "I promised that I would serve the community I love to the best of my abilities, as I did for 22 years prior to retirement, and I feel that I've done just that."

Assistant Chief Lee Bercaw will serve as acting chief while a "comprehensive national search is conducted."

"Is your camera on?" O'Connor asked the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputy after he explained why he was conducting the traffic stop at a Truist bank in Oldsmar.

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