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

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the only person who did something wrong when his deputy pulled over then-Tampa Police Chief O'Connor was her.

O'Connor 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."

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