TAMPA, Fla. — Mayor Jane Castor and Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan held a press conference Wednesday to discuss how the Mayor's Community Task Force will implement findings made by a USF professor.
On Saturday, USF Associate Professor of Criminology Dr. Bryanna Fox presented 17 key findings to the Mayor and TPD. These findings were developed based on "focus group discussions between community leaders, activitists, police officers and USF graduate students." You can watch Dr. Fox's presentation here.
The findings are divided into five pillars:
- Pillar 1: Building Trust and Legitimacy
- Pillar 2: Policy and Oversight
- Pillar 3: Technology and Social Media
- Pillar 4: Community Policing and Crime Reduction
- Pillar 5: Training and education
You can read more about Dr. Fox's findings here.
During the press conference, both Chief Dugan and Mayor Castor pledged their support for these findings and said they are committed to implementing them within the Tampa Police Department.
“This has been a tremendous collaborative process with the community, TPD and University of South Florida,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “Not only did USF so graciously offer Dr. Bryanna Fox and her student’s time, they provided a trusted third party perspective on ways we can move forward and implement the findings.
I’m incredibly encouraged by this process and look forward to seeing this conversation continue with actionable items that stress accountability and transparency. We are grateful to the participants that dedicated their time and thoughts to this important work so that we can shape the police department our community wants to see here in Tampa.”
Chief Brian Dugan said meaningful change and advancement comes as a result of listening, then taking action.
“I want to thank the members of the Mayor’s Task Force on Policing for being open during the workshops and honest in providing feedback," Dugan said. "After hearing their concerns, I have already authorized some immediate changes be made to policy language, while other suggestions may take longer to review or implement. I look forward to seeing the collaboration of the Tampa Police Department, Mayor’s Task Force, and USF bring about a better sense of transparency, understanding, and connection for the entire community”.
The City of Tampa says it will incorporate third-party accountability and oversight in order to keep the implementation of these findings on track.
In addition, both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Bay Buccanneers have pledged funding to provide additional oversight and research from Dr. Fox over the next year.
“We are proud of the steps our hometown is taking to listen to the community and improve public safety. By working together, we can make a difference here in Tampa and advance social justice nation-wide," Steve Griggs, CEO of the Tampa Bay Lightning said in a statement. "We are happy to do our part to ensure these recommendations are fully implemented in the Tampa Police Department and we look forward to a continued partnership between the City, TPD, and the community.”
“Since 2018, we have worked closely with our players through our Social Justice platform to enact positive change in and around the Tampa Bay area," Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Co-Owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers said in a statement. "We have focused on listening and educating ourselves on the issues that need to be addressed and are working to find solutions that ultimately make our neighborhoods safer for all. Police relations have been a focus of our programming and we support this joint effort to resolve these challenges facing our community.”
You can watch Mayor Castor and Chief Dugan's press conference here:
