TAMPA, Fla. — It's official — Lee Bercaw has been appointed the position of interim chief of police in Tampa.
Bercaw has been serving as acting chief since Mary O'Connor resigned from the position earlier this month. Tampa City Council voted unanimously on Thursday morning to officially give him the interim role.
“My role as interim chief is I promise to uphold the highest standard of law enforcement," Bercaw said at the city council meeting. "I will maintain the expectation for every officer to serve and protect all communities, treating each citizen with dignity, respect and professionalism in every encounter.”
Since Bercaw joined the Tampa Police Department in 1997, he has become known for his proactive crime reduction initiatives and his management of large-scale event security, the city wrote on its website.
The city says Bercaw has also been instrumental in developing quality-of-life improvements and crime reduction strategies.
In 2016, Bercaw was honored as an Outstanding Criminology Ambassador by the University of South Florida, which is where he earned his Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Criminology. Bercaw also earned a doctorate degree from St. Leo University.
Bercaw previously served as assistant police chief under Mary O'Connor who resigned on Dec. 5. An internal investigation found she used her position of authority to get out of a golf cart traffic stop last month.
As Bercaw leads the department in the interim, the city of Tampa will begin its search for a permanent chief of police. Mayor Jane Castor said the process will take several months.