TAMPA, Fla. — A questionnaire from a Tampa police union is raising eyebrows because of some of the questions they’re asking political candidates hoping to get their endorsement.
“They didn’t target any other race, they didn’t target any other ethnicity,” Yvette Lewis from the NAACP of Hillsborough County said. “But they target the black community.”
Lewis is talking about a leaked survey for political candidates hoping to get endorsement from the Tampa Benevolent Police Association.
Questions in the 28-quesiton survey ranged from:
“Do you have a social media account” to “Have you ever supported Black Lives Matter?”
At a city council meeting on Thursday, Councilman Orlando Gudes, a former Tampa Police officer, condemned the survey which also had questions like “Have you ever participated in a protest against police brutality?”
“As a Black man, I was kind of offended by some of the questions,” Gudes said. “I’m hopeful that the PBA will evaluate the survey and come out and maybe apologize to the community.”
The Tampa Police Benevolent Association sent 10 Tampa Bay a statement.
"Like other groups, The Tampa Police Benevolent Association uses its questionnaire to help determine the depths and extent of a political candidate's experiences and positions as they relate to police and our membership without regard to party, race, orientation or gender.
"We value candor and honesty in the process and we have even endorsed individuals who differ and disagree with us on issues because they were the right person for the job. To describe our intentions in any other light is not only dishonest, but shameful and indicative of the discourse many politicians in our area want to continue in order to distract from their own personal and professional shortcomings."
Lewis says she has been taking calls from Tampa Police officers who were unaware of what was written in the survey, who she says were upset to find out about the questions.
We asked her if she was surprised by the questions in the survey.
“No, I’m not surprised,” Lewis said. “And it hurts that I had to say that. It hurts that there are some people who are supposed to protect us, who still feel that way about us.”
Lewis says she is calling for all candidates running for office to reject and denounce the survey until it is changed.
Just a few years ago in 2019, the Tampa PBA’s endorsement questionnaire for city council was only five questions long, regarding subjects like pensions and contract negotiations.