Is this police code?

December 9, 2022 10:18 AM

I've seen the footage of the Tampa police chief flashing her badge to get out of a ticket, and I'm confused.

Tampa police chief Mary O'Connor was in a golf cart when it was stopped because it didn't have the proper tag.

She asked the officer "Is your camera on?"

Is this police code for "Turn off your camera." or "Delete the following interaction."

As the aftermath showed, this recording cost her her job. Did she expect it to vanish?

posted by Marky to Law & Government (2 answers total)

When I watched it, I believe she was trying to assess whether she would order him to shut it down or just suggest it. I think she believed suggesting it would have been fine but if the camera was off she would have fronted more in order to look powerful in front of the other person in the cart.
posted by dobbs at 10:55 AM on December 9, 2022

It should be code for "can I speak freely?", as in, openly ask for a professional favor in exchange for hints of future favors. But when he says that yes, it is on,she should have adjusted and not been so unprofessional on camera. Instead, she openly asked for the favoritism and offered that he could in exchange call her for anything he needed.

Maybe she was drunk, because she goofed big time.
posted by Dip Flash at 3:07 PM on December 9, 2022 [3 favorites]