TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has requested and received the resignation of Police Chief Mary O'Connor.

The move comes after an Internal Affairs investigation into a recent traffic stop involving O'Connor. 

O'Connor was placed on administrative leave Friday by Castor.

On Nov. 12, O'Connor and her husband were stopped by a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputy while riding in a golf cart without a license plate outside of a residential area in Oldsmar. The incident was recorded on the deputy's body-worn camera and can be viewed below. It was released Thursday by the police department.

During the exchange, O'Connor told the deputy she was Tampa's police chief, showed identification and said “I’m hoping you will let us go tonight."

The deputy eventually let them leave the scene.

The internal review found O’Connor violated regulations on standards of conduct and "abuse of position or identification."

In her resignation letter, O'Connor said, "I would never want my personal mistake to stand in the way of the progress I have made in mending relationships between the police department and the community."

She said she became the chief of police against all odds and is eternally grateful. She touts prioritizing community engagement, decreasing violent crime, focusing on officer wellness and said it was with great sadness she resigns.

Castor said she doesn't regret supporting O'Connor for the job earlier this year but said she was disappointed in O'Connor's actions.

"I made that decision and as I stated she had done a lot of positive things in her early tenure and I was very hopeful for the advancement she would make," Castor said. "But it comes down to the importance of integrity."

O'Connor said last week of the traffic stop: "It was poor judgment on our part to be driving a golf cart on a public roadway without the appropriate tags. This was the first time we had exited the golf-cart friendly community in which we own property with this vehicle, prompting the need for a license plate."

In a Zoom interview between TPD's Professional Standards Bureau and the former chief, O'Connor says there is one thing she would’ve done differently.

“I should not have asked him to let us go. You know, I did not want to put him in a bad spot and make him feel like he should have been pressured to not give us a citation,” she said.

LISTEN: This is the Mary O'Connor interview that was part of an internal investigation.

Assistant Chief Lee Bercaw, a 25-year veteran of the department, will serve as acting chief while a comprehensive national search is conducted.

"We all have to be ready to jump into the next position, you never know what's going to happen," Bercaw said. "And with the confidence the mayor has in me and that I have and knowing that our department is doing a great job, and not one blemish is going to impact our department."

The reaction was immediate out of City Hall last week

Councilman Bill Carlson was one of two on the council against confirming O’Connor as chief in the first place. He cited concerns with not only the process but also charges she faced as a rookie cop when she pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and obstruction.

“When you hand your business card and you say, ‘If you need something in Tampa let me know,’ well the message that sends to the residents of Tampa is that some people get special treatment in Tampa,” Carlson said.

On Nov. 12, Chief Mary O'Connor and her spouse were stopped by a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputy while riding in a golf cart without a license plate outside of a residential area in Oldsmar. The incident was recorded on the Pinellas SO deputy's body worn camera and can be viewed here.

O’Connor, 51, was named chief in February.

She served the Tampa Police Department for 22 years, rising to the rank of assistant chief before retiring in 2016.

Since then, O'Connor had spent time extensively traveling the country, teaching and providing subject matter expertise and training to law enforcement and criminal justice executives.

She also served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Meanwhile, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Deputy Larry Jacoby, the deputy involved in the stop, has his full support.

“Deputy Larry Jacoby did absolutely nothing wrong. I stand by him 110 percent. The person who did wrong was Mary O’Connor,” said Gualtieri.

As for any criticism about O’Connor not getting a citation, Gualtieri said fewer than 20% of traffic stops conducted by deputies result in citations.

“The outcome wouldn’t have been any different if she just kept her mouth shut. Unless there was aggravating circumstances or extenuating circumstances, that’s a warning all day long,” said Gualtieri.