Two Tampa Police Department officers resigned this week while the agency investigates allegations that they met with an emergency dispatcher and engaged in sexual activity while on duty, according to department records. The resignations appear in recent personnel files, and while the internal probe is still active, there have been no public criminal charges announced.
The Tampa Bay Times first reported the departures, noting that department records describe the officers as suspected of meeting with an emergency dispatcher and engaging in sexual activity while they were supposed to be working. The story was filed by Dan Sullivan, the paper's criminal justice reporter.
What department rules require
The Tampa Police Department's standard operating procedures direct that allegations of misconduct be investigated by Internal Affairs and give the chief authority to relieve employees from duty while a case is reviewed. Those procedures also say investigations receive formal dispositions and that discipline, under the city's personnel rules, can include dismissal. These administrative steps are outlined in Tampa Police SOP 527.
Additional information about the department and its structure, including the chief's role, is posted on the City of Tampa website, which describes how the police agency operates within city government.
Legal and certification consequences
So far, there are no public criminal filings tied to the officers' resignations. Florida's criminal justice licensing rules, however, allow the state commission to discipline or revoke an officer's certification for sexual misconduct on duty. Under commission rulemaking and guidance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, penalties can range from a reprimand to suspension or loss of certification, depending on what internal investigators find and whether any criminal case is filed. According to the Florida Administrative Code, licensing reviews can follow sustained findings of misconduct.
History and local context
This is not the first recent resignation at Tampa Police connected to alleged sex on duty. In July 2025, the Tampa Bay Times reported that a Tampa officer quit after being accused of having sex while on duty during an investigation, raising ongoing questions about accountability inside the department.
What happens next
Internal Affairs is expected to finish its administrative review and assign a disposition under department policy. If investigators uncover evidence of criminal conduct, prosecutors could be asked to review the case. Separately, any sustained administrative findings could trigger a licensing review by the Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission that may affect whether the former officers can work again in Florida law enforcement.
As of Tuesday, May 26, 2026, the department had not posted a public statement about the resignations. Information on department procedures is available in Tampa Police SOP 527, and the listing of Police Department headquarters at 411 North Franklin Street appears on the City of Tampa website.
