Castor named Tampa Police Chief

Castor named Tampa Police Chief

Mayor Pam Iorio has named Jane Castor as the city’s newest police chief. The openly lesbian officer has served as the department’s liaison to the LGBT community for six years and has worked on the force for nearly 25 years.

Major media outlets have made a big to-do over Castor as the department’s first female police chief in the city’s history. Tampa is also now the largest city in Florida with a woman in the top law enforcement post. But Castor says that gender is simply not relevant to her new job.

“The significance of being the first female is certainly not lost on me,” she said. “But frankly, I’d rather be known as a good chief than the first female.”

The promotion of Castor seemed like a no-brainer to Iorio, who said she didn’t see any need to begin a nationwide search to replace retiring Police Chief Stephen Hogue.

In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Hogue said he is confident in Iorio’s choice.
“Jane Castor, at the end of her tenure, is going to be recognized as the best chief this city has ever had,” the six-year outgoing chief said.

Castor, who has spoken at several LGBT-functions, including the Tampa Bay Business Guild, held an active role in helping convict Steven Lorenzo of Seminole Heights for crimes associated with the murders of Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz.

This is not the first time that the sexual orientation of a Tampa police officer has been in the news. In 2001, Master Police Officer Lois Marrero was gunned down in the line of duty, on the morning that the city’s LGBT Pride celebration was taking place. While the city mourned, it also wrestled with a battle between Marrero’s partner, Mickie Mashburn, and her family of origin over Marrero’s pension benefits. In 2004, Mayor Iorio authorized domestic partner benefits for all Tampa city employees, including police officers.

“We think [Castor’s appointment] is incredible,” Equality Florida’s Brian Winfield said of Castor’s promotion. “She’s been instrumental in building a bridge of communication, and she’s built a trust that is exceptional and unfortunately rare in the rest of the state.”

Castor, who was president of her police academy class, began her law enforcement career with the Tampa Police Department as a street cop and became assistant chief of police in 2005. Castor said she had not planned her career path. Originally she wanted to be a police academy instructor.

Castor, who is partnered and has two boys, will oversee the Tampa Police Department’s $133 million budget and 1,300 employees. The Tampa City Council is expected to approve her appointment on Oct. 1, and Castor will assume her new office immediately.

More in Tampa Bay

See More