Over the past few weeks, the Tampa Police Department has been embroiled in accusations of excessive force, specifically against Black Lives Matter protesters, who have been calling for sweeping police reform and for the removal of Chief Brian Dugan.
Numerous photos and videos have surfaced showing officers firing rubber bullets and pepper spray at peaceful protesters by Tampa Police officers. While the department has repeatedly denied these allegations, reports show that use of force has been a defining characteristic of Chief Dugan’s reign, and has sharply increased since he took over the position in November of 2017.
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According to Tampa Police Department Professional Standards Bureau Annual reports obtained by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, since 2017 arrests have dropped by 17%, but use of force has increased by a staggering 24%. In 2017, there were 3,273 arrests that involved use of force beyond handcuffing, and in 2019 this number jumped to 4,055.
The department currently tracks 25 types of force used by officers to subdue detainees. Over the last three years, 15 of these categories witnessed significant increases, including a 41% increase in K-9 bites, a 38% increase in checks and open hand strikes, a 37% increase in techniques such as a bent wrist, a 24% increase in punches and kicks, and a 223% increase in the use of chemical agents.
These figures were pulled from the 2019 Response to Resistance report, which you can read below:
It’s worth noting that the specific type of chemical agent isn’t noted in the report, but the most common use of chemical agents by police departments is tear gas, which is a compound of chloroacetophenone (CN) and chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS), and pepper spray (or oleoresin capsicum). Both of these agents have been described by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as literal “poison,” and both are banned as a method of warfare following the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997.
Tampa Police Department spokesperson Eddy Durkin confirmed to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the majority of the 223% increase in chemical agents mentioned in these reports is in fact pepper spray. It’s also worth noting, again, that the department has continually denied the use of pepper spray against protesters, despite photos, video and eyewitness testimony.
However, despite the massive increase in use of force, the TPD has also somehow experienced a dramatic decrease in the percentage of complaints that have resulted in internal affairs investigations, which dropped from nearly 10% in 2017 to less than 5% in 2019.
On a similar note, since 2017 there have been 39 registered complaints against the Tampa Police Department alleging biased-based policing, which includes factors like race, ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, religion, economic status, age, and culture, etc.
Of those complaints, zero were even investigated.
This should be concerning, considering the fact a recent report from the Orlando Sentinel found that the Tampa Police Department is overwhelming white. “The Tampa Police Department’s officers are 69% white; the city is 45% white,” the Sentinel wrote.
Last week, Dugan went on Fox & Friends to complain that his department “can’t win,” against Tampa’s near daily protests. “If we show up and take action, we’re heavy handed, it’s excessive force,” said Dugan.
“But these peaceful protests, these demonstrations they turn on a dime and they can turn on the cops very quickly and then it just becomes difficult,” the chief added.
In the interview, Dugan described an incident where he wasn’t sure if it was a protest or a block party, but maintained that his officers were “ambushed,” claiming bottles were thrown and injuries were inflicted. However, residents of the neighborhood say there was no “ambush,” and that it was actually a weekly party that cops have ignored for at least a year. Despite requests, TPD has not released any 911 calls, dashcam footage, or bodycam footage of the incident.
All of this comes as a recent petition was created calling for Mayor Jane Castor to fire Dugan. In the petition, which currently has over 1,500 signatures, protesters shared multiple photos of bruises and welts, presumably from rubber bullets.
UPDATE: This story has been updated with comments from TPD spokesman Eddy Durkin. The article also originally stated that chemical agent use increased by 465% since 2017. But Durkin clarified in a later email that the report from 2017 only shows incidents and not individuals, a reporting format that the department changed in 2018. This number is now 223%.
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This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2020.
