<div style="display:inline" class="fn">Jane Castor</div>
Jane Castor | |
|---|---|
| Candidate for Mayor of Tampa | |
| Chief of the Tampa Police Department | |
| In office September 2009 – 2015 | |
| Appointed by | Pam Iorio |
| Preceded by | Steve Hogue |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Tampa (Criminology) |
| Born | |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Jane Castor served as the first woman and first openly gay chief of the Tampa Police Department, being appointed to the position by then-Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio in September 2009.[1] She served as chief police until 2015. On April 19, 2018, Castor filed as a mayoral candidate for Tampa.[2]
Personal Life[edit]
Castor played on the University of Tampa's volleyball and basketball team. She graduated from the University of Tampa in 1981 with a degree in criminology. In 2006, she was inducted into UT's Athletic Hall of fame.[1]
In 2002, Castor married to former-assistant chief of the St. Petersburg Police Department, Melanie Jean Bevan. They have two adopted sons. Bevan filed for a divorce on July 12, 2018. Castor has been in a long-term relationship with Ana Marie Cruz.[3]
Castor lives in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa.[4]
Professional Career[edit]
Tampa Police Department[edit]
Prior to becoming the chief of the Tampa Police Department, Castor served in the department for 25 years, working as the assistant police chief and in patrol, narcotics, sex crimes and criminal intelligence. She also served as the department's liaison to the gay and lesbian community.[1]
During Castor's tenure as chief, crime in Tampa reduced by 70%.[2]
Biking While Black Controversy[edit]
Her tenure was marked with controversy for her introduction of a program in 2012 that targeted minor infractions, many related to bicyclists. Over the program's three years duration, over 2,504 tickets were written for bicyclists, 80% of whom were black (approximately 25% of the city's population is black). The Tampa Bay Times mounted an investigation that found the program targeted "poor, black neighborhoods with an obscure subsection of a Florida statute that outlaws things most people have tried on a bike, like riding with no light or carrying a friend on the handlebars." In 2015, Castor defended the program saying "Many individuals receiving bike citations are involved in criminal activity" and that bikes were "the most common mode of transportation for criminals" because the police department had done so well at cutting down on auto thefts.[5]
Castor admitted the program was a mistake the week before she filed to be a candidate for mayor.[2]
Castor Consulting LLC[edit]
After serving as chief of Tampa's police chief, Castor founded Castor Consulting, a law enforcement consulting agency. Through the firm, she typically gives presentations to police departments in cities with high crime rates where she advocates for proactive policing.[3][4]
2019 Tampa Mayoral Election[edit]
Castor filed to be a mayoral candidate on April 19, 2018. Ashely Walker, a political consultant who ran Barack Obama's 2012 campaign, is running Castor's campaign. The Political Action Committee associated with her campaign is "Tampa Strong".[2]
Recognitions[edit]
In 2008, when she was assistant police chief, Castor was named the Law Enforcement Executive of the Year by the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 September 17, 2009. The University of Tampa. UT Alumna Jane Castor Named Next Tampa Police Chief
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 April 19, 2018. Tampa Bay Times. Former Chief Castor Makes it Official: She's in the Race for Tampa Mayor
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 July 12, 2018. Florida Politics. Jane Castor Hit with Divorce Suit
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 March 22, 2018. Creative Loafing. Jane Says: Former Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor on Tampa Price, Life After TPD and That Announcement
- ↑ April 17, 2015. Tampa Bay Times. How Riding Your Bike Can Land You in Trouble with the Cops--If You're Black
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