Delvin White was terminated from employment with the Tampa Police Department for violations of policy that prohibit discriminatory conduct. White, an eight-year veteran of the department, was most recently assigned as a School Resource Officer at Middleton High School.
On November 13, 2020, White was on a phone call when his body-worn camera captured him referencing a group of people as “ghetto N******”. While under investigation, White informed his supervisor that there was another incident, on November 30, 2020, where he used the “N” word while making an arrest. The body-worn camera captured White using the derogatory language twice while effecting an arrest for trespassing.
“Derogatory statements made by police officers jeopardize the trust that our department works to establish with our community”, said Chief Brian Dugan. “Tampa Police officers are held to a higher standard and incidents like this negatively impact the entire law enforcement profession”.
The City of Tampa Personnel Manual B1.2 Discriminatory Conduct states, in part, that “violation of this policy shall be grounds for immediate dismissal in the absence of extenuating circumstances”.