Tampa PD Chief Fires Assistant Chief Over Sig Sauer Scandal

0:00It's April 29th. Welcome to Tampa Bay News today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. Tampa Police Chief Libra Call fired assistant chief Ruth Kate last month after a 29-year career, citing a pattern of poor leadership, bad, judgment, spotty communication, and loss confidence from the top brass. Kate, the department's highest-ranking Asian-American woman, making over $200,000 a year, skipped required weekly intelligence. Meetings and let over 25,000 emails pile up unread in her inbox. The drama heated up around the department's switch from 6-hour P320 handguns to Glock 45s, sparked by safety worries after reports of. Uncommanded discharges, reserve officer Bob Northrup sued 6-hour when his gun allegedly fired on its own, nearly killing him and breaking bones in his leg and ankle. Multiple agencies nationwide ditched the model since then. Kate filed a discrimination complaint on March 24th, alleging age, sex, race bias, and retaliation

1:03for backing a female sergeant. City Human Resources investigated, interviewing five employees, but found zero evidence to back her claims. New Memo Show Kate approved buying 77-six-hour P320s for $62,908 on June 26th, right after. Burkall made her acting chief. Chief called the ordering training officer, her boyfriend, and both resisted the switch, even seeking outside legal advice against protocol. Burkall counseled them in November 2025, warning it threatened their jobs. Leaders gave Kate chances to step up, but trust eroded fast. Her complaints cleared, no lawsuits filed yet, and the union hints more details could drop soon. Stay tuned as this unfolds in Tampa's PD shakeup.