Equity and Inclusion

Retired Sarasota Police Department Sgt. Eric Bolden received a heartfelt 'thank you' from officers, co-workers and friends Tuesday upon his retirement.

Gov. Ron DeSantis revealed his “law and order” plan on Monday at the Polk Sheriff’s Office in Winter Haven. Critics see it as a political move aimed at distracting voters from other issues that they say he handled badly, like COVID-19.

The Lakeland Police Citizen Advisory Board is meant to mend relations between police and the community, but there's concern one member's Facebook post could cause further divide.

As the nation reckons with systemic racism and how to move forward, researchers at the University of South Florida are focusing on how it exists in Tampa Bay and abroad.

Hillsborough County commissioners unanimously voted Wednesday to declare racism a public health crisis. But it was Commissioner Les Miller, the only African American commissioner on the board, whose words seemed to stand out most. 

Black and white Miami Dolphins players and coach Brian Flores released a video on social media Thursday saying they’ll protest racial injustice by remaining in their locker room during the national anthem.

The cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg will be changing how their police departments respond to certain 911 calls.  If someone is having a mental health breakdown, a social worker will soon respond along with an officer.   

The Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) rallied at Joe Chillura Courthouse Square Saturday to call for State Attorney Andrew Warren to re-open the case of Jonas Joseph, who was shot and killed by Tampa police officers on April 28, 2020.  

St. Petersburg police said in July that the city had set aside $3.8 million to hire 25 additional police officers, but instead the department would hire social workers and other trained professionals who could respond to calls for help that did not involve violence.

After getting feedback from members of a community task force on policing, Tampa PD has a new action plan for easing tensions between officers and those they’re sworn to protect.

We've seen protesting in our streets over the past several months. But for five minutes of Wednesday's Hillsborough County Commission meeting, Commissioner Les Miller addressed that racial reckoning.

Pinellas County Public Schools says Dixie M. Hollins High School will officially keep its full name, but will henceforth only be referred to as Hollins High School.