Tarpon Springs, FL, officer quits after making mass shooting threat
Detective Steve Bergren was talking to a fellow Tarpon Springs detective about how much he coveted an assignment last month when he made this comment. He said there would be an “active shooter situation" at Tarpon Springs Police Department headquarters if he didn’t get the position, according to the agency.
Bergren wrote to the police chief to say he was just joking. He resigned Thursday before Tarpon Springs police Chief Robert Kochen could fire him for breaking city rules. “In his letter he says it was in jest, but in hindsight it was ill-advised," Tarpon Springs Police Maj. Jeffrey Young said. “In today’s society you just can’t say something like that and not be held accountable for it.” Bergren resigned Thursday before his scheduled meeting with investigators.
The name of the detective who heard the comment was not released by the department. But he told internal investigators that Bergren didn’t act like he was joking. “The other detective said Bergren made this statement in a stoic manner and not giving any indication that this was a joke,” the agency said. During the investigation, police said they learned that Bergren made a similar comment to other coworkers about what would happen if the police department didn’t appoint him to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office’s county-wide drug task force. The comment was also made “in a stoic manner,” the agency said.
The internal investigation will be sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Standards Commission, which could affect Bergren’s state law enforcement officer certification. Bergren joined the force in 2008. His personnel file includes numerous disciplinary actions.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/pinellas/2019/09/20/tarpon-springs-police-officer-quits-after-mass-shooting-threat/
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