Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino resigns
Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino has announced her resignation, to take effect at 5 p.m. Friday.
City Manager Marlon Brown accepted the resignation Wednesday and executed a separation agreement on behalf of the city, according to a news release.
DiPino will receive five months’ pay, a sidearm and a badge, according to the agreement.
“I’d like to express my sincere thanks to the chief for her eight years of service to the city of Sarasota,” Brown said in the release. “Through her leadership and dedicated efforts with community policing, she helped reduce crime by nearly 40% and strengthened trust between residents and officers through extensive community outreach initiatives from the Citizens Police Academy to Coffee with a Cop and family movie nights on the SPD lawn. SPD has many initiatives ahead, including the implementation of body worn cameras, and I will immediately begin the process of appointing an int