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Former Tampa Police Officer To Face State Commission

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 16, 2008

TAMPA - A former Tampa police officer who failed to arrest a woman on outstanding warrants after she exposed herself to him now must face a state commission to determine whether he will lose his law-enforcement certification, records show.

Tuesday, the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission is scheduled for a probable-cause hearing about Antonio Rosario, an 18-year veteran who left the police department in November.

This is the first step in a process to determine whether Rosario will lose his law-enforcement certification, said FDLE spokeswoman Kristen Perezluha. The panel could decide to take no action, agree with the police department's discipline or proceed further.

FDLE records show 24 officers associated with the Tampa Police Department have had a disciplinary hearing with the commission since June 2003, Perezluha said. The commission holds eight probable-cause hearings per year, among other actions, she said.

An investigation within the police department found that Rosario had violated police department policies regarding attentiveness to duty, the standard of conduct, truthfulness and handling warrants after he did not arrest Brittney Josten, 19, on May 26, 2007.

Rosario, then 51, met Josten that day during an off-duty job at the International Flea Market on Nebraska Avenue, according to a report from the investigation. After she exposed herself, Rosario took Josten to her mother in handcuffs as a "joke" but released her, the report states. At the time, Josten had two misdemeanor warrants for her arrest on charges she failed to register a motor vehicle and had attached an unassigned license tag, the report states.

Rosario also gave Josten, a prostitute, his phone number to arrange to meet at a motel, the report states. Rosario denied this during the investigation, but phone records showed otherwise, the report states.

Josten was arrested on the warrants by another officer during a traffic stop on June 2, 2007, police said.

Investigators found no other misconduct among cases in which Rosario had been involved, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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