The Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Three Tampa police officers have filed lawsuits against WFTS-TV and reporter Mike Mason, claiming a series on undeserved promotions held them in a false light and invaded their privacy.
The lawsuits center on the May series “Bad Cops, Big Promotions,” which suggested several officers were promoted out of friendship rather than performance.
The report mentioned past disciplinary action against officers Mary O’Connor, Paul Lusczynski and Keith O’Connor and said each had been promoted since their respective incidents.
The officers said in the lawsuits that they are not bad officers, are not corrupt and do not lack integrity.
The lawsuit also mentions a follow-up story that implied that because of the “Bad Cops, Big Promotions” series the officers had not been promoted again. In reality, the lawsuit says, the officers were not listed in a subsequent round of promotions because they had not completed the minimum stay in their most recent assignments.
Channel 28 News Director Bill Berra told said that the station stands by its reporting and the allegations in the lawsuit are unfounded.