Hot pursuit! Tampa cops blew more than $400 of taxpayer cash on LAP DANCES and drinks for exotic entertainers during an 'undercover strip club operation' - but failed to generate any leads
Officers from the Tampa Police Department blew hundreds of dollars of taxpayer money on an undercover strip club operation that generated no leads.
On Tuesday, a Citizens Review Board discussed the fruitless operation, which took place at the Gold Club outside of Ybor City last year.
An undisclosed number of cops went to the club claiming they were 'investigating recent prostitution and drug complaints'.
The officers also alleged that they intended to 'gather intelligence on a Ybor City shooting suspect who had ties to one of the strippers working at the establishment'.
However, the police appeared to be uninterested in pursuing any detective work, and instead spent three hours buying booze for themselves, the exotic dancers and the dancers' friends.
Each of the cops also treated themselves to a lap dance, Fox 13 reports.
The caper cost the Tampa Police Department's investigatory fund a total of $421.
Officers from the Tampa Police Department blew hundreds of dollars of taxpayer money on an undercover strip club operation at the Gold Club
The police appeared to be uninterested in pursuing any detective work, and instead spent three hours buying booze and lap dances. An image from inside the club is seen above
The supervisor of the operation, Sgt. Daniel Rhodes, was found to be in violation of his responsibilities and was suspended for one day.
He was also removed from the street anti-crime squad, but still remains on the general force as a sergeant, Fox reported.
During Tuesday night's hearing, one board member asked why Rhodes was not punished more harshly.
'The penalty, or the violation of a one-day suspension and moving him around does not look like it is enough for what he did,' Carolyn Collins stated.
Collins added that the officers involved in the frisky escapade had neglected their responsibilities to the community.
'There is a check and balance... One of the things the community asked for, was accountability' she said.
Still, the review board upheld the punishment that Collins had said was too lenient.
Meanwhile, the Tampa Police also released a statement expressing their disappointment in the officers.
'Discovering misconduct of any of our officers is always disheartening and unacceptable and the department will not tolerate this behavior,' they stated.
Officers from the Tampa Police Department blew hundreds of dollars of taxpayer money on an undercover strip club operation at the Gold Club
