TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — Acting Tampa Police Chief Bret Owen marked one of his first major milestones in the role Wednesday as 32 new officers were sworn in to the Tampa Police Department, including one who came up through the department's own youth explorer program.
Owen took over Aug. 5, the same day former Chief Lee Bercaw retired. Bercaw has since joined the University of South Florida College of Behavioral and Community Sciences as an associate professor of instruction, where he will help coordinate the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice program.
The swearing-in ceremony included 10 members of the military, representing the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy, as well as a communications technician who will transition from one side of the radio to the other as a sworn officer.
Among those taking the oath was Victoria Torres, 22, who left the Tampa Police Explorers program in December 2025 and entered the academy the following month.
"It prepared me for so many things that I didn't even know that I needed preparedness for," Torres said.
Torres said a calling to serve runs in her family.
"My parents honored their community, and it was just built into the way I was raised," Torres said. "So having the honor to do the same for my community and protect and serve and serve my citizens, it really is a full circle moment."
She said her long-term goal is to work homicide investigations.
"I've been very interested into it my whole life since middle school," Torres said. "But the best part about Tampa is the agency's so big, and you can do so many things, and you never know where you're going to end up. So I'm just excited to get out there and just learn new things."
Owen said the pipeline from youth programs to the badge reflects a deliberate shift in department policy.
"We actually changed our policy about a year ago to allow the youth explorers that are coming up through our youth programming to continue on to stay with the Tampa Police Department," Owen said. "We offer tuition reimbursement so we can get them the education while they're employed here."
Owen said preparing the next generation of officers and supervisors is among his top priorities as acting chief.
"Over the past couple of years, we spent a lot of time preparing the executive leadership for this transition, knowing that Chief Bercaw would be coming to an end," Owen said. "So now we've got to work on the next generation, getting the first-line supervision and things like that in place."
Owen described his first weeks on the job as busy but productive, with community members bringing new ideas to the table.
"I think people, for the most part, are pretty understanding of what's happening in their communities," Owen said. "They know that we're working at it. Some of them are bringing some new ideas to the table, and we'll work through that as well."
Owen also addressed a troubling trend playing out in cities across the country, teen takeovers, and outlined plans to sustain the momentum built over the summer.
"We had our Safe Summer Series, which we did in partnership with Safe and Sound and Freddie Barton," Owen said. "We're planning to continue that throughout the school year. We've got some other ideas for community outreach and the community engagement side of it that we'll continue to work on as well."
Owen said youth engagement works best when young people lead it themselves.
"It helps more when the younger generation actually gets out and interacts with their own age group rather than us trying to sell it to them," Owen said. "We've had much better success when the kids actually take part in it."
He pointed to a summer youth academy as an example, noting that participants showcased skills, including video editing, that helped the department better understand what programming to offer.
"It gives us an idea of what to present for them," Owen said. "Not just sports or something else. There's other interests."
Owen will remain acting chief until Tampa's next mayor is elected and selects a permanent police chief. The mayoral election is scheduled for March 2, 2027.
Owen joined the Tampa Police Department on Oct. 14, 2002, after previously serving as a deputy sheriff with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office beginning in 1998. He holds a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from Saint Leo University and has completed executive leadership programs through the FBI, the Police Executive Research Forum, and the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute.
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