Rhett Hopkins refused to pay his $4 bar tab at O'Malley's bar in Sarasota because, he said, he was an undercover officer with the Tampa Police Department and worked on homeland security. ...more

February 2, 2009

A South Florida man saw two unoccupied Tampa Police Department cruisers in Ybor City this morning and decided to put garbage, gravel and rocks on them, officers say. ...more

February 2, 2009

Taxpayers will foot the bill for providing extra police and fire coverage at Super Bowl XLIII to make sure it goes off without any hitches. ...more

February 1, 2009

The Florida Supreme Court on Friday overturned the conviction and sentence of a former male model accused of fatally stabbing a friend and office worker in 2003. ...more

January 31, 2009

A 13-year-old girl is in stable condition at Tampa General Hospital after being stabbed today, Tampa police say. ...more

January 30, 2009

A mechanical gorilla's 22-hour ordeal at the hands of ape-nappers is over. The 6-foot-tall gorilla was recovered this afternoon and police were returning it to its rightful home at State Vacuum on Kennedy Boulevard. ...more

January 29, 2009

Sea life was split Tuesday on who will win the Super Bowl, as manatee Buffett picked the Pittsburgh Steelers by a nose and Shelley the sea turtle decided those same Steelers would get shelled. Today, four-legged football experts from the Tampa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will take a crack at sniffing out a winner. ...more

January 28, 2009

CRIME TRACKER This is a partial list of service calls reported Jan. 15-21 to the Tampa Police Department. Questions about a specific event should be directed to the department at (813) 276-3200. ...more

January 28, 2009

The Super Bowl brings thousands of visitors and plenty of money to the city. With that comes a notorious element: prostitution. Tampa police say they are working to combat the problem. Monday morning, police conducted an operation to crack down on prostitution. By day's end, police had arrested 13 people on prostitution or lewd and lascivious charges. ...more

January 26, 2009

National Football League Vice President of Security Milt Ahlerich had some suggestions and requirements today for fans planning to attend the Super Bowl. ...more

January 26, 2009