An officer was fired for abusing his position in a personal situation, according to the Tampa Police Department.
Officer John Holmstrom was on duty on August 30 when he found his personal automobile had been towed from his apartment complex.
When he called the towing company, he identified himself as an officer “acting in a manner to use his authority as a police officer to impact a private business,” according to officials.
Holmstrom also threatened to hold an employee until the matter was resolved.
Following an internal inquiry, police discovered that Holmstrom had broken policies pertaining to misuse of authority, abuse of position or authority, emergency operation of police vehicles, additional duty employment policies, and personnel management.
Holmstrom joined the department in July 2022.
“It is unacceptable that an officer would use their position or badge to settle a personal matter,” the chief of police said. “Tampa Police Officers are held to the highest standard of professionalism and this officer’s actions are not a representation of the hard work and dedication of the nearly 1,000 sworn officers serving this community every day.”