Tampa Police Officers Resign While Under Investigation for Engaging in Sexual Acts with Emergency Dispatcher While on Duty

Two Tampa police officers resigned earlier this year while they were under investigation over allegations that they engaged in sexual activity with an emergency dispatcher while on duty.

The investigation concluded that Officers Nevin Morales and Ryan Fagan violated several department policies, including inattentiveness to duty. In April, the law enforcement certification of both officers was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for review, which could lead to revocation.

Tampa police officials summarized the investigation and its findings in a disposition letter obtained by Tampa Bay Times. The dispatcher is not named in the records and it is not yet known if she is still employed with the city.

‘Best Place to Do it Now I Have More Room in This New Car’

The investigation stemmed from a complaint made to the department’s Professional Standards Bureau, which investigates allegations of officer misconduct. The person, who is not identified in the letter, claimed that three officers had been meeting with an emergency dispatcher for sexual activity while on duty.

When investigators later interviewed the dispatcher, she admitted she’d met with Morales on July 22, 2025 for sexual activity in his SUV, according to the letter. Earlier that day, Morales sent the dispatcher a message through an internal communication system, which investigators later uncovered, according to the letter.

“Best place to do it now I have more room in this new car,” he wrote, according to the letter. The dispatcher said Morales showed up that evening in a Ford Explorer, which was different from his regular car, the letter stated.

Morales denied all the allegations when investigators later interviewed him. He specifically denied the dispatcher ever got into his vehicle, but a supervisor had seen her get into the SUV, according to the letter.

When asked about the message he’d sent, Morales said he didn’t remember it and thought it was taken out of context. He was unable to explain what he could have meant by the comment, the letter noted.

Fagan was Listed as On Duty at a ‘Special Assignment’ During One of the Encounters, Had Placed His Bodycam on ‘Sleep’ Mode

Investigators interviewed Fagan in November. He admitted to having close personal contact with the same dispatcher during a separate incident, but said he did not view it as sexual, according to the letter.

Investigators disagreed, noting text messages he’d exchanged with the dispatcher, which they said were clearly sexual. The content of those messages is not detailed in the letter.

During the encounter, investigators found records indicating Fagan was listed as on duty at a “special assignment” about two miles from where the dispatcher was working, according to the letter. The nature of the assignment is unclear.

He said he was relieved from the assignment, but records showed that was not the case and the assignment went unstaffed. At about the same time, Fagan’s body-worn camera was placed in “sleep” mode, the letter states.

Morales, Fagan Added to Brady’s List

Morales and Fagan were both placed on leave during the investigation. Fagan, who had worked for the department since 2018, resigned in February. Morales had worked there since 2022. He resigned in March.

Both Fagan and Morales were added this month to the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office’s list of law enforcement officers whose credibility could be challenged if they testify in court due to their past misconduct. Known informally as the Brady list, it is essentially a catalogue of cops who require a special disclosure to defense attorneys if they are used as witnesses in criminal cases.

A third officer, David Ziegler, was also investigated over concerns he had met with the same dispatcher while on duty, but he was cleared of suspicion. The investigation did find he at times placed his body-worn camera in sleep mode without reason or explanation, a violation of department policy. Ziegler remains employed with the department.