St. Petersburg Police Chief Holloway Defends Domestic Violence Protocols Following Second Arrest of Local Officer

Chief Anthony Holloway defends St. Petersburg police protocols after Officer Curtis Wright is arrested for domestic battery for the second time.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 4, 2026, 7:13 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Tampa Bay 28

Accountability Measures for Officer Involved Domestic Battery

The St. Petersburg Police Department is currently navigating a significant internal crisis following the arrest of Officer Curtis Wright on a domestic battery charge. Wright, who was on parental leave at the time of the incident, is accused of physically restraining his wife during a dispute regarding their child. This arrest marks the second time Wright has faced such allegations while employed by the same agency, with a previous 2016 case involving a different victim being dropped after the state attorney chose not to prosecute. Chief Anthony Holloway has addressed the public concern directly, asserting that the department maintains a specific policy for domestic violence that ensures every case is investigated thoroughly, regardless of the suspect's badge.

The Garrity Rule and Internal Investigative Deadlines

Chief Holloway explained that the current administrative delay in the internal affairs investigation is a result of a specific legal protection known as the Garrity Rule. This rule prevents the department from forcing an officer to give a statement that could then be used against them in a criminal court of law. Consequently, the department must wait for the conclusion of the criminal court proceedings before launching its own probe. Once the internal investigation officially begins, however, Holloway emphasized that officers lose the option to remain silent. Under departmental policy, an officer must provide a statement or face immediate termination, a measure designed to ensure complete transparency within the ranks.

Advocacy for Statewide Policy Reform

The case has drawn the attention of Bruce Bieber, a local advocate whose daughter, a Hillsborough County deputy, was killed in a 2022 murder-suicide involving her detective boyfriend. Bieber has spent months documenting publicly reported cases of officer-involved domestic violence, noting that Wright’s arrest is the 93rd case he has tracked since last August. Bieber argues that there is a tendency within law enforcement to avoid the harsh light of internal systemic problems. He is currently calling for the reinstatement of comprehensive, uniform training across Florida, citing a previous toolkit developed by Florida State University that lost funding years ago.