Bernadette DiPino has resigned as chief of police for the Sarasota Police Department, effective 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29. City Manager Marlon Brown has accepted the resignation and executed a separation agreement on behalf of the City. DiPino, who earlier this month came under fire for joking about using a Taser on a mentally ill homeless man, was appointed as Sarasota’s chief of police in December 2012. The process of appointing an interim chief of police will begin immediately.