North Miami Beach Hires First Black Police Chief

Miami FL

24 March, 2022

12:58 PM

Description

A Miami Times Staff Report Mar 22, 2022 Capt. Harvette Smith is now the new face of the North Miami Beach Police Department (NMBPD), after recently being appointed as the city's interim chief of police. Smith replaces Richard Rand and makes history as the first Black chief to lead the department. Rand, who was appointed to the position last February according to the city's website, announced his retirement when he resigned earlier this month. That resignation was his second attempt at leaving the post. The 25-year police veteran first submitted a resignation letter last November and quickly rescinded it less than 48 hours later, after a meeting with City Manager Arthur "Duke" Sorey III and other city officials convinced him to stay on as chief. (NMBPD Via LinkedIn) Though a media release from the city cited July 5 as the date Rand's resignation would go into effect, the department celebrated Smith's groundbreaking appointment in a social media post last week. "Chief Smith makes groundbreaking history as she becomes not only the first African-American to lead the NMBPD, but also the first African-American woman to do so," reads NMBPD's Facebook post. "This historic moment is a great month for this to occur especially since March is Women's History Month." The city credits Rand for lowering its crime rate and creating safer neighborhoods. "Since Rand's promotion to Chief, the City has become a safer place to work, play, and live," reads the release. Now Smith prepares to continue that work. As chief, she will oversee more than 165 law enforcement officers and other department personnel. Smith is a longtime Miami resident with a 32-year tenure at NMBPD, serving in various capacities through the years. She first set foot in the department as a clerk typist in 1990, then as a police communications officer and soon thereafter, a training officer. After working in dispatch for five years, she made the decision to attend the police academy and graduated in 1998. In 2018, Smith was promoted to sergeant in the administrative division, overseeing three units within the department. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.