Miami Beach commissioners approved the appointment of Wayne Jones as the city’s new police chief — meaning he will become the city's first Black police chief.
Jones will replace Chief Richard Clements, who is retiring later this year. The 54-year-old will begin in his new role on Sept. 1. In a speech at the city's commission hearing on Wednesday, Jones talked about the magnitude of his accomplishment.
“I am proud of this moment because of my dad," he said. "Because as a young boy learning to drive in South Florida, there were two cities I was told I could not go to as a young Black driver. One of them was Miami Beach. So when I became Miami Beach police officer my dad cried. He cried because of the history the way Black people were treated in this city.”
Jones was appointed deputy police chief in 2019. He’s credited with creating the city’s human trafficking unit.
“It's no secret that the most challenging time for our police department and for our entire city comes during the high impact weekends in March,” said City Manager Alina Hudak.
“I have challenged Deputy Jones to find new and innovative ways to address this period. The police department is in the middle of a clear assessment and review for accreditation purposes. Our department needs the stability and continuation of excellence that CALEA [the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies] has commended in the past."
READ MORE: Levine Cava: Miami-Dade police chief was 'remorseful' before shooting
Some of the commissioners said the city needs to address homelessness. Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who had sent out an email prior to the meeting criticizing Hudak’s appointment of Jones without opening up the search to people outside of the Miami Beach Police Department, challenged Jones upon his appointment.
“We cannot continue the status quo,” she said during the commission meeting. “The leadership starts at the top. I never once as second-in-command heard you protest any of the policies of our current chief, Chief Clements.
"We've had a great relationship, but I've never once heard a call for change or protest or any way that we could make our current situation better. So there's a lot of proving to do here. I no longer want to see drugs sold openly on our streets. I don't want to see people urinating in public.”
Mayor Dan Gelber, whose term is ending soon, congratulated Jones.
“We are a city that in my lifetime required African-Americans to have ID cards when they were in our city after sundown,” Gelber said.
“We now will have a police chief who is a person of color. And that's a pretty incredible thing. You are the right person at the right time, but nobody should lose the historic nature of this appointment. I am incredibly proud to support you today. In a few months, I'll be a resident and I will be proud to see you doing your job then as well.”
