The North Miami Beach Police Department is no longer accredited following a failure to meet standards set by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA).
North Miami Beach Police Chief Juan Pinillos voluntarily withdrew the department from the accreditation program in an April 30 letter to the CFA, citing a “series of challenges … including multiple transitions in executive leadership, command staff, and professional personnel.”
He said the department has developed an action plan to ultimately meet and exceed the standards of the accreditation program.
In a statement, Pinillo made assurances that public safety is still a priority for the police department, which once held the highest level of law enforcement accreditation, known as Excelsior Status.
“The North Miami Beach Police Department remains committed to the high standards of protection and public safety our community deserves,” Pinillo said. “We continue to serve with professionalism, accountability, and unwavering dedication.”
Pinillo said he was confident the department would re-obtain CFA accreditation in 2026. He also said that the department’s problems leading up to this latest development have been longstanding.
“I came in at the tail end of the accreditation process,” he told The Miami Times. “So this is something that spanned over a few years prior to me taking over the department.”
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The action comes on the heels of the suspension and retirement of former Police Chief Harvette Smith.
Smith, NMB’s first woman and first Black police chief, was placed on paid administrative leave by city manager Mario Diaz in December 2023 amid an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
The investigation centered on allegedly falsified documents, though details have been sparse. Smith had also been named in a court filing for an alleged domestic dispute.
Nelson Camacho, NMBPD’s deputy chief, headed the department as its acting chief in her absence.
Despite being cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, Smith was not reinstated to her post. She officially stepped down Jan. 2, 2025.
In a written statement to The Miami Times, North Miami Beach Mayor Michael Joseph stressed the importance of maintaining public safety.
“This accreditation issue arose during the previous administration,” Joseph said. “But I’m committed to addressing it and showing our dedication to ensuring the safety of North Miami Beach’s streets.”
In his recent State of the City address, Joseph announced that crime in North Miami Beach had dropped to a four-year low.
“North Miami Beach’s Police Department moved its crime clearance rate to 20.8%, and now we're on track to raise 22% this year,” Joseph said. “Our officers average less than three and a half minutes for priority call response, exceeding national standards.”
This story was produced by The Miami Times, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country, as part of a content sharing partnership with the WLRN newsroom. Read more at miamitimesonline.com.
