Chief of the Miami Police Department from 2009 through 2011. As a result of new initiatives implemented during his tenure as chief, there was a significant decline in the number of violent crimes occurring in the city, dropping to levels not experienced in almost 40 years. Consequently, in 2010, the Miami Police Department was singled out from a field of over 18,000 police agencies for the coveted Homeland Security Special Recognition Award. This prestigious acknowledgment was bestowed by the renown International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the highly respected global association for law enforcement.Born in Cuba in 1954, he migrated to the US with his parents at the age of 5, shortly after the Communist takeover of the island. During his 37 year career, he worked his way up the ranks of the Miami Police Department while becoming involved in all aspects of law enforcement, including undercover work and as an investigator. Before becoming chief of the Miami Police Department, he headed a myriad of units within the agency, including the Special Investigations Section, Internal Affairs, the Criminal Investigations Section, and two of the three patrol districts in the city. He was also the commanding officer of the Police Academy/Training Unit and the Special Victims Unit.He is a graduate of Barry University in Miami, as well as the FBI National Academy, the Harvard University JFK School of Government and the Police Executive Research Forum's Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP). He has appeared in dozens of nationally televised documentaries and news programs dealing with law enforcement, police professionalism and corruption. Show less «