NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – North Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Rand turned in his retirement papers Thursday, effective next month, as the city’s mayor says Rand is being unfairly “micromanaged.”
However, Rand met with City Manager Arthur Sorey after public outcry about the situation, and he might not be leaving quite yet.
Just last week, Rand was standing in front of cameras to speak about a police-involved shooting. On Thursday morning, coworkers were saying goodbye.
Rand — who has only been chief since February but has been with the department for over 24 years — says he’s not able to do his job. Mayor Anthony DeFillipo agrees and says he’s disturbed by what is becoming a tumultuous situation.
“I’m very disturbed at what I’m hearing,” said DeFillipo, mayor of the city with about 42,000 residents. “The chief of police I have the utmost respect for.
“I believe it because I see it every day. I have a pulse on my community and I have a pulse on my police department. He is being micromanaged in every move that he makes, and it is not right.”
Residents of North Miami Beach’s Jewish community put out an email saying: “I call upon every reader of this letter to urgently send the City Manager a letter with copies to the Mayor and all City Commissioners calling for the City Manager to not accept Chief Richard Rand’s letter of retirement and give Chief Rand the ability to carry out his duties for the good of the community and to give him an employment contract that he so rightly deserves.”
City Manager Arthur Sorey sent a statement to Local 10 News, saying:
“I was caught off guard by the chief’s early retirement. I have respect for his 25 years of service. I’m in shock and will have conversations with him and see how we can move forward. Upcoming announcement of future leadership at the North Miami Beach Police department will be forthcoming.”
Local 10 News has learned that Sorey has since met with Rand on Thursday afternoon. A resolution on the situation is not yet known and an update on the chief’s status could come Friday morning.
Community activist Alan Sakowitz implored the city manager to retain the chief.
“If the city manager does not immediately rip up his letter of retirement and give him the full support to do his job, then you’ll a lot of officers uncomfortable, not well trained, and the commissioners are not going to allow that,” Sakowitz said. “It’s a huge deal.”