If Mina leaves, what’s next?
New chief likely comes from within
With Orlando police Chief John Mina seriously considering a run for Orange County sheriff, it is likely that one of his four deputy chiefs would be picked by Mayor Buddy Dyer to take his place.
“We’re very fortunate that should we have to fill the position, we have just a tremendous group of deputy chiefs,” said Byron Brooks, the city’s chief administrative officer. “Typically, it has been the mayor’s practice of promoting from within.”
And that selection process, said Brooks, likely will happen without community forums or a committee of local leaders to help Dyer make a decision. In his three prior selections, Dyer discussed the appointment with Brooks and the outgoing chief, Brooks said.
Beverly Neal, president of the Orange County chapter of the NAACP, said she thinks there are good candidates inside the department, but she believes there needs to be community outreach such as a survey to community leaders.
“I tell you one thing — nine times out of 10 they are going to go through the union to hire the chief,” Neal said. “If they are
going through the union they should go through the community, too.”
A union representative could not be reached for comment.
Brooks said Orlando uses its internal process because it has worked in the past and it has an “ongoing conversation” with the public about the police department.
Charlotte Lansinger, an executive search consultant with the Washington, D.C.based Police Executive Research Forum that helps departments find new chiefs, said selection processes vary.
“Every city structures their own process, but more and more you do see some level of public input into the selection process into police chiefs,” she said.
Some departments are bucking their own trend of choosing from within the department. Tampa announced it will launch a nationwide search after hiring four of its last six chiefs from within, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The mayor typically takes guidance from the outgoing chief and others in the law enforcement community before making the appointment, Brooks said. Dyer’s spokeswoman said he would not speculate on any future decisions he would make.
The four current deputy chiefs at OPD are Orlando Rolon, Robert Anzueto, Eric Smith and Mark Canty, who was just promoted to the position last week after Sue Manney retired.
Some say Rolon, who would be Orlando’s first Hispanic chief and has lived here since he was 11, is the likely candidate. He also has ties to Dyer; he served as his liaison from 2005 to 2008.
Rolon, a 25-year veteran who oversees the patrol division, said he was “flattered” that he would be considered and declined further comment about a possible nod.
Brooks declined to name anyone a favorite and Dyer’s office was mum about a front-runner until Mina officially enters the Sheriff’s race.
Brooks said the city could do a nationwide search for a chief if the department were in need of a fresh set of eyes, but that’s not the case.
“Whatever the issue was, this organization responded in tremendous fashion,” he said.
Anzueto, who joined the force 23 years ago, oversees the investigative bureau and has experience in the drug unit, bike unit and at Orlando International Airport.
He said he’s just focused on his current job.
Canty, who oversaw the SWAT team’s final assault against Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, now runs the administrative services bureau, which includes the communications division. The 21-year-veteran of the department said since he was just promoted, he’s learning the new position.
Smith, who runs the special services bureau that includes the special operations and the airport, could not be reached for comment. He was hired in 1994.
All the deputy chiefs have had “premium level” assignments within the department and strong community relations, Brooks said. Picking from the crop of deputy chiefs in the past has proved successful, he added.
Mina, appointed top cop in 2014, still has not officially entered the 2018 race to replace Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, who is running for county mayor, but if he does run he’d be considered a favorite, said Aubrey Jewett, a political science professor at University of Central Florida.
“He has good name recognition and a positive reputation in the community,” Jewett said.
Mina said the department prepares supervisors and commanders to be leaders.
“I’m very confident the next chief will have all the attributes, skills, and the ability to keep our officers and city safe, continue our commitment to building trust and engaging with our community, and remaining open, transparent, and accountable to the citizens we serve,” he said in a statement.
Once Dyer makes his selection, the city council would have to approve it. Two city commissioners who are retired Orlando police officers say there likely won’t be much discussion.
Mina would have to submit a letter of resignation to run for sheriff, much like Demings is doing for his candidacy, a city spokeswoman said. That resignation is irrevocable.
The resignation would go into effect no later than the time he would assume office if he wins.
“For the most part we know the personnel,” said Commissioner Tony Ortiz. “If we have any discrepancy, we can bring it up.”
Ortiz declined to say who he’d like as a next chief but said he’s familiar with all the deputy chiefs and said they all are qualified.
While he said having Rolon as the city’s first Hispanic police chief would be noteworthy, there are other qualities to consider.
“To me, when you serve as a community leader, it’s not about where you come from, it’s about what you offer,” Ortiz said. “I’m not a Hispanic commissioner, I’m a commissioner who happens to be Hispanic. I would expect the chief to be the same way.”