Ferguson Selects Miami Veteran as New Chief

March 31, 2016
Miami Police Major Delrish L. Moss was selected Thursday to lead the embattled Ferguson Police Department.

A veteran of the Miami Police Department has been selected to lead the embattled Ferguson Police Department.

After a three-month nationwide search, Major Delrish L. Moss was named the department's new police chief late Thursday afternoon, according to a city news release.

Moss -- who currently supervises the Miami Police Department's Public Information/Community Relations sections -- replaces former Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson, who resigned after a DOJ strongly criticized the city's police department following the controversial officer-involved shooting of Michael Brown that triggered riots in 2014.

Ferguson officials said that the city received more than 54 applications from candidates across the country and narrowed the pool down to a list of 16 base on law enforcement experience, community engagement and professional accomplishments.

A 15-page Police Chief Questionnaire was then sent to the 16 candidates on Jan. 25, with a deadline to respond by Feb. 8 and the top six candidates were chosen based on their responses.

Moss was among the six candidates invited to interview locally a panel consisting of Ferguson residents, City Council members, law enforcement officials and criminal justice experts. That panel narrowed the candidate pool from six to four.

Ferguson City Manager De'Carlon Seewood made the final decision.

"Major Moss exemplifies the type of experience in law enforcement that we believe will enhance the many new programs within the Ferguson Police Department," Seewood said in a statement. "Our officers have worked extremely hard to implement community policing and community engagement in their daily practices. Major Moss is the right man for the job to continue those initiatives."

Moss has worked as a patrol officer, carried out a number of undercover assignments and investigated countless violent crimes and death related incidents as a member of that department’s elite Homicide Unit during his 32 years on the force.

In May of 2008, he was promoted to Senior Executive Assistant to the Chief of Police making Moss, the City of Miami Police Department’s Commander of Public Information and a main advisor to the chief of police.

"This has been a long and strenuous process, but we believe Major Moss is the right choice," Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III said in a statement. "We understand the past 18 months have not been easy for everyone, but the City is now moving forward and we are excited to have Mr. Moss lead our police department."

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