Dec. 14--Five candidates have been named as finalists to become Miami's top cop, and a decision may be made by Friday.
According to the city, the finalists are: Adam Burden, Michael J. Gugliotti, Rafael Hernandez Jr., Manuel Orosa and Amos Rojas Jr.
The final week of the selection process comes two months after the contentious firing of Chief Miguel Exposito, booted for insubordination after months of picking fights with politicians and fellow law-enforcement officials.
City Manager Johnny Martinez said he is interviewing the finalists this week and might name the police chief by Friday.
During the past two weeks, all five were part of a group of 10 interviewed by a selection committee headed by Miami-Dade Police Director Jim Loftus. The committee halved the group and forwarded the names to Martinez, who has the sole power to name the police chief.
During their open-to-the-public interviews, the candidates -- all well-known figures in law enforcement circles in South Florida and the Northeast United States -- echoed similar themes. They stressed the importance of mending tensions among factions within the department, emphasizing the need for community-oriented policing and building transparent relationships with the local news media.
With Exposito's firing as the backdrop, they also spoke about respecting the authority of their supervisor -- in this case, the city manager.
Here are the candidates:
-- Adam Burden, a former Miami assistant chief, retired in 2009 after Exposito demoted him and a slew of other high-ranking staffers hailing from the administration of former police chief, John Timoney.
Burden, the lone black officer selected as a candidate, joined the department in 1987, and was briefly a deputy chief in Opa-locka before leaving that department in March 2011. He has a bachelor's degree from Barry University and a master's from St. Thomas University. As an assistant chief for six years, Burden managed the department's business, administrative and technical offices.
"I know lately there have been some bumpy roads for this police department, but I believe in the men and women of this police department," Burden told the search committee earlier this month.
-- Michael J. Gugliotti is chief of police in Waterbury, Conn., where he has served in the department since 1988. He has a bachelor's degree from Kaplan University. During his interview, conducted via Skype, he stressed listening to disgruntled factions within the police department.
"It's better to keep people with grievances close to you," he said. "If you put them in isolation, you alienate them." He also cited a "total disconnect" between the Miami police chief's office and the mayor, a reference to Exposito.
-- Rafael Hernandez Jr., a former Miami-Dade officer, has served as chief of police in Sweetwater, South Miami and Chelsea, Mass. He was most recently North Miami Beach's chief, fired in July for "administrative reasons" as city leaders were discussing possible police layoffs. He called the firing "unlawful, unjust, unwarranted and unjustifiable."
In Miami, Hernandez -- who has a bachelor's degree from Florida International University -- said he wants to work with the rank-and-file and union to implement a five-year plan to improve the department. "Favoritism stops, immediately. No politics. Politics out the window," he said last week during his interview. "Treat everyone with respect."
-- Manuel Orosa, a longtime Miami officer and command staffer, is the current interim police chief. His critics have pointed out that he was temporarily relieved of duty in 1988 after the infamous beating death of drug dealer Leonardo Mercado. Though not present at the beating, Orosa supervised the unit of officers eventually convicted of covering up the incident.
Orosa was not charged with wrongdoing, and cooperated with prosecutors, who eventually cleared him. He returned to the department. Though he lacks a college degree, Orosa rose through the ranks, attending prestigious senior management courses and, two years ago, was a finalist for the chief's post.
So far, Orosa has struck the right notes as the head of the police department. He was quick to welcome a federal investigation into past practices of the department, and moved decisively in beefing up patrol units -- a move welcomed by community activists.
He also moved quickly last month to admonish a Miami officer who pulled over a state trooper, weeks after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper controversially pulled over a Miami police officer at gunpoint for speeding in his cruiser.
In his interview, Orosa said he wants to bring the department "back to prominence."
"Trust and loyalty is secondary. Frankly, I have friends I trust, but I would never promote them to staff because they're not ready. I want qualified, competent people," he said of his management style. "People in the department should not work in fear of friendships and what toes they are going to step on."
--Rojas is a longtime Florida Department of Law Enforcement special agent who headed Miami's field office for eight years before retiring earlier this year. In that post, he oversaw investigations into public corruption and violent and economic crimes in three counties while serving as a member of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Rojas also had stints as an investigator or officer with Miami-Dade Police, South Miami Police, Huntsville Police in Alabama and the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
In his interview, Rojas called himself a "consensus builder" who will be able to unite the department that, he believes, has only a few disgruntled employees.
"I never seek a higher office unless I know I can add value," Rojas said. "I have the skills. I have the ability. I know I can make a difference at the city of Miami and leave the agency a much better place than I found it."
Miami Herald staff writer Patricia Mazzei contributed to this report.
Copyright 2011 - The Miami Herald
