Edwin Lopez has been sworn in as the City of Miami's 44th police chief, taking the oath in front of hundreds of friends, family and fellow officers. He described the moment as the fulfilment of a childhood dream, calling it an opportunity of a lifetime and saying that leading the department of the city he grew up in meant the world to him. The ceremony was held before a full house at the Adrian Arsht Center.
At 46 years old, Lopez arrives in the role with a long career behind him. He has spent 28 years in law enforcement, beginning when he joined the Miami-Dade Schools Police at the age of 19. He went on to serve as that department's chief for four years and later as the police chief in Doral for three years, building experience across several South Florida agencies before taking the top job in Miami.
Lopez succeeds Manny Morales as the head of the force. In his new position, he will be responsible for a large organisation, supervising 1,400 sworn officers along with 400 civilian employees. He spoke of his eagerness to get out into the department and to meet the men and women who serve in it.
Asked about his priorities, the new chief pointed first to crime. He said he wanted to continue stabilising the community in terms of crime and named crime reduction as a central goal. Alongside that, he stressed community engagement and getting to know the officers of the department, framing both as core parts of how he intends to lead.
He also described the way he wants to do the job. Lopez said he leads from the front rather than from a desk or an office, telling reporters that he would be out and about and riding in police cars. He said he wanted to understand the culture of the department and bring it out collectively, and he described the force as a well-oiled machine to which he would make only minor tweaks that fit his own personality and style.
The swearing-in was an emotional day for Lopez, who thanked many of the people who had helped him along his journey. He spoke of his roots as a humble kid from Miami who grew up with no money and immigrant parents, and said he was eternally grateful to have risen to become the chief of police of the city. It takes a village to raise a child, he said, reflecting on how far he had come.
Looking ahead, Lopez said he would continue to collaborate with a range of other police agencies as he settles into the role. He spoke of being eager to hit the ground running, signalling that his early focus would be on getting to know his officers and the communities they serve while keeping the department's day-to-day work steady through the transition in leadership.