Boca Raton Police Chief Jarad Phelps has been sworn in to serve the City of Boca Raton.
On Thursday afternoon, Phelps was sworn in by City Manager Mark Sohaney at the Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University, before a crowd of police chiefs from throughout the region as well as local and state legislators.
“This city really knows how to make a person feel welcome,” Phelps said at the podium after he was sworn in, then pinned by his children.
The Boca Raton Fire Department’s Pipe and Drum Band entered playing Scotland the Great while the Boca Raton Police Department’s Honor Guard presented flags. A student from Lynn University performed The Star -Spangled Banner.
Sohaney—who said that choosing a police chief is one of his most important duties—noted that Phelps was selected from a pool of more than 100 applicants from around the country. The city manager said that as they interviewed candidates, Phelps “consistently distinguished himself.”
Boca Raton Mayor Andy Thomson said, “We don’t have the quality of life if we don’t have public safety…this is a man of integrity.”
Phelps has more than 30 years of experience in policing North Carolina and Virginia—including two years as a chief of police in Jacksonville, N.C. His experience includes overseeing 136 sworn officers and 51 support staff as Jacksonville chief of police, as well as a master’s degree in public administration and extensive executive leadership education from the FBI National Academy, the FBI National Executive Institute, and other credentials.
Seth Dubinsky served as acting chief, after Interim Chief Elizabeth Roberts retired in April; she had taken over for Michele Miuccio, who was fired in March.
