Delrish Moss, longtime voice of Miami police department, named Miramar’s new chief

Delrish Moss, a longtime Miami police spokesman who took the helm in Ferguson, Missouri, after police department upheaval following days of civil unrest, has been chosen as the new police chief for the city of Miramar.

Moss, 58, said he will focus on shoring up staff and bringing the department up to date with the latest in crime-fighting technology.

“One of my challenges,” said Moss, “will be to increase staffing so that we can keep pace with the rapid growth of the city.”

Moss made a name for himself in Miami, serving the city for 32 years and making his way from street patrol, to homicide, to a major in communications. He was the voice of the city on several high-profile events, like the protests that erupted when young Elián González was hauled away by federal agents from his cousin’s Little Havana home, and the aftermath of Miami Commissioner Arthur Teele Jr.’s suicide in the lobby of the Miami Herald.

Then in 2016, he beat out dozens of applicants for the top policing job in Ferguson, which had been wracked by violence after the police shooting death of unarmed Michael Brown. Moss’ main task there — along with healing a community torn apart by the protests — was to implement a federal consent decree that blasted the agency for Blacks being vastly under-represented in the department.

That job complete, he came back to South Florida in 2019 as captain, chief spokesman and head of operations for the police department at Florida International University.

Moss is expected to be sworn in on April 13.