Key Biscayne taps Fort Lauderdale interim assistant chief to lead police department

After a summer of searching, Key Biscayne’s village manager has tapped Fort Lauderdale interim Assistant Police Chief Francis “Frank” Sousa to lead the island’s police department.

Sousa, 41, was one of two police chief finalists, the other being former Miami-Dade County Police Director Thomas “Pat” Hanlon.

Key Biscayne Village Manager Steve Williamson confirmed the pick Tuesday night. Williamson, who is responsible for hiring department heads, told the Miami Herald he offered the position to Sousa on the condition that he pass a full background check.

“He has accepted,” Williamson wrote in a text.

Sousa is a 22-year veteran of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and was picked from an initial group of 28 applicants to replace Charles Press, who retired in July after 17 years as chief. Key Biscayne interim Police Chief Jason Younes did not apply.

The hire was first reported by local blog Key Biscayne Independent.

Sousa was in the running for Fort Lauderdale’s police chief gig, but lost out in August to Pittsburgh Assistant Police Chief Larry Scirotto, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Sousa appeared on iHeart Radio’s Anti-Social podcast earlier this month, where he told hosts that the job is “a unique opportunity” in a place with “an engaged community.”

“There is a lot of things that are different when you are surrounded by water, it will present unique challenges ... it attracts visitors and tourists,” he said, comparing Fort Lauderdale and Key Biscayne. “Those are my challenges with traffic, juveniles and making sure there is a respect for the individuals’ everyday livelihood who live on the island and enjoyment.”

Sousa, who moved from New England to Miami with his family when he was in high school, is a 2006 graduate of Florida International University, where he got his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and law enforcement administration. He also holds a master’s degree from Nova Southeastern University.

Sousa is trilingual, and was born to a mother from Cuba and a father from Portugal.

As Key Biscayne’s new chief — a job advertised at a salary range of $150,000 to $180,000 — Sousa will be responsible for overseeing a department slated to grow by one lieutenant and two officers to a total of 38 officers, according to the proposed budget for next fiscal year.

The Key Biscayne Police Department budget is proposed at $8.9 million. In Fort Lauderdale, Sousa helped oversee 530 officers and a $140 million budget during his 15-month stint as interim assistant Police Chief.

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department came under scrutiny last summer when LaToya Ratlieff, who was attending a Black Lives Matter protest in Fort Lauderdale, was shot in the head by a Fort Lauderdale police officer with a foam rubber bullet. Her eye socket was fractured in the incident.

Sousa said on the podcast that in Key Biscayne, police should be “transparent and accountable” for their actions.

“We are representing everyone who lives in that community. Everything we have seen in the last 18 to 24 months will improve policing for the better,” he said, speaking about policing in general. “Just because things were a certain way for so long, doesn’t mean it is the right way.”