BOCA RATON,FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — Boca Raton is asking residents to help shape the future of its police department, opening a community survey as the city continues a national search for its next police chief.
The survey is part of a broader transition at the Boca Raton Police Services Department, where Acting Police Chief Liz Roberts remains in place while City Manager Mark Sohaney oversees the hiring process. The city has not named a successor and is recruiting nationwide for a candidate to lead one of Palm Beach County’s largest municipal law enforcement agencies.
Unlike a general feedback request, the survey lays out specific priorities the city wants residents to weigh in on, offering a clearer look at how Boca Raton is defining the role.
Residents are asked to rank leadership priorities including rebuilding trust within the police department, improving officer morale, stabilizing leadership, and increasing transparency and accountability to the public. Community-facing expectations are also part of the mix, including officer visibility in neighborhoods, communication with residents, and engagement across the city.
Those internal priorities align with issues that surfaced publicly before the leadership transition. A 2025 survey conducted by the Boca Raton Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 gave former Chief Michele Miuccio low ratings in areas such as morale, communication, and responsiveness to officers, placing internal culture alongside public trust as a central issue for the next chief.
The city is also asking residents to rank public safety concerns, ranging from violent and property crime to traffic enforcement, drug-related incidents, homelessness, mental health calls, and cybercrime. The list includes preparedness for hurricanes and natural disasters, as well as mass shooting and active threat response, reflecting the range of responsibilities handled by a modern police department.
That scope mirrors the department itself. Boca Raton Police Services is a full-service agency with 220 sworn officers and 113 civilian employees, covering patrol, investigations, traffic enforcement, dispatch, and specialized units such as SWAT, K-9, marine, and crisis negotiation. The department is also a regular presence in neighborhoods, schools, and community events.
The survey goes a step further by asking residents to identify what the next chief should deliver early in the job. Options include rebuilding internal trust, strengthening public transparency, stabilizing operations, improving emergency response, reducing crime, or increasing officer visibility and community engagement.
Under Boca Raton’s council-manager form of government, the police chief reports directly to the city manager and serves as the city’s top law enforcement advisor. The position carries responsibility for department operations, budgeting, personnel, internal affairs, and emergency response, while also shaping how the department interacts with the public.
Applicants are expected to bring at least 10 years of law enforcement experience, including five years in a supervisory or command role, along with a bachelor’s degree and executive-level leadership training. The listed salary range is $225,000 to $245,000.
The hiring process is expected to include both virtual and in-person interviews, followed by a detailed post-offer screening that includes background checks, a polygraph, psychological evaluation, and medical testing. Florida’s public records laws may also make portions of the process subject to disclosure.
For now, Roberts remains acting chief, supported by Captains Seth Dubinsky and Drew Kosova as acting assistant chiefs while the search continues.
What happens next will depend on both sides of the process — who applies, and what residents say they want. The survey gives the public a defined role, and it sets a baseline for how the city will evaluate its next police chief once that choice is made.
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