George Fuente is the new chief of police for the city of Hialeah, Mayor Esteban Bovo announced this Monday morning.
Fuente, 43, has remained interim chief after the previous police chief resigned over the past six months.
Fuente assumed the new position in the presence of officials, merchants, family and friends and after what she saw as a comprehensive and transparent process.
“I’ll be my changes as long as I have the support of the mayor of the community… if it’s going to be something positive, professional, we’re going to have a great relationship with our citizens,” Fuente warned.
As part of the process, 33 applicants were sought nationwide. Fuente, a 25-year veteran of the Hialeah Police Department, started out as a cadet at the age of 14.
This Monday he spoke briefly about what will be the police department under his leadership, one of the most important in the state.
Fuente, the son of Cuban parents, father and husband of the youngest councilwoman in the city’s history, said he knows Hialeah, has trained in its parks and loves the city. “We have a tremendous officer corps and I want them all to be treated like family,” the new chief said.
Of his performance, he warned, “I’m working on getting more officers into our city, we need to see more officers on the streets, more investigators.”
Mayor Bovo said he has confidence in the decisions he will make. “He knows the department, he knows our community and he has my trust,” Bovo said.
Fuente ran the department’s Criminal Investigations Division and is known nationally for his appearances on the popular Telemundo network program Caso Cerrado, where he served precisely as a law enforcement officer.
His swearing-in as the new police chief is scheduled for next Friday.