ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced who will next serve as the city’s police chief on Monday.
The announcement comes less than a week after Chief Orlando Rolón said he would retire Nov. 1, with his last day of work being Aug. 19.
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Dyer said Deputy Chief Eric Smith will take over as the 40th chief of the department. He said Smith has served the community as a member of the Orlando Police Department for 27 years having worked in nearly every department.
Smith is currently the department’s high-risk incident commander and commander of the patrol services bureau overseeing more than 500 officers.
Smith is a 33-year resident of Orlando, who Dyer said originally moved to the city to play football at the University of Central Florida.
READ: Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolón announces retirement
“It’s a honor to be able to lead the men and women of OPD,” Smith said following the announcement.
Rolón said the next three months will serve as a transitional period before Smith takes the lead spot in the department.
Smith’s appointment needs to be confirmed by the city council, but no date for that has been set yet.
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