Chief Ed Hudak made permanent top cop in Coral Gables

Coral Gables has a police chief and it is Ed Hudak. All is well with the world. Or at least the micro world that is the City Beautiful.

Hudak, who has been serving as interim chief since last Sept. 11 was made the permanent chief exactly a year later on Friday after City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark was sorta pressured to do it.

It also helped that City Attorney Craig Leen said the city charter called for one police chief to hold exclusive powers.

Swanson-Rivenbark really didn’t want to. She originally wanted to have to police chiefs, including Maj. Raul Pedroso, reporting to her assistant city manager in charge of public safety. But residents and commissioners insisted that Hudak, a 26-year veteran who has been with the department since 1988, was their man.

“I make this appointment not only because of the highly responsive manner in which you have served the public this past year, as evidenced by the strong outpouring of support on behalf of this appointment, but also because of your personal commitment you have provided to me that you will lead at all times with honor, fairness and integrity,” said Swanson-Rivenbark said in the letter to Hudak, who has been serving since Chief Dennis Weiner resigned under pressure.

“I appreciate the privilege to continue to serve the citizens of the Coral Gables community,” Hudak said in a statement.

“I look forward to all the challenges that we face as a community and police in general. I am also ready to embrace a partnership within the Coral Gables Police Department, law enforcement and the community to better serve and protect us all.”

Neither Swanson-Rivenbark no Hudak could be reached for comment. But sources close to the police department tell me that the concern was about Hudak’s possible retaliation against the Pedroso/Weiner faction, a small but tenacious group of officers who are not aligned with the chief. Who, basically, hate the chief.

There’s already one complaint from Lt. Rene Tastet, who said Hudak bumped her down from Internal Affairs to patrol because she conducted an illegal investigation into his communications. Only problem is he didn’t know about the investigation. It was a secrete, rogue operation that has been referred to the State Attorney’s Office (more on that later).

The new city manager doesn’t want to deal with a civil war in the police department. Which is normal. But at least she knows Hudak won’t order any illegal IA investigations.

Commissioners, too, are hoping that this decision will allow the department — which has seen a 20% drop in crime in the first six months of 2015 — continue to improve its operations and protection of citizens who were just a year ago complaining of rising crime.

“The factions have to come to an end,” Commissioner Vince Lago told Ladra late Friday. “Ed Hudak has been named chief. I expect all subordinates to follow his direction and cease all insubordination.”

Lago said the decision would likely be supported unanimously by the commission, which voted 5-0 after hours of discussion a year ago to appoint him temporarily.

“We’ve seen a steady decline in overall crime in the last year. The morale at the police department has gone through the roof. The overall impression of the police department is much better today than over the past five years,” Lago said.

Commissioner Frank Quesada, who has wanted Hudak as the chief since last year, saw it not as a victory for himself, but as a victory for the residents and business owners in the city.

“Do I feel like I’ve been heard? Absolutely. But it wasn’t just me. We got hundreds of emails. It was tough to go shopping at Publix and not have three or four residents asking why Ed wasn’t chief,” Quesada told Ladra late Friday.

“Ed’s been in the city for 27 years. He started at the bottom and worked his way to the top. Residents love him. All the staff membes love him. The elected officials? We all love him. He gets results and he gives us straight talk. If there’s an issue, he brings it to us. He doesn’t hide it,” Quesada said, sorta intimating former Chief Wiener, who hid everything.

“We need transparency in this city, especially in the police department. And he has consistently been that guy.”

Hudak brings that small town chief feeling to a city with 49,000 residents, something Weiner was woefully unable to do. People feel like they know him personally. They feel like they can call him, like they can talk to him. Many residents call him by his first name.”

“If you call the police for whatever reason, it’s not a shock to have him show up at your door to ask questions or see what your concerns are,” Quesada said.

Well, you know, maybe not now that he’s the chief.

Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark, Coral Gables, Ed Hudak

Chief Ed Hudak made permanent top cop in Coral Gables added by Ladra on September 11, 2015
View all posts by Ladra →