The city of Ferguson, Missouri, is swearing in a new police chief Monday. After 32 years at the Miami Police Department, Delrish Moss will now have the task of helping rebuild the Ferguson department following the riots and federal intervention that followed the 2014 shooting death of African-American teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer.
Here’s a look at Moss’ resume:
Public service aide
1984-1987
Moss joined the Miami department at age 20 as a public service aide, according to The Miami Herald. Such aides are described as paraprofessionals who help support sworn officers, including writing reports, directing traffic and other duties.
He was motivated to become a police officer by an incident in which a Miami police officer stopped and frisked him for no apparent reason, according to a March article about him in the Herald.
“I was embarrassed and scared,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “I decided I needed to become a police officer to teach these people how to treat people. Also, I hoped to become his boss and fire the guy.”
Patrol officer
1987-1989
Moss was promoted to uniformed officer. He patrolled predominantly black neighborhoods, according to the Herald.
Homicide investigator
1989-1996
He was assigned to investigate murders and other violent crimes.
Public information officer
October 1996-May 2008
Moving to the department’s Public Information Office, he became a spokesman and community liaison, including during demonstrations following the 2000 deportation of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba and the 2005 suicide of a Miami commissioner, according to The Miami Herald.
Senior executive assistant to police chief
May 2008-November 2011
Moss was the primary spokesman for the department and executive assistant to the police chief, according to the Herald and his LinkedIn profile
Commander, community relations section, and public information officer
November 2011-March 2016
After being promoted to major, Moss was the police chief’s primary spokesman and was responsible for “all community outreach, strategic communications, issue and image management, and crisis mitigation” and communication strategies for department initiatives, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Appointed police chief in Ferguson
April 2016
He was chosen over 53 other applicants for the Ferguson job, according to The Miami Herald.
“Major Moss exemplifies the type of experience in law enforcement that we believe will enhance the many new programs within the Ferguson Police Department,” the city said in a statement.
Skills
He is an expert in police-community relations, his former boss in Miami, Chief Rodolfo Llanes, told the Miami newspaper.
Some other skills Moss lists on his LinkedIn profile: criminal investigations, government, dignitary protection and police administration.
Personal
Moss is a fan of jazz and big bands, according to the Miami paper. He also was president of the Miami Police Athletic League and a member of the NAACP.
