Steve Mimbs Selected as Melbourne Chief of Police
The selection of Steve Mimbs to continue to serve as chief of police for the City of Melbourne has been announced by City Manager Jack Schluckebier.
Mimbs began serving as chief following the health-related departure of former chief Don Carey in March 2010.
Mimbs, 50, joined the department in 1980 and has earned promotions through the ranks to the command staff. He was promoted to the rank of commander in 2001 and began eight years of service as a deputy chief in 2004. Mimbs is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and completed Florida Department of Law Enforcement senior leadership training. He has earned several commendations as a police officer. He holds bachelor's and master's degree from Barry University.
The selection came after a national awareness campaign resulted in 79 applications. The recruitment process included two separate sets of interviews and background checks for finalists. In addition to Mimbs, finalists were Lee Spector, who retired from the Ft. Lauderdale police department as a captain, and Robert Boone, currently police chief for Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
The City Manager commended Mimbs for his leadership and stabilizing influences on the department. "Chief Mimbs has risen to the occasion and aptly demonstrated his capabilities. He took leadership of a department that was experiencing internal strife, providing direction and a calming influence. He has described his vision of decreasing crime and improving customer service by using diverse means of continued improvement for the department."
Chief Mimbs credited officers and employees of his department for recent successes in reducing crime. "The members of the department have pulled together and have continually focused on reducing crimes and improving the quality of life for our citizens," Mimbs said. "The Melbourne Police Department is an excellent law enforcement agency, and it is an honor for me to be selected to lead an organization with such dedicated employees."
The police department has 239 employees, 168 of them sworn officers. The City's police department operates on a $23.6-million budget.
Mimbs, 50, joined the department in 1980 and has earned promotions through the ranks to the command staff. He was promoted to the rank of commander in 2001 and began eight years of service as a deputy chief in 2004. Mimbs is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and completed Florida Department of Law Enforcement senior leadership training. He has earned several commendations as a police officer. He holds bachelor's and master's degree from Barry University.
The selection came after a national awareness campaign resulted in 79 applications. The recruitment process included two separate sets of interviews and background checks for finalists. In addition to Mimbs, finalists were Lee Spector, who retired from the Ft. Lauderdale police department as a captain, and Robert Boone, currently police chief for Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
The City Manager commended Mimbs for his leadership and stabilizing influences on the department. "Chief Mimbs has risen to the occasion and aptly demonstrated his capabilities. He took leadership of a department that was experiencing internal strife, providing direction and a calming influence. He has described his vision of decreasing crime and improving customer service by using diverse means of continued improvement for the department."
Chief Mimbs credited officers and employees of his department for recent successes in reducing crime. "The members of the department have pulled together and have continually focused on reducing crimes and improving the quality of life for our citizens," Mimbs said. "The Melbourne Police Department is an excellent law enforcement agency, and it is an honor for me to be selected to lead an organization with such dedicated employees."
The police department has 239 employees, 168 of them sworn officers. The City's police department operates on a $23.6-million budget.
