Miami Gardens appoints Cynthia Machanic as assistant police chief

Miami Gardens is adding a veteran South Florida officer to its police department’s command staff to back up Police Chief Antonio Brooklen.

The city named Cynthia Machanic as the new assistant police chief Thursday morning. She has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience with the Miami-Dade Police Department, and her first day on the job in Miami Gardens will be Monday.

She joins the department about five months after Brooklen was appointed as permanent police chief and as the agency settles into its new headquarters next to City Hall, 18611 NW 27th Ave.

Machanic worked in several sections during her tenure with Miami-Dade PD, including economic crimes/major fraud, the professional compliance bureau, accreditation and internal affairs. She retired as lieutenant last year but is now returning to law enforcement.

“I am ecstatic to have Assistant Chief Machanic join the Miami Gardens police family and look forward to the continued growth of the agency as a whole,” Brooklen said in a statement.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Miami Gardens appoints Cynthia Machanic as assistant police chief."