After a sheriff’s shakeup, new command staff announced in Miami-Dade
After removing three high-ranking deputies from the command staff, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has announced new promotions to assistant sheriff.
“The designation of Andrew Glass, Javier Ruiz and Fernand Charles to Assistant Sheriffs will strengthen the quality of services we provide our community,” Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said in a statement Thursday night.
The moves come a week after the sheriff’s office announced that Eric Garcia, Shawn Browne and Brian Rafky had been removed from their positions. Garcia and Browne left the sheriff’s office, and Rafky stayed on with a lower rank.
READ MORE: Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office removes three top commanders in staff shakeup
This marks the first major staff realignment since Cordero-Stutz became the first elected leader of the newly established sheriff’s office. The agency transitioned from a police department to a sheriff’s office in January 2025, following a 2018 referendum requiring that the heads of all Florida county law enforcement agencies be elected.
“The Miami-Dade sheriff recognizes that leadership changes are not only routine but also essential for the success of public safety,” the sheriff’s office stated last week. “These transitions play a crucial role in the comprehensive transformation from a county department to a fully independent sheriff’s office, ensuring our commitment to excellence in service and responsiveness to the community.”
The sheriff’s office has not said what prompted the change in leadership.
Who are the new assistant sheriffs?
Division Chief Fernand Charles Jr. is a 22-year law enforcement veteran who grew up in Broward County and graduated from Nova High School in Davie. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in justice administration, according to a biography provided by the sheriff’s office.
His previous assignment, as a major, was with the Homicide Bureau, responsible for conducting investigations of all deaths that occur in unincorporated Miami-Dade County and 27 of the county’s municipalities. Charles has also worked Organized Crimes Bureau, Northwest District Bike Unit, Domestic Crimes Bureau and in internal affairs. He also worked with the “Bikes Up, Guns Down” campaign “through a public awareness educational component and increasing enforcement with additional uniformed patrols and undercover deputies,” his bio reads.
Division Chief Javier I. Ruiz serves as division chief for the centralized services division, where he oversees five bureaus: central records, communications, the Miami-Dade training center, community affairs and fleet management, according to his bio provided by the sheriff’s office. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in disaster management from Florida International University, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (Session 289) and the Southern Police Institute’s Command Officer Development Course.
Ruiz has worked officer, where he served as a field training officer and detective. As a sergeant, he worked in patrol, general investigations, and Internal Affairs. He later served as a lieutenant overseeing disciplinary coordination and as captain of the robbery bureau, according to his bio provided by the sheriff’s office.
Division Chief Andrew Glass is a 30-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and currently leads the specialized investigations’ bureau. Glass has held numerous leadership positions, including command assignments in the public corruption investigations bureau, the homicide bureau, the personnel management bureau, Kendall's district, the Homeland Security bureau, the court services bureau, the governmental services bureau, and the warrants bureau.
Glass holds a master’s degree in justice administration from Faulkner University and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Lynn University.
This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 8:37 AM.