North Miami swears in first Haitian American woman police chief
North Miami swore in its first Haitian American woman police chief Friday. She is now the fourth woman to hold that top law enforcement position in all of Miami-Dade County.
Cherise Gause also became the first Haitian American woman police chief in the nation, according to North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme, when she took the oath.
“This is a moment I’ve prepared for, and as I took the oath today, I did so with a profound sense of duty and commitment to the values that define our noble profession,” Gause told a crowd of elected officials, city staff and fellow officers at the Joe Celestin Center in North Miami.
Gause, 50, has three decades of law enforcement experience and most recently was first assistant chief of police at the Miami Police Department, where she ran field operations. She has been a finalist for the top job in both Miami and Tampa in recent years.
Gause will lead a department with just under 120 officers. The city did not immediately respond with details about Gause’s salary and benefits.
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North Miami city manager Rasha Cameau said she met Gause when the two first worked for the city of Miami, when Cameau was an IT administrator and Gause was a neighborhood resource officer. Cameau said while Gause being a woman is a plus it still came down to her qualifications.
“At the end of the day, it’s the most qualified person, the person with compassion and the expertise,” she said. “The bonus points are that she’s a woman, that she’s of Haitian descent. But again we bring in all culture, all diversity, and the wisdom for the diverse community we serve.”
Gause noted the historic nature of her appointment, saying nationally, women comprise 12 percent of law enforcement, and 3 percent hold leadership positions.
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Gause said her initial priorities will focus on community policing, increasing patrols and building relationships with the community. She will also seek to improve technology within the department and focusing on officers’ wellness.
“We stand at a critical juncture in history where the public’s trust in law enforcement is vital,” she said during a speech detailing her goals for the office. “It is our duty to protect and serve with transparency, integrity and with respect.”
Desulme said apart from their day-to-day duties, officers also have the added challenge of language barriers.
“On top of all of the regular issues that you have with community policing, patrolling, public safety, all of these different things, on top of that, you have to deal with the language barrier and the cultural understanding of the community,” Desulme said. “And I think community policing is one of her strong points in her background.”
More than a third of North Miami’s population is of Haitian descent, according to the American Community Survey from the U.S. Census. The city’s total population is just under 59,000, according to the U.S. Census.
Gause said the department is equipped to meet the diversity of the community, with 50 percent of the police force consisting of Black officers, including some Haitian Americans. The department, she said, also includes Hispanic officers.
“So we are already equipped to meet the diversity of the community that we serve,” she said.
Miami Herald reporter Chuck Rabin contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 18, 2023 at 5:23 PM.
