Director of Miami’s police oversight panel is retiring, search begins for new one
The executive director of Miami’s police oversight agency is retiring after eight years at the helm where she oversaw investigations into police beating suspects, misuse of body cameras and mismanagement of the off-duty work program.
Cristina Beamud, a former police officer and prosecutor, announced this week that she plans to retire from her position as executive director of the Civilian Investigative Panel (CIP), which fields citizens’ complaints of police misconduct and investigates them. She hasn’t set a date yet, but expects to leave in late May or June.
Beamud told the Miami Herald it was time for her to retire after a 46-year career in public safety. She said in her last eight years in Miami, she’s seen the department conduct more effective investigations into complaints against officers. Her agency has called out police officers for failing to turn on their body cameras, uncovered financial mismanagement in the department’s off-duty work program and exposed several instances where officers used excessive force while making arrests, sometimes contradicting what was stated in official police reports.
“I walked into an office that wasn’t really meeting the needs of the community or the desires of the community,” she said. “I’m proud to say now we have an excellent staff and a very engaged panel.”
The panel has no authority to discipline officers, but it makes recommendations to the police chief and brings evidence of police misconduct out into the open.
Beamud has had a long career in public safety that started as a patrol officer in 1976 in Rochester, N.Y. Her role as auditor started the last phase of her career in police oversight, which culminated with her assuming the top position at Miami’s CIP.
The agency’s second-in-command, Assistant Director Rodney Jacobs, said working under Beamud for the past five years has been “an honor and a privilege.”
“I’m saddened to see her go. Yet, this community is better because of her unwavering commitment to police accountability, transparency and public safety, at a time when we needed it the most,” Jacobs said. “We are all in her debt due to her good work to right the ship of oversight in Miami.”
During their tenure, Beamud and Jacobs assisted another city board responsible for overseeing police reforms while the department was under federal monitoring by the Department of Justice, an arrangement that ended in 2021. Both the federal oversight and the creation of the CIP, approved by a voter referendum in the early 2000s, followed the killing of Black men by police officers.
Beamud informed the 11-person panel of her decision at a meeting Tuesday. The panel’s chairwoman, attorney Maithe González, said Beamud’s experiences and skills will be missed.
“It’s a huge loss for us in the CIP because she has a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to police oversight,” González said. “I think she is fair and impartial and objective when it comes to trying to do the right thing.”
González said a panel subcommittee will search for the next director and hold public interviews. The City Commission would give final approval.
“We want someone that has been involved in oversight before and has proven to be a leader in this department,” González said. “We’re also looking for someone who can be fair and impartial.”
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 1:52 PM.
