US top cop Dubliner hands in badge
TIMONEY: Controversial
Saturday November 14 2009
DUBLIN-born John Timoney has quit his job as one of America's top cops.
He dramatically announced his resignation as chief of Miami Police Department on the same day the new mayor Tomas Regalado -- who had pledged to remove Timoney from the position -- was sworn in.
The Dubliner, whose family moved to the US when he was 12, was renowned for his tough 'zero tolerance' approach.
He will remain in Miami until the end of the year to help with the transition when a new police chief is named next week.
Timoney tendered his resignation last night.
Under Timoney's seven-year reign, crime in Miami dropped significantly, as did the number of police shootings.
Last year, he authorised his patrol officers to carry AR-15 rifles -- a version of the military's M-16 assault rifle. He did so because AK 47s had become "the gun of choice" for criminals in Miami.
Shootings
A former police chief of New York and Philadelphia, he is a recognised national expert on shootings involving police and armed gangs. He has also advised the Irish Government on crime and was dubbed 'America's Top Cop' by Esquire magazine.
His Leitrim-born father ran a pub in Dublin's Wood Quay before the family emigrated. Timoney's no-nonsense style rankled many Miami police officers and their union leaders, who backed Regalado as Mayor.
"I'm elated," said Miami Fraternal Order of Police president Armando Aguilar.
mlavery@herald.ie
- Michael Lavery
