Miami's new police chief was officially sworn in during a Tuesday morning ceremony.
Manuel Orosa, who has served as interim chief since September, became the city's permanent chief during the swearing in at the Miami Police College.
"I grew up in the police department, we have made changes to bring stability to the department," Orosa said at the ceremony, attended by Mayor Tomas Regalado, most of the city commission and community members.
"Now we can get the politics out of the police chief's office and get down to the work of protecting the citizens," Regalado said.
Orosa, a 31-year veteran of the department, held numerous command positions before he was selected the city's top cop earlier this month. He is Miami's 35th police chief.
City Manager Johnny Martinez named Orosa interim chief after Miguel Exposito was fired in September for insubordination.
Last month, the U.S. Justice Department announced it was launching a civil investigation into the deaths of seven black men in officer-involved shootings during an eight-month period while Exposito was chief.
Exposito had said the shootings were justified, though some of the victims were found to be unarmed.
As interim chief, Orosa put more officers in the streets in hot spots like Liberty Square.
Community activist Nathaniel Wilcox said Orosa has reached out to the African-American community since becoming interim chief.
"The chief from the very beginning has been more than willing to communicate and I'm sure he will continue to communicate," Wilcox said.
Orosa said he always looks ahead -- "forget about the past."
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"I don't want to go there -- more focused to where I want to move this police department to," he said.
