Dan Oates Sworn in as Miami Beach Police Chief

Miami Beach has a new top cop.

Daniel Oates was sworn is as the city's chief of police Wednesday during a ceremony at City Hall.

Oates, the former chief of police for Aurora, Colorado, is replacing Raymond Martinez, who announced his retirement in March.

"It’s Miami Beach, it’s one of the most fascinating places in the United States," Oates said of his new job. "It has the beach and resorts but a Manhattan-like feel. I started out as a Manhattan street cop."

Oates, a former Eagle Scout and newspaper reporter, joined the New York City Police Department in 1980 where he worked for 21 years. He became head of the intelligence division, picking up a law degree along the way. He was named chief of the Ann Arbor, Mich. Police Department in 2001, then Aurora chief in 2005.

But Oates knows his “honeymoon” period won’t last long in Miami Beach. The department has recently come under scrutiny and its reputation has been damaged in the eyes of some.

There have been accusations of cops using excessive force during Urban Beach Week, the Tasering of a young graffiti artist who died, and an officer reportedly partying on the job.

Oates said those are areas he’s looking at personally.

"What we’re going to look at right away are sort of the high liability issues for the department, use of force policies, pursuit policies, training," he said.

Though Oates says the department doesn’t necessarily deserve all of the criticism.

"For instance, the last couple of years Urban Beach Week has gone very well and this year extremely well without incident," he said.

Just a day before his appointment, a rare but terrifying crime occurred when a man was shot and killed inside popular Mansion Nightclub.

Oates said that will also be investigated.

"Thankfully those events are extremely rare and we’re making progress on it," he said.

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