North Miami Police Chief Marc Elias Jr. Resigns

Elias had been with the department since 2010

North Miami Police Chief Marc Elias Jr. has resigned, a city spokeswoman said Tuesday.

City Manager Stephen Johnson and Elias “have agreed to an amicable conclusion to his service at the North Miami Police Department by way of his resignation,” spokeswoman Pam Solomon said in a news release.

Solomon said in a phone interview that she did not have information about why Elias resigned.

Elias was hired as the department’s assistant chief in 2010 and was named chief the following year.

Elias has been criticized for charging the city of North Miami thousands of dollars for seven trips he took to Haiti going back to April 2012, the Miami Herald reported. Johnson has said that only one of the trips did not have the necessary documentation to merit reimbursement by the city, the newspaper reported.

Elias was born in Haiti and is a graduate of both College Roger Anglade in Port-au-Prince as well as Columbia Southern University in Alabama, according to his biography on the police department's website.

The Herald also reported that Elias had chest pains on Monday while at work. He was taken to a local hospital and was still hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday morning, according to Vice Mayor Scott Galvin.

The city thanked Elias for his service.

“The City Manager will work with the Police Department on the transition in the interim until a permanent assignment is made to the position,” Solomon wrote.

Johnson is working with the two assistant police chiefs, Leonard Burgess and Larry Juriga, to decide who will become the interim police chief, Solomon said.

That person will lead the department while a search is conducted for a permanent replacement.

Contact Us