MIAMI — The city of Miami has announced that Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez will lead the Miami Police Department.

Lopez’ appointment marks the first major selection by Miami City Manager James Reyes, who is tasked with choosing the city’s police chief. Reyes was appointed by Mayor Eileen Higgins, who was elected in December.

“Chief Lopez is widely recognized for his collaborative leadership style and his ability to strengthen organizational morale within the departments he has led,” Reyes said in a statement Friday morning. “His appointment reflects our commitment to placing experienced, community-focused leadership at the helm of the City of Miami’s Police Department.”

Rumors began circulating last month that Lopez was the leading candidate to replace outgoing Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales.

Though he’s spent decades in the South Florida law enforcement world, Lopez is an outsider to the Miami Police Department. He will go from a role in Doral where he led a department of 155 sworn officers in a city with 82,000 residents, to heading a police department with over 1,100 sworn officers in a city with nearly a half-million residents.

The city of Doral does not officially have a successor for Lopez lined up, according to Doral Mayor Christi Fraga.

Doral Councilwoman Maureen Porras said she has mixed emotions about bidding farewell to “esteemed Police Chief Edwin Lopez.”

“I am disappointed that the City administration did not inform me of his departure and did not keep me updated on this important information,” Porras said. “While I feel sadness at his departure, I am genuinely happy for him as he takes on this exciting new opportunity. His leadership has greatly impacted our community, and he will be missed. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.“

Lopez has more than 28 years of law enforcement experience, spending more than 25 years with the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department — including as chief during his final four years there — before taking over in Doral in 2023.

He was named chief of the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department in the aftermath of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which killed 17 students and staff. Lopez was the first Hispanic to hold the position of chief. He also previously worked as a detached investigator for the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office gang strike force.

Lopez has a master’s degree in public administration and an undergraduate degree in physical education — both from Florida International University, according to his resume.

Fraga said that Chief Lopez has been “an exceptional leader” for Doral.

Lopez is “someone who has led with integrity, strengthened trust within our community, and elevated the Doral Police Department in meaningful ways,” Fraga said in a statement to the Herald. “We are incredibly proud of him and this next step in his career, even as we know we will truly miss him here in Doral.”

Fraga highlighted that during his time in the city, “he strengthened our department, supported our officers, and helped build a strong foundation that positions us well for the future. His impact will be felt long after his departure.”

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