Jarad Phelps is Boca Raton’s new police chief, but his first assignment sounds less like a crackdown and more like homework: learn the city before trying to fix it. Sworn in Thursday at Lynn University’s Performing Arts Center, Phelps stepped into a department facing a very public debate over homelessness, park safety and how much police can realistically solve.
Dozens of people attended the ceremony, which opened with Boca Raton Fire Rescue’s pipes and drums, according to WPBF. Phelps, chosen after a nationwide search, said he has been paying attention to the city’s homelessness discussion and is committed to finding solutions while helping city agencies and other partners serve people without housing.
The public pressure is already visible in Boca Raton’s parks. Families have raised concerns at Wildflower Park and other locations, while WPTV reported that the city has posted no-trespassing signs and is training park rangers to work more closely with police.
The city’s service providers have also warned that enforcement alone will not untangle the issue. The Coastal Star reported that local advocates are pushing a mix of outreach, housing assistance, mental-health care and nonprofit coordination, while City Manager Mark Sohaney said Boca Raton cannot simply police or arrest its way out of homelessness.
Phelps Brings More Than 30 Years Of Law Enforcement Experience
Phelps arrives from Jacksonville, North Carolina, where he served as police chief, after nearly three decades with the Prince William County Police Department in Virginia. The City of Boca Raton said its national search drew 105 applications, with 77 candidates meeting the job requirements.
The city is planning to add a community resource coordinator and four police officers as it builds out its response, according to WPBF. Mayor Andy Thomson has also described a quality-of-life effort intended to bring service providers and nonprofits together around the city’s homelessness concerns.
That leaves Phelps with a department expected to handle both traditional public-safety demands and a complicated social-services challenge. His stated first mission — learning the community — will now be measured against whether residents see safer parks, better coordination and more effective help for people in crisis.
