Lauderhill has narrowed its search for a new police chief to three finalists, setting up a September selection process that will determine who leads the department into a leaner budget era following Chief Constance Stanley's retirement. The finalists are Easton McDonald of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, City of Miami Police Commander Richard Perez, and North Miami Police Assistant Chief Angel Rivera.
According to CBS News, the three candidates are scheduled for individual interviews with city leadership on September 8, followed by a public community breakfast the next morning at the Ken Thurston Community Center where residents can meet the finalists. The station reports the appointment will close out a search triggered by Stanley's decision to step down this fall after 32 years in law enforcement.
Stanley has led the Lauderhill Police Department since her promotion to chief in August 2015, becoming the city's first female police chief, according to the City of Lauderhill. She joined the department as an officer back in December 1994, meaning her retirement closes out more than three decades of service and a decade-long run at the top of the agency.
A Smaller Command Structure Awaits the Next Chief
Whoever takes over will inherit a department operating under a tighter budget than the one Stanley has managed. The station's report notes that Lauderhill's proposed FY2027 police leadership budget reflects a reduction of nearly $250,000 compared to current spending, driven in part by the elimination of one command staff position and a cut to premium pay of more than 75%.
Those reductions are unfolding against a backdrop of broader fiscal caution at City Hall. City Manager Kennie Hobbs Jr. presented the proposed FY2027 budget in July, warning that a pending state homestead-exemption referendum could force up to $8.8 million in municipal revenue reductions over two years, according to Citizen Portal. That warning helps explain why police leadership spending, among other line items, is being trimmed even as the department maintains its accreditation standards.
Department Keeps Its Accreditation Status Amid the Transition
The leadership shake-up comes even as the department's operational credentials remain strong. Lauderhill Police received its third consecutive Excelsior re-accreditation from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation in June, per the City of Lauderhill, a status the incoming chief will be expected to preserve under the new financial constraints.
Command continuity may help ease that transition. Lauderhill appointed retired Broward Sheriff's Office Major Kevin Granville as deputy police chief in June 2025, part of an executive push to expand community engagement and proactive policing, Citizen Portal reported at the time. Granville remains in that role as the city searches for its next top cop.
Regional Pay Pressures Loom Over Recruitment
The budget cuts also arrive amid a regional squeeze on law enforcement compensation across Broward County. The Broward Sheriff's Office requested a $937 million budget for FY2027 while acknowledging that deputy starting pay still trails municipal police departments across the county, CBS Miami reported in June. That dynamic underscores the recruitment and retention pressures facing every agency in the area, including Lauderhill, as it moves to reduce its own premium pay allocations.
Public safety has been a defined priority for the department in recent years. Lauderhill launched its “Peace 365” violence reduction program in April 2024 after homicides in the city rose 44%, from three in 2022 to nine in 2023, as Hoodline previously reported. Whichever finalist is ultimately selected will need to sustain that violence-reduction work while operating with fewer leadership resources than the department has had in years past.
