IACP Conference 2013 Don De Lucca
In September 2011, Donald W. De Lucca was named the Chief of the Town of Golden Beach in Miami Dade County. He is responsible for the oversight and direction of 21 full time officers and 7 part time officers for the coastal residential community. The Town of Golden Beach is considered one of the safest communities in Florida. Chief De Lucca has reorganized the agency and is currently working on the State of Florida Accreditation for police agencies.
In 2007, Donald W. De Lucca finished his twenty-six year service with the Miami Beach Police Department. During his remarkable tenure, De Lucca rose steadily through the ranks. In 2001, Mayor Kasdin named De Lucca the Chief of Police of the MBPD.
Chief De Lucca’s wide depth of experience within the Miami Beach Police Department includes leadership roles in both the operations and administration divisions. He built a record of distinguished service with an agency of 402 sworn and 164 civilian employees and an annual budget of over $70 million. Not only was De Lucca successful in delivering a top-notch police service to a diverse community of 95,000 residents but also delivered superior police service to the over ten million Miami Beach visitors that arrived annually.
With the growing popularity of Miami Beach as a tourist destination, Chief De Lucca developed innovative plans to accommodate a steady stream of major events and to balance the uniquely different needs of residents and visitors. To achieve this crucial balance, De Lucca emphasized top quality training for every employee of the MBPD. He was also keenly sensitive to not just the reality of crime in Miami Beach, but also to the perception of it. This attention to the image and reputation of the City was a vital factor in an increase in tourism during his tenure as Chief.
Under Chief De Lucca’s leadership, the MBPD achieved international and state accreditation, actively pursued comprehensive community policing initiatives based on a district policing plan, initiated the use of non-lethal weapons, developed a Crisis Intervention Team, and instituted a Special Events Voluntary Response Team to facilitate the staffing of major events. Chief De Lucca also developed the City’s comprehensive terrorism response plan that is still in effect today. Additionally, he was the co-host of the 2005 IACP annual conference in Miami Beach to 15,000 attendees.
During Chief De Lucca’s tenure he has been called upon to conduct leadership training for the California Highway Patrol, FBI N.A. graduates, New York Police Department, University of Southern California, Maricopa County Law Enforcement, Tempe Police Department, Duke University Police Department, the Los Angeles Port Authority Police and many others.
Additionally, he is the current Chairperson of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference Committee. He has held this position since 2002.