BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Jarad L. Phelps was sworn in Thursday as Chief of Police for the City of Boca Raton, taking formal command of the Boca Raton Police Services Department. Phelps was chosen after a national search that drew more than 100 applications from law enforcement leaders across the country.
Phelps brings more than 30 years of law enforcement leadership to the job. He most recently served as Chief of Police in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where he led a nationally accredited department of 136 sworn officers and more than 40 professional staff. Before that, he spent nearly three decades with the Prince William County Police Department in Virginia, working his way up to Deputy Chief and Acting Chief. In Boca Raton, he now oversees 220 sworn officers and 110 civilian support staff. Phelps holds a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in political science and criminal justice from James Madison University, along with executive training through the FBI National Academy, the FBI National Executive Institute, Harvard’s Kennedy School, the Senior Management Institute for Policing, and the University of Virginia’s Senior Executive Institute.
“Leading public safety for a community like Boca Raton is both an honor and a responsibility I take seriously,” Phelps said. “I’m excited to meet the men and women of this department, to get to know the neighborhoods and residents we serve, and to build the kind of trust and partnership that makes a community truly safe. I want to thank Mayor Thomson, City Manager Sohaney, and the entire City team for this opportunity, and I’m looking forward to getting to work.”
Boca Raton Mayor Andy Thomson called Phelps’ hiring a fit for the city, saying he brings “steady, experienced leadership” and a career built on trust between officers and residents. City Manager Mark Sohaney said Phelps “stood out at every step” of a highly competitive nationwide search and praised Acting Chief Seth Dubinsky and the department’s command staff for their leadership during the transition.
Phelps succeeds Dubinsky, who had been running the department on an interim basis. City officials say more details on Phelps’ community outreach efforts and introduction events will be released in the coming weeks.
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