William O'Brien (March 10, 1944 – March 3, 2016) was an American police officer who served as the 21st police chief of Miami, Florida, from 1998 until 2000. O'Brien served as a Miami Police Department police officer for more than 25 years, including 18 years as a member of the city's SWAT team and two years as chief.[1][2][3] He resigned as chief on April 28, 2000, in the aftermath of the Elián González custody battle raid.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] The resignation has been studied as a case in criminal justice and political ethics.[10][11][12] He was highly critical of the Miami mayor's handling of the situation, leading to his forced resignation.[13][14][15]

Bill O'Brien, who was raised in La Grange, Illinois, first moved to Miami to study political science at the University of Miami.[3] He then joined the United States Air Force for five years, during which he piloted C-130 Hercules in combat during the Vietnam War.[3] O'Brien sought to become a professional pilot after the war, but could not find a job in the field during the oil embargo in 1973.[3] Instead, O'Brien became a police officer, despite his dislike of guns.[3]

O'Brien died from throat cancer at his home in Tavernier, Florida, on March 3, 2016, at the age of 71.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Bill (December 16, 2010). "Miami Archives - Tracing the rich history of Miami, Miami Beach and the Florida Keys: Miami's police chiefs: a troubled history". miamiarchives.blogspot.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  2. ↑ "List of Miami police chiefs since 1921". WPLG. December 15, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Harris, Alex (March 4, 2016). "Former Miami Police Chief Bill O'Brien dies at his Tavernier home". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  4. ↑ Bragg, Rick (April 29, 2000). "Miami Police Chief Quits in Raid Fallout". New York Times. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ Sue Anne Pressley (April 29, 2000). "Police Chief Resigns In Elian Controversy". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  6. ↑ "2nd top Miami officer may leave". www.latinamericanstudies.org. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  7. ↑ "CNN Transcript - Special Event: Miami Police Chief Retires - April 28, 2000". www.cnn.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  8. ↑ Services, Tribune News. "MIAMI APPOINTS CUBAN-BORN EX-COP AS NEW POLICE CHIEF". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Miami in turmoil as police chief quits over Elian". The Independent. April 29, 2000. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  10. ↑ Sun, Baltimore. "Ethnic politics in Miami; Mayor Carollo: Grandstanding flouted law and order and risked safety of Elian Gonzalez". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  11. ↑ Souryal, Sam S. (October 29, 2010). Ethics in Criminal Justice: In Search of the Truth. Routledge. ISBN 9781437755916. Retrieved February 6, 2019 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ Fernández, Alfredo Antonio (February 6, 2019). Adrift: The Cuban Raft People. Arte Publico Press. ISBN 9781611920550. Retrieved February 6, 2019 – via Google Books.
  13. ↑ "Miami police chief quits, calls mayor 'divisive and destructive' Turmoil escalates a day after city manager was fired". DeseretNews.com. April 29, 2000. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  14. ↑ times, Rick Bragg new york. "MORE CHAOS IN MIAMI - TOP COP RESIGNS". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Police chief resigns in Elian row". www.irishtimes.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
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