Who Is The New Interim-Police Chief In West Palm Beach?

We're learning more about the man who is now leading the West Palm Beach Police Department on an interim basis.

Mayor Keith James fired Police Chief Frank Adderley over allegations of financial improprieties among leaders of the department. He reached out to Sheriff Ric Bradshaw for assistance.

"I've gotta give the mayor credit for recognizing that they have an issue and taking decisive action because we've seen it in other agencies, when you have top leadership that's not really in control of what's going on, not good things happen."

So Bradshaw made a recommendation for James...Colonel Tony Araujo, who leads up PBSO"s Uniform Operations Department.

"He reached out to me and we had a conversation. He explained to me what the dilemma was and what his plans were gonna be and asked me if I could supply somebody...if I had somebody who has those capabilities and I said absolutely. Tony could be a police chief anywhere in the nation. He has that much qualifications."

He says Araujo has about 1,100 sworn employees underneath him at the Sheriff's Office, which is more than twice the size of the West Palm Beach PD.

"He's very capable of commanding a large amount of people. He's excellent. He's a great leader. He networks well with the police chiefs. He goes to the (Police) Chiefs Association."

The Mayor made it clear that the colonel will return to PBSO once the city has found a new permanent chief through a nationwide search.

Meanwhile, Araujo remains an employee of the Sheriff's Office and the city of West Palm Beach will reimburse the agency for his services.

A well-qualified major is running the Uniform Operations Department at PBSO in the meantime.