By John Pacenti
Less than 12 hours after Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney criticized his department, Police Chief Russ Mager resigned on Wednesday.
Mager submitted his resignation on June 4 after serving the city for 29 years. He had long hinted at retiring. His last day will be July 4.
The announcement came after Carney criticized Mager’s department for failing to conclude an internal investigation involving the firefighter who drove a truck into the pathway of a Brightline train.
It also comes the same week that Mager sent an email to commissioners expressing concern about 15 vacancies in the department, as the police union and the city haggle over a new contract.
“Chief Russ Mager has been a dedicated public servant and an integral part of the Delray Beach Police Department for nearly 30 years,” said City Manager Terrence Moore.
“His leadership, integrity, and commitment to our community have left a lasting impact on our city. We are deeply grateful for his service and wish him all the best in this next chapter.”
Carney struck a positive tone, as well, on hearing of the resignation.
“He’s had a great career with Delray Beach, and it’s been an honor to have him,” he said. “I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Carney said he wasn’t criticizing Mager personally at the June 3 commission meeting, saying his comments on the internal investigation were more directed to Moore.
But the mayor wanted to make clear he was unhappy the internal investigation had not been concluded by Mager’s internal affairs unit.
In June 2023, firefighter David Wyatt drove his car into a tree on Atlantic Avenue. Though police suspected a DUI, neither a breathalyzer nor a blood test was taken. Some police officers also turned off their body cameras once they learned Wyatt was a firefighter.
The investigation was looking into police conduct in responding to the crash. Wyatt ended up getting a ticket, but his license was suspended for failing to attend driving class. For nearly two months, he drove a firetruck without a valid license.
It was Wyatt behind the wheel of an aerial ladder firetruck when it went around lowered railroad crossing gates on Dec. 28 and was struck by a Brightline train.
“I don’t know how this city can be satisfied that it has taken as long as it has to investigate that accident on West Atlantic,” Carney said about the 2023 crash investigation. “It’s been over four months.”
Mager has previously said he has had trouble scheduling officers for interviews.
“If I couldn’t get people in to testify, I would suspend them,” Carney said at the June 3 meeting.
Moore told Carney that he would have Mager approach the dais and explain, but the mayor said, “I don’t want to hear from the chief. These are the commissioners’ comments. I think I made my point pretty clear.”
Besides the investigation regarding the Wyatt crash, the department has yet to conclude another into police competency in the investigation that led to the arrest of a code enforcement officer for bribery in October.
The State Attorney’s Office, though, has declined to file charges because of problems with the case.
UPDATE: The city announced on June 6 that Assistant Chief Darrell Hunter will serve as the interim police chief. Hunter joined the Delray Beach Police Department in 2007.
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