Related: Mayor and police union battle over benefits

By John Pacenti

Less than 12 hours after Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney criticized his department at a June 3 City Commission meeting, Police Chief Russ Mager resigned.

Mager submitted his resignation on June 4 after serving the city for 29 years. He had long hinted at retiring. His last day was to be July 4.

13645332092?profile=RESIZE_180x180Just weeks later, officials in Longboat Key, a barrier island town off Sarasota, announced Mager will be police chief there of its 23-person department starting in August.

Delray Beach officials said on June 6 that Assistant Chief Darrell Hunter will serve as the interim police chief. Hunter joined the Delray Beach Police Department in 2007.

Mager’s resignation 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 in December.

It also came 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 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, and his license was suspended for failing to attend a driving class. For nearly two months, he drove a firetruck without a valid license.

Wyatt was 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 inquiry into the 2023 crash. “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.”

The investigation has since concluded, with police officials determining the officers at the scene did nothing wrong in how they treated Wyatt. 

The department still has yet to conclude another inquiry into police competency in the investigation that led to the arrest of a code enforcement officer for bribery in October. 

In that case, the State Attorney’s Office has so far declined to file charges because of problems with the case. 

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