TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Noel M. Pfeffer, City Attorney
Jeffrey S. Goldman, Chief of Police
DATE: April 5, 2016
Title
APPOINTMENT OF ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY/POLICE LEGAL ADVISOR
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Motion to Approve appointment of Assistant City Attorney/Police Legal Advisor
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Background:
The City Attorney’s Office with the concurrence of the Police Chief jointly request the appointment of Lawonda R. Warren as the Assistant City Attorney / Police Legal Advisor.
Section 4.08(A) of the City Charter requires that the City Attorney seek City Commission approval to appoint Assistants.
The Assistant City Attorney / Police Legal Advisor position assists the Police Department on various police-related matters including litigation and claims as they relate to the Police Department, prosecution of City ordinances and forfeitures, support and advice to the Code Enforcement Board, legal training for police officers, and other duties as may be assigned. The position has been filled for the past roughly 18 years by Cathy Kozol. Ms. Kozol resigned her employment with the City in order to pursue other career opportunities. Accordingly, the position is now vacant and must be filled to ensure continuation of standards of service and legal representation of the Police Department.
In anticipation of the vacancy, notice of the job opening was posted on both the City and the Florida Bar’s website in mid-February and was sent in a “job email flash” to Florida Bar members on March 2, 2016. The City received more than 175 resumes in response to the notice, and the City Attorney conducted a number of interviews of qualified applicants over a 3 week period, including final interviews with the Chief of Police.
As a result of this process, the City Attorney and the Chief of Police are recommending the appointment of Lawonda R. Warren for the position of Assistant City Attorney / Police Legal Advisor. Ms. Warren is currently an Assistant Statewide Prosecutor with the Florida Office of the Attorney General in West Palm Beach, where she prosecutes complex racketeering, white collar, human trafficking, and organized crime cases that impact two or more judicial circuits in the State of Florida. As a part of her responsibilities, Ms. Warren works extensively with law enforcement officers both during the investigation and prosecution phases of the case process. Prior to her current position, Ms. Warren served as an Assistant State Attorney for the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, where she worked as a Felony Division Chief and tried more than 70 felony and misdemeanor jury trials. Ms. Warren has extensive experience both in litigation as well as in mentoring and advising law enforcement officers in the proper performance of their duties. In addition to her work as a prosecutor, Ms. Warren currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at Broward College where she teaches courses in Criminal Litigation, Business Law, Domestic Relations, and Corporations Law.
If approved by the City Commission, Ms. Warren is expected to start employment with the City on or before May 1, 2016.