Trump nominates Bradenton Police Chief Melanie Bevan to be U.S. marshal
President Donald Trump has nominated Chief of Police Melanie Bevan to serve as U.S. marshal for the Middle District of Florida.
Bevan has led the Bradenton Police Department since 2016. Her appointment is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
“I am incredibly honored to receive the nomination by President Trump to become the U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida, as well as the support of Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio for the nomination,” Bevan said in a prepared statement.
While Bevan did not indicate her interest in accepting the nomination, doing so would require resignation from the police department.
The U.S. Marshals Service is tasked with enforcing federal warrants, managing the Witness Security Program and handling seized assets. The Middle District of Florida consists of five offices based in Tampa, Ocala, Orlando, Ft. Myers and Jacksonville.
Since joining the department, Bevan has emphasized community policing to create better relationships with residents. Most recently, the chief presented a plan to acquire automatically activated body cameras to increase community trust and transparency.
“It’s nice that people feel she’s qualified and she certainly is,” said Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston, who hired Bevan nearly five years ago. “Crime has been down under Melanie’s service and we built a great deal of trust in the community.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 2:57 PM.
