BRADENTON BEACH – Lenard Diaz is now officially serving as the Bradenton Beach police chief.
Diaz succeeds former Police Chief John Cosby, who has retired from the police department but remains the city’s public works director.
Attended by family members, friends, Bradenton Beach police officers and members of the public, a badge-pinning ceremony was held during the Thursday, Oct. 1, city commission meeting.
Diaz has been with the department since 2002 and served as detective sergeant until he was promoted to lieutenant in 2021, after Cosby was promoted to police chief.
Before the badge-pinning ceremony began, Mayor John Chappie presented Cosby’s wife, Jennifer, with a flower arrangement.
“We wanted to give you these for putting up all of us and letting him be here for us. He’s a great guy,” Chappie said.
“I would like to thank the citizens of Bradenton Beach, the business owners and the commission and all the staff for allowing me to serve as your chief of police. It has been an honor,” Cosby said. “I’m confident that Chief Diaz will serve with the same professionalism and honor that I have tried to show over the years.”
Diaz’s wife, Christine, pinned the chief’s badge on her husband’s uniform.
“First, thank you for trusting me,” Diaz told the commission. “I’ve been here a little over 24 years. It’s been a learning experience. I do have some big shoes to fill, but if you see these guys behind me (the officers), they make it easier. Thank you very much. I’ll do my best to make you proud.”
Diaz said Bradenton Beach feels like a second home to him.
After a round of applause, Chappie said, “Congratulations, chief.”
Diaz has worked in law enforcement for 40 years. According to his résumé provided by the police department, he began his career in October 1986 as a corrections officer at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Center in downtown Bradenton. He took part in the county’s first corrections-to-law-enforcement cross-training class in 1987.
He joined the Bradenton Beach Police Department for the first time in February 1989 as a beach patrol officer. In January 1990, he moved to the Palmetto Police Department, where he served as a police officer for more than 12 years in the community where he grew up.
Diaz returned to the Bradenton Beach Police Department in 2002. During his career, he has completed more than 200 law enforcement training classes. His training includes field training officer supervision, internal affairs, traffic homicide investigations, narcotics and dangerous drugs, crime scene techniques and kinesics interviewing. He is also a handgun instructor.
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