Three decades in law enforcement is enough to burn anyone out. But for some, leaving the career behind is more difficult.
Just two years into her retirement, Andrianne Byrd was already feeling a pull to return. So the 28-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department recently moved to Georgia, stepping into her new role as second-in-command with Chamblee police.
A former Miami-Dade colleague — Michael Dieppa, now Chamblee’s chief of police — tapped her for the role. Byrd was sworn in July 25, becoming the city’s first female assistant police chief, officials announced Thursday.
Byrd was first drawn to law enforcement after a family member fell victim to crime and she was left with a feeling of helplessness. As for what kept her in the field for so long, Byrd said it was her love for policing.
“I like being in a position to help others,” she said, “and this was the best place I could be to do that.”
She joined Miami-Dade police in 1993 and climbed the ranks before retiring as a division chief. In Miami, Byrd served as Dieppa’s boss.
She said she knew the position in Chamblee was a good fit because she was ready to experience a quieter lifestyle than that of the big city. Compared to the more than 3,000 sworn officers in Miami, Chamblee’s 72-member squad offers a much slower pace, Byrd said.
Getting to explore a new city was just the cherry-on-top for Byrd, who had lived in Miami her entire life and was ready to try something different.
“I’ve known Chief Byrd for numerous years, and I know she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from policing in a diverse community,” Dieppa said of Byrd.
Byrd hopes to identify areas where changes or new programs may be needed, including through community engagement.
She said she knows it’ll be a challenge adapting to a department in a new state with different laws, but she has never shied away from a challenge. Being a woman in a male-dominated field has given her the fortitude, she said, to keep pushing herself to achieve more.
“Making (sure) people see me, hear me, and if necessary, feel my presence,” she said, adding that she hopes to be a role model for young women on the force.
“There weren’t any women police officers in those command positions when I was coming through, and that, in and of itself, motivated me to be one of those women in one of those positions.”
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