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JEFFREY GOLDMAN
The New Police Chief Of Delray Beach
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By Diane Feen
Photo by melissa korman
For the past 25 years Jeffrey Goldman has been doing what he loves best – serving the people of Delray Beach. His four-page single spaced resume says a lot about his accomplishments but when you meet this affable family man you know you are in the presence of someone special.
Like everyone else he values the sanctity of family and living up to his responsibilities at home and at work. He understands the foibles of human kind, yet knows that helping others is not an extracurricular activity – its part of being a good citizen. But there is more to this charming fellow than meets the eye (if you are tall enough to do so). He started out working at his parent’s restaurant in Pompano Beach, but was enamored by the stories he was told by off-duty policemen who had stopped by for a meal. It wasn’t long before he signed up for the Reserve Academy and became an auxiliary officer. By day he cooked, cleaned and delivered food at Jerry’s Kitchen and two nights a week he rode with police officers assisting them in street patrol or traffic control. The experience was one that shaped his career and his dreams. “When I first started out riding with police officers I loved it. Every day was something different and I really got the bug to apply for a real police job,” said the charismatic new Police Chief. And that is exactly what he did. By the time he was 20-years-old he was hired by the Delray Beach Police Department and was enrolled in the Police Academy. After his four month training Goldman became a community Patrol officer. It wasn’t long before he steadily climbed the chain of command. He joined the Tactical Team, Special Entry Team, Criminal Investigations, SWAT Team (as well as SWAT Leader and Commander), Community Patrolman and by 2011 he became the Assistant Chief of Police.
September 2014 | www.AtlanticAveMagazine.com
Along the way Goldman got married, had two children, went back to school for a Bachelor of science in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. But throughout his steady climb upward in the Delray Beach Police Department some things never changed. “Jeffrey is a good guy and a great leader. He has great people skills as well as the technical ability to do the job well. He has done everything he has to do to prepare for the position of chief of police,” said former Police Chief of Delray, Anthony Strianese. Strianese, like many others, is quite familiar with the extraordinary dedication and proven ability of Chief Goldman. A self-proclaimed Leadership Junkie, Goldman is a remarkable role model for anyone in his wake. He understands that diversity of thought and personality is something to admire. He also understands every role (and duty) in the chain of command that he has so gracefully inhabited in his 25 years with the department. Like most people who are passionate about their careers, Goldman knows that excellence is not something to dream about but something to achieve one step at a time. “The values I believe in can be summed up in the word LEAD. They are: Learning that is life long, Excellence in service, Accountability to our mission and Diversity. We need to reflect the demographics of our community and have an organization of people with different skill sets and thought processes. If everyone is thinking the same thing, then no one is thinking,” said Goldman, who is on the Board of