Meet new Kissimmee Police Chief Charles “Chuck” Broadway and a number of things become instantly evident.
Where he’s from—his voice drips that N’Yawk accent of a Long Island native. That he’s a people person. Why and how he’s a cop.
And why he chose to come to Kissimmee to take over an outfit that’s coming off very public scrutiny.
Sitting down with Chief Broadway at one of a number of public “meet and greet” events he spoke at last week the 52-year-old father of four daughters and a grandfather to a two-year-old brings a wealth of law enforcement experience, and new perspective to KPD.
“The welcome and reception has been amazing. The more I talk to the staff, the more I realize we have a great team,” he told the News-Gazette prior to taking public questions at The Vault on Broadway.
“It’s been a goal of mine to get to a larger department. I’m always up for a challenge,” he said. “I’m bringing just a few changes in. The community’s been welcoming.”
He came into KPD fully aware of the grand jury investigation into how his predecessors handled reporting and disciplining cases involving cases of excessive force. Broadway quickly broached the subject, saying the investigation into KPD is progressing.
“I won’t paint everyone with the same brush. We have to wait until we get the entire investigation back from the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office, and we’ll make some decisions then,” he said.
Until then he’s focused on what he can control—adjusting to a faster pace than accustomed to in Clermont, where he led the department for 13 years.
“Here’s a faster pace. I enjoy that,” he said. “I’m an outgoing person and meet people and find out how we can collaborate and work together to reduce crime and enhance the quality of life here.”
Broadway mentioned a couple of the new integrations he’d be bringing to KPD—he hopes to launch a Citizen’s Police Academy in the fall to provide inner-working knowledge to residents, a drone program to help find missing and endangered residents, and camera-data integration to help with investigations.
“We anticipate joining a task force to the local agencies, FHP, DEA and share resources and intelligence to tackle local drug concerns,” Broadway also said.
He speaks with the savvy of a law enforcement veteran, despite being the only member of his family to pursue law enforcement.
“I always wanted to become a police officer, when a couple mentors of mine became cops and I was instantly intrigued,” he said. “A good friend from college became a police officer before I did and we talked about it.”
Fast forward to 1996, after graduating from St. John’s University, where he played college football for the Red Storm, and he joined the New York Police Department as a detective. A defining moment came early in his career, as he was tasked with “working the pile” at the World Trade Center following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“The perspective I got from that is that every day is a blessing,” he said. “People came together in a horrific situation, colors, races, political party, none of that mattered.”
From there he moved on to the Gainesville Police Department to work as a detective closer to family, and eventually on to Clermont.
At this point of his career, Broadway said the intent isn’t to pad resume.
“What matters to me now isn’t Chief Broadway,” he said. “It’s legacy, it’s what I can do to make a difference in the community and the lives of its residents.”
