Like the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County now has a new top cop. On Monday, Mayor Carlos Alvarez appointed the county’s interim police director, James Loftus, to that position permanently.

Loftus, 54, originates from Pittsburg, and is a 26-year veteran. He has been functioning as interim director following the retirement of the former county police Director Robert Parker retired last Oct. 30.

For example, according to reports, savings could be realized by merging the sexual crimes and domestic crimes bureaus and combining the crime laboratory and crime scene investigations bureaus. Also, according to Loftus, some staff could be eliminated because of attrition.

Mayor Alvarez said that the new director’s reorganization plans could save the county police department some $1.5 million. The mayor also said Loftus is someone who is extremely knowledgeable about investigations, and uniform functions.