This year, Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton announced the hiring of a new Police Chief. Russ Mager, who
recently served as Chief of Police of Delray Beach, is taking the helm at the top spot in the Longboat Key Police Department on August 4.
Longboat holds a certain cachet as a pinnacle endnote for police leaders nationwide to bring their skill sets for a final act to its toney shores. There were more than 76 applicants from across the country who wanted to work as a chief on Longboat Key. Frank Rubino, one of the applicants, had been serving as Longboat’s Interim Chief since George Turner resigned as Chief earlier this year.
Tipton said Rubino was an extremely strong candidate, but that Mager’s experience running Delray Beach brought a perfect skill set of community policing, storm preparedness and next generation practices that he wanted to see expanded and implemented on Longboat.
“I wanted someone who had a 21st-century policing attitude. Delray gave him a background in storm events, and Delray is also an accredited department, which is important. Chief Mager has an impressive set of skills, leadership and a track record as a team player,” said Town Manager Tipton.
Rubino will return to his role as Deputy Chief when major starts in August and Tipton went out of his way to complement
Rubino for stepping up as needed.
Russ Mager spent 29 years with the Delray Beach Police Department – his entire policing career. He was appointed as chief in August 2022.
Mager’s resignation came after about a year of contract negotiations between city officials and the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association. The union declared an impasse in February; a day after the city’s commission did not reach an agreement with the group on matters such as wages, retirement benefits and take-home vehicles.
Mager, born in Tallahassee, grew up in South Florida. He was raised in Pompano Beach and Coconut Creek, before leaving for Florida State University in 1987. As an officer, Mager served on the TACT Team, as an auto theft detective, SWAT Team member and Community Patrol Division member.
