PALM BAY, Fla. – Palm Bay Chief of Police Mariano Augello announced in a news release on Monday that he is retiring from his position, planning to step away on April 2, 2026, after 25 years of service.
Augello joined Palm Bay police in 2000 after serving in the U.S. Army and has since served the department in many capacities, officials said, including patrol officer, field training officer, corporal and neighborhood policing unit coordinator. Augello also served as the department’s SWAT team commander.
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Augello was appointed as the deputy chief of police in 2019, according to the department’s website. Since then, Augello founded the Palm Bay Blue Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the department’s employees and saw a 12% reduction in violent crime, the news release said.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve as your Chief of Police,” Augello said in a statement. “Thank you for trusting me with this responsibility. From the moment I was sworn in as Chief, I publicly stated that if we were going to truly protect and serve our community to the best of our ability, we first had to protect and serve the men and women of this department. That guiding principle shaped every decision I made, every initiative we launched, and every conversation I had.”
In the same release, Palm Bay police announced Deputy Chief Jeff Spears will be taking over Augello’s role as chief of police.
Spears, a lifelong resident, joined the department when he was just 16 years old, officials said.