MIAMI – After the oath of office, the North Miami Beach Police Department now has a permanent chief at the helm.

Chief Harvette Smith served as interim chief since March, but is no stranger to the force.  She’s been here 32 years.

“I started at 19 years old, a secretary, just typing up policies and procedures,” she said. “I went on and became a police officer and moved put he ranks, sergeant to captain, and here I am now, chief.”

CBS4’s Ted Scouten asked her, “When did you finally say, ‘You know what? I’m going to be chief one day.'”

With a chuckle, Smith said, “I think I actually said that when I was first sworn in as a police officer.”

Her family is beaming with pride, knowing she’s forging a path for others.

“It’s breaking a lot of barriers,” her sister Marlow Sears-Descally said. “The sky is the limit.  This job she has right now is normally taken on by a male and she’s the first African American female for North Miami Beach.”

“You are the first African American to hold this post in North Miami Beach. What does that mean?” Scouten asked. 

“To me that means that it opens the doors for so many young girls today, to let them know that the sky’s the limit.  You can do anything you want to do,” she said.

Chief Smith said she’s ready to get to work.

“The first thing I want to do develop that community partnership.  I want to bring in stakeholders and know what their ideas are. Next thing I want to get to my command staff.  We need to make some changes in the agency and start doing more impactful things in fighting crime in the city of North Miami Beach,” Chief Smith said.

She said some of the challenges facing the city include gun violence, violent crime and mental health issues.