Lawyer, 52, hopes to become a police officer
Since childhood, Ed Tobin wanted to become a police officer. But, encouraged by his parents, he went to law school instead.
Now, after 30 years in practice, the nearly 53-year-old Florida attorney is hoping to give up his seat on the Miami Beach Commission and start working as a patrol officer for the city, according to the the Miami New Times’ Riptide blog.
The Miami Herald (sub. req.) also has a story.
Tobin has made significant progress toward that goal, graduating from the police academy in 2011. He would like to give up his commission seat and start work as a patrol officer by 2015. But doing so requires special permission from the commission, because of a rule that ordinarily requires a waiting period to accept city employment after leaving the commission—a law that Tobin himself helped put in place.
A vote is scheduled Wednesday that will likely determine whether the criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor could soon be seeing the legal system from a new perspective.
Although there is no guarantee that Tobin will get a job as a police officer, the Miami Beach department has more than a dozen openings, and Tobin says he is in good shape. His dream would be a job as a beat cop working midnights.
“I don’t know if I’ll even get it,” he told the Herald. “But if I get it, I’d love to do it. I’m a third-generation Beach guy, and I love my community. So given the opportunity, I know I can contribute.”
It isn’t clear from news coverage how Tobin’s career change would affect his law practice, and he did not immediately respond Wednesday to a phone message from the ABA Journal.
