Josh Vincelet and Shawn Randell have been promoted to deputy chief at the Newport Beach Police Department, giving Chief David Miner two new second-in-command officers over the city's largest policing divisions.

Mayor Lauren Kleiman announced the promotions in her July column published Monday, July 6. Vincelet will command the Patrol and Traffic divisions, supervising roughly 150 sworn and professional staff. Randell will lead the Detective Division.

The promotions were already in effect before the formal announcement. An NBPD press release dated May 20 identified Vincelet by his deputy chief title, and he served as the department's lead spokesperson during the July 4 weekend that produced 402 arrests across 17 cooperating agencies. The department has not disclosed an exact effective date for either promotion.

"We had a large unruly crowd of close to 3,000 people fighting and causing massive disruption from 29th Street to 35th Street," Vincelet told the Daily Pilot after Saturday, July 4. "This process took almost two hours but we accomplished an orderly environment for families and residents trying to enjoy the beach."

The 402 arrests over the holiday weekend marked a sharp increase from the 60 recorded during the same period in 2025.

Two decades each in law enforcement

Vincelet began his career in 2001 and joined NBPD in 2012. His prior assignments included commanding the combined Newport Beach and Laguna Beach SWAT and Negotiations Teams, supervising field training, and leading internal affairs investigations. Before the promotion, he ran the Traffic Division, overseeing motor officers, major accident investigations, special events, and the city's animal shelter.

Randell's Newport Beach roots run deeper. He started as a cadet and part-time community service officer before being sworn in as an NBPD officer in 2003. His career spanned both the Newport Beach and Huntington Beach departments, with leadership roles in patrol operations, narcotics investigations, professional standards, and a special investigations unit targeting serious career criminals. Kleiman's column described his return as a "welcome back" to Newport Beach.

Command structure tested on July 4

The new command structure faced an immediate stress test when crowds overwhelmed the Balboa Peninsula on July 4. The department deployed more than 350 officers from 17 regional agencies to restore order.

Kleiman called the July 4 chaos "an attack on our community" and said the city would "do whatever it takes to ensure it never happens again."

Residents can reach the Newport Beach Police Department's non-emergency line at 949-644-3717 or visit nbpd.org for department updates.