As a kid growing up in Pompano Beach, Russ Mager had exactly zero interest in being a cop. After graduating from Florida State University with a major in psychology and minor in criminology, he had zero interest in joining a police force. In fact, Mager didn’t start his law enforcement career until age 30, after having spent several years in hotel management.
And yet here he is, the new police chief of Longboat Key, fresh from a three-year stint as top cop of the Delray Beach Police Department, where he spent 29 years, beginning as a patrol officer. “Most chiefs of police have always wanted to be a cop, always had aspirations, always wanted to move up the food chain,” Mager, 59, says. “I’m kind of funny in that I got a late start.”
In his late 20s, Mager had grown weary of being transferred from hotel to hotel, worrying about his job status as major chains gobbled up each other. He accepted an offer from a friend to share an apartment in Boca Raton. That friend was a cop, who pressed his housemate into doing a ride-along. Afterward, Mager was intrigued…