HIALEAH's biggest headache may be about to end. In what he calls "a new era," Mayor Raul Martinez started his fourth term by appointing a new chief of police last week. Rolando D. Bolanos, south-bureau chief of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), takes over provisionally as of Nov. 30. Mr. Bolanos needs to finish the selection process by taking a final chief's examination with 14 other candidates. If, as expected, he comes among the top three applicants -- as he did in a previous test -- he will be confirmed.
Various reasons make this appointment a genuinely positive development for Dade's second-largest city. First, 20 months is much too long for a police department to be leaderless. After former Chief Cecil Seay retired in April 1986, the force tumbled through periods of crisis that seriously undermined its morale and effectiveness. The mayor shares responsibility for the bitter feuding that characterized the Hialeah police force for almost two years.

The choice of a candidate from outside the department is appropriate. It will help heal the wounds faster and make the corrective process smoother. With no factional ties -- no enemies nor allies -- an outsider would have a unique opportunity to steer the department back toward the right track.

Further, Mr. Bolanos, 36, has the credentials for the job. A graduate from the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., Mr. Bolanos has a B.A. in criminal justice and will receive in December a master's degree in public administration from Florida International University. His 10-year record with FDLE is impeccable, and he has high professional grades as a law- enforcement administrator. The fact that Mr. Bolanos is as fluent in Spanish as in English is an important plus in a city that is 85-percent Hispanic.

Mayor Martinez promises not to interfere with the police department, once Mr. Bolanos takes office. "The new chief will have full powers in the force," said the mayor. "I need to devote my time to other priorities in the city."

Good. Hialeah needs less antagonism and a more-business- like attention -- from the mayor, the new council, and now the new chief.