Town officials presented a proclamation to members of the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Cutler Bay Policing Unit for their service, citing dedication to duty, professionalism and investigative efforts. All five members of the Cutler Bay Town Council presented the proclamation during the Jan. 19 town council meeting. Accepting the proclamation were Det. Jon Robert, Det. Danny Hurtado, Officer John McLaughlin and Maj. Julie Miller.
Of special importance was an incident in November 2010 when units were dispatched to a Bank of America branch at 20501 Old Cutler Rd. where not only had a robbery taken place but a potential explosive device had been left at the scene.
Sgt. Chad Murphy and Officer Deborah Fleites responded and quickly moved to ensure the safety of the bank employees, evacuating the facility and adjacent areas, and directing responding units to nearby perimeter points.
The Special Patrol Bureau Bomb Squad responded and determined that the device left at the scene was not a real explosive device, and South District officers and supervisors responded to a residential area west of the bank where a subject had been seen running through the neighborhood. Sgt. Daniel Hannah and K-9 units with Sgt. Eric Mendez and Officer Jose Santiago, working with Officers Dave Rajendranath and Carlos Pina, were able to apprehend the robbery suspect without further incident.
The currency stolen from the bank was recovered and neighboring businesses were allowed to reopen.
