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At the recent Aventura Marketing Council/Chamber of Commerce’s ‘SALUTE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT’ Breakfast Meeting, over 20 police chiefs and their leadership teams were to be recognized for their dedication —on and off duty—to keep us all safe. The AMC also was presenting the 1st annual Anthony Damato Legacy Awards in two categories: Community Policing and Criminal Investigations.
Officer Rodney Napier from the South Miami Police Department was the winner of the Community Policing award and Det. Enrique Sanchez from the Miami-Dade Police Village of Palmetto Bay won the Criminal Investigations award. After recognition of all the police chiefs in the room, the two winners were introduced to a full room of AMC members and police officials at the Hilton Aventura, The Hon. Billy Joel heard the name “Napier” and just couldn’t believe he heard right. Here in the room, winning this prestigious award, was the same man whom he encouraged and helped start his career in law enforcement. Seven years ago, Joel and his family were on a cruise and met Rodney Napier who had just retired from his job and explained that his lifelong dream was to join a police force, but thought he had ‘passed the prime age’ for being accepted. Joel told him proudly, “My son Jay joined the New York Sheriff’s Department at age 47..it’s never too late, and I want to help you!”
Officer Napier said, “I was so happy when Billy told me that when he returned to Florida, he would make some calls, and that I should call him in one week. After one week, Billy told me that he spoke to two chiefs who said that if I could get through the Police Academy, they would love to have someone with my life experience on their police force. This gave me the encouragement that I needed to move forward. I went through the Academy, and I was so fortunate to have South Miami Police Chief Rene Landa as the keynote speaker at the Academy graduation ceremony. Chief Landa invited me to visit his department and it was a perfect fit for me. Working here at the South Miami Police Department has given me the most unbelievable life experience I’ve ever had!”.
As for Billy Joel, he said simply, “I am so happy that I met Rodney seven years ago and had the opportunity to help him achieve his lifelong dream.”
