On Thursday, December 18, 2014, the annual police awards for the City of Sunny Isles Beach were held at the Government Center in Sunny Isles Beach. This annual recognition honors the Best of the Best in specific categories, including Humanitarian and Community Policing efforts.
The coveted “Officer of the Year” award always highlights the program and is presented by the Mayor and Commission. This year, every City Commissioner, elected and appointed, new and veteran was there to show their support to our police agency. For that, we are all grateful. They were proud to honor and present to Officer Norbie Alvarez, the 2014 Officer of the Year Award. He is a 20 plus year veteran of law enforcement and has extremely good sense of fairness, judgment and experience. His peers respect him greatly and he is a Supervisor’s dream to have on their squad.
Other recipients of awards were:
• Mike Tribby – Civilian of the Year
• Gabriel Benitez – Lifeguard of the Year
• Capt Mike Grandinetti – The Parrillo Award
• Det. Luke Plesa – The Bill Lone Award
• Officer Russell Ridley – Spirit of the City Award
• Civilian Mario Matos – Spirit of the City Award
• Det. Luke Plesa
• Sgt. Blake Royal
• Det. M. Mariabello Segal Award for Investigative Excellence
All of the awards and categories above denote specific accomplishments and/or qualities pertinent to that award. Each award is significant of high achievement or humanistic qualities that represent the award for whom it is named.
Captain Mike Grandinetti was the Project Manager along with Detective Luke Plesa for the “LPR” (license plate reader) system that detects vehicles used for criminal activity that enter our city. This program has been a huge success for law enforcement as a crime fighting and prevention tool.
Officer Russell Ridley has long been a champion for the underprivileged and those in need. Without any want for recognition or attention, he is often times noticed for assisting others in need, including the homeless, the hungry and his own colleagues. He is the first to volunteer for charitable efforts or fund raisers and then recruits others to help as well. He has been with this agency since the very first day and is highly recognizable in the community for his kindness and helpful attitude. Present for this award were his wife and son, which made for a very special day for this recipient.
Congratulations to all. Your accomplishments are a win for our entire community.
