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Winner of the “Officer of the Year” Award for 2021, for the Miramar Police Department Officer Castellanos was recognized for outstanding contributions and commitment to the department.
Because of his dedication to duty, attention to details and expertise in the line of duty, a combat medic has credited Officer Castellanos with saving eight victims from life-threatening injuries along with treating many others.
Officer Castellanos has proudly served five years in the U.S. Navy as a corpsman medic, specializing in combat, aviation, search and rescue missions. He has supervised teams that provided medical care for military aviation and responded to dozens of airplane crashes. Currently, his time and talent have been shared with the Miramar Police Department in various capacities such as: Field Training Officer, Police Explorer Advisor and Hostage Negotiator.
Working on the road as a patrol officer, he has exercised triaging skills which, have proven to be a life-changing asset to injured victims within the Miramar Community. When asked, “why have you decided to become a law enforcement officer?” His response was, “due to officers’ fast response to injured victims; therefore, I felt within my heart that my skills would be beneficial to the victims; and that’s why I became an Officer of the Law”.
His supervisor has proudly stated that his vision was right. Because of his training and intuition, he was able to rescue eight families giving them a sigh of relief for saving their loved ones’ lives.
His extraordinary work ethic, great teamwork, professionalism, and perseverance has earned him a well-deserved reputation from the community, amongst peers, supervisors, and members of the law enforcement community. His actions validated all the qualities of an exemplary service which reflect positively upon the police department and the City of Miramar.
Officer Castellanos was selected as the recipient of the “Officer of the Year” Award for 2021 by the Miramar Police Department. This recognition was due to the officer’s outstanding contributions and commitment to the department.
With five years of service in the U.S. Navy as a combat medic corpsman, Officer Castellanos has a strong background in providing medical care, including in combat, aviation, search and rescue missions. Since joining the Miramar Police Department, the officer has taken on various roles, such as Field Training Officer, Police Explorer Advisor, and Hostage Negotiator.
As a patrol officer, Officer Castellanos has used their triaging skills to make a positive impact on the community by saving eight victims from life-threatening injuries. The officer’s desire to become a law enforcement officer was driven by a desire to make a difference in people’s lives through fast response to injured victims.
The officer’s exceptional work ethic, great teamwork, professionalism, and perseverance has earned them a well-deserved reputation in the community, among peers, supervisors, and members of the law enforcement community. The “Officer of the Year” Award is a testament to Officer Castellanos’ exceptional service, which reflects positively on the police department and the City of Miramar.
Watch a Channel 7 news story about Officer Castellanos Here
Detective Orestes Torres has been with the North Miami Police Department for 10 years. He is currently a Detective in the Crime Suppression Unit and a member of the Mounted Patrol Detail. Detective Torres loves community engagement and is passionate about educating officers about Autism. In his spare time he enjoys woodworking and exploring the outdoors.
Sergeant Rocio Torres has been with the North Miami Police Department for 9 years. She is currently a Sergeant over the Investigative Section. Sergeant Torres enjoys making a positive difference and advocating for the special needs community. In her spare time she enjoys crafting and expressing her creativity.
Detective Torres and Sergeant Torres are being nominated for their work in bringing acceptance and awareness to Autism in their community. They organized the first annual Autism Caravan by personally reaching out to agencies across south Florida. They also built a relationship with the Dan Marino Foundation. During the Month of April, they created informational videos to post for their citizens on social media, and redesigned the agencies Autism Vehicle to reflect new imagery and messages that they learned throughout their research with members of the Autism community. The caravan had approximately 37 Autism themed wrapped Police and Fire vehicles. Detective Torres and Sergeant Torres coordinated with different schools in south Florida catered to students with Autism. Officers spent time interacting and making a positive impact with those students during the caravan. Additionally, during the send off they invited individuals with Autism to be guest speakers and Dan Marino himself showed up. Detective Torres and Sergeant Torres also created the agencies Autism Outreach Program which collects information on members of the community that have Autism to help improve their future police interactions. It also includes a decal program to show first responders that someone in a home has autism. Officer Torres and Sergeant Torres also created pamphlets with resources for their officers and quick tips on improving their interactions with the Autism community. They became Certified State of Florida Police instructores with a goal of continuing to educate others. They helped raise $4,000.00 to the Autism Speaks Foundation, and are currently working on training for officers. Detective Torres and Sergeant Torres are advocates for Autistic individuals and were awarded Officer of the Month for their efforts.
North Miami Police- Autism Outreach Program
Website Link: https://www.northmiamifl.gov/1045/Autism-Outreach-Program
Facebook, Twitter Video & Photos Link:
https://ms-my.facebook.com/northmiamipolice/videos/autism-awareness-caravan/244374527877899/
https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=northmiamipolice&set=a.346443304181952
This morning, #MDFR took part in North Miami Police Department’s Autism Acceptance and Awareness Police Caravan. We’re honored to be part of this event for #AutismAcceptance, awareness & compassion. pic.twitter.com/TtoxrdJ9bb
— Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (@MiamiDadeFire) April 20, 2022
WSVN Channel 7 News (Link):
https://wsvn.com/news/local/broward/south-florida-police-officers-organize-caravan-in-honor-of-autism-awareness-month/
Article Links:
https://dcpba.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/May-June-2022.pdf (Page # 46)
https://www.miami-police.org/news/autism%20press%20release.pdf (Press Release)
https://mostnewtheeducation.com/2022/04/21/south-florida-police-officers-organize-caravan-in-honor-of-autism-awareness-month/
Officer Rodolfo Albaladejo better known as “Alba” has proudly serve the beautiful City of Miami Beach for 5 years, he has mostly worked the ever-proactive entertainment district in the patrol division. Officer Alba also served the United States Navy where he worked as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Technician. He is the father of two amazing boys and a gorgeous little princess. In his spare time, you can find Officer Alba practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or hitting the mountain biking trails of Amelia and Virginia Key.
–Officer Rodolfo Albaladejo has served since 2018.
–Field Training, mentoring young and eager police officers.
–Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, mountain biking, spending time with my family.
Officers Albaladejo served in the United States Navy from 2003-2010 as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal technician. He was stationed in Virginia, San Diego, and Jacksonville. After honorably separating from the US Navy, Officer Albaladejo started working for the City of Miami Beach as a Park Ranger where received the Miami Beach Police Chief’s Coin several times for assisting police officers. Officer Albaladejo was the first Park Rangers to make the transition to law enforcement in Miami Beach, paving the way and assisting others achieve their dream of becoming a police officer.
Officer Albaladejo made the transition to become a sworn law enforcement officer in 2018. Officer Albaladejo has made an impact in the Field Training and readiness of new law enforcement officers as an FTO. Officer Albaladejo enjoys practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with his colleges and mountain biking. His friends and coworkers know that they can count on him on and off the police station. Officer Alba is always motivated, stays sharp and ready to assist, but most importantly he enjoys serving the community he swore to protect.
A fourth-degree blackbelt with a metal pole in his hand was illegally inside the staff bathroom of Mt. Sinai Hospital and managed to access the crawl space attic area. Officer Albaladejo, who was assisting officers on scene, used a dart firing stun gun (DFSG) twice but it did not prevent Mr. Wegert from charging forward and hitting officer Albaladejo on the left side of his face with a metal pole. Despite being injured, Officer Albaladejo attempted to tackle Mr. Wegert and with the help of hospital staff and other officers, Mr. Wegert was eventually taken into custody.
Ofc Guzman has been serving as a Law Enforcement officer for approximately 10 years. Seven and half years with Miami Beach Police Dept and two and half years with Miami Dade School Police Dept. He has worked in the Patrol Division and is currently assigned to the Community Affairs Unit as a School Liaison Officer. He loves working with children and students. One of his many goals with children is to build a positive healthy relationship with them so Law Enforcement officers are approachable on any occasion, in hopes it can help bridge the gap between the community and Law enforcement. During his off time ofc Guzman loves spending time with his family and trying out new local restaurants for dinner and brunch. Working out in the gym or playing basketball are some of his hobbies.
Officer Guzman takes great pride in keeping his residents safe, while also taking an extreme interest in protecting the children and youth on his watch. When Officer Guzman was alerted to a possible criminal adult taking advantage of, and selling illegal substances to middle grade students (some as young as 12 years old) he successfully investigated and collected the proper evidence to arrest a former adult teacher that was targeting former students. Through his dedication and great police work, he has removed a dangerous sexual and criminal predator from the streets of his community. Officer Guzman, we congratulate you on your dedicated work to keep our children safe.
Officer Julio O. Fernandez is currently a law enforcement officer with the City of Margate Police Department. For the past 22 years, Officer Fernandez has served in a variety of capacities including three years as a Road Patrol and Field Training Officer, and 15 years as a Major Crimes Detective, two of which were in cold cases. Throughout this time, Officer Fernandez also served for 12 years as the Team Leader of the Crisis Negotiating Team. Subsequently, Officer Fernandez served at the Institute of Public Safety at Broward College for three years as a Police Academy Class Advisor and Instructor. Officer Fernandez holds Florida Department of Law Enforcement certification in General Instructor Techniques and Vehicle Operations as well as Public Agency Training Counsel certification as a Hostage Negotiator. He is a member of the International Homicide Investigators Association and the International Association of Hostage Negotiators. Prior to law enforcement, Officer Fernandez served 13 years in the aerospace industry and four years in the United States Marine Corps.
Julio Fernandez is no stranger to going above and beyond in his job for his community. Fernandez recently worked a 26 years old armed sexual battery case and was able to extradite the subject from Jamaica. The investigation was lengthy and complex but Fernandez prevailed.
Hi, I’m Officer Fanjul, I have been wtih the Sunny Isles Beach Police Dept. for about 2 years.
Before my law enforcement career, I was an Emt Ocean Rescue Lifeguard Supervisor for the City of Sunny Isles Beach and worked part time with the City of Miami Beach as an Ocean Rescue Lifeguard, in which I current still due on my spare time.
My favorite thing to do at work is to interact with the community and build great relationships through great community policing.
How long have you been serving?
About 2 years in Law Enforcement and Community policing.
My hobbies included swimming, running, surfing
On Monday, July 18, 2022 at approximately 1628 hours, Officers were dispatched to the southbound lanes of 158th Street and Collins Avenue regarding a pedestrian hit by a vehicle. Officers arrived moments after dispatch and located the female victim at the intersection. Sadly, the victim passed away shortly thereafter from her injuries. As officers continued to arrive on scene, Officer Fanjul, along with additional officers took a traffic post at 159th Street and Collins Avenue where they shut down the lanes of traffic and began to divert all vehicles back in the northbound direction. An elderly woman and her caretaker flagged him down and the caretaker told him that she needed to get back to her home and was not willing to wait until the traffic lanes reopened. Officer Fanjul ultimately determined that he was going to have the elderly woman sit on her four wheel walker which had a seat and proceed to physically push her all the way back to her unit at Arlen House. She thanked him and hugged him. He returned to his post and continued to assist with traffic until the lanes were reopened. I believe Officer Fanjul should be commended for his actions during this incident.
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