RAFFLE TICKET WINNERS

Richard DiBeradino: $8,250

Kim Cassidy: $1,000

Richard Wiggins: $500 (donated back to club)

Robert Chandler: $250

2017 Award Winners

Firefighter of the Year – Captain Joseph Brooks

100 Club Award

Division Chief Jeff Rupp nominated Captain Joseph Brooks for Firefighter of the Year. Joe came to the Training Section after more than 20 years in the Operations Division, where he gained a vast knowledge of this Department and City. His work is at the highest quality; he continually helps in the process to make change and does not turn down opportunities to help others. He anticipates problems and handles them routinely without guidance. Joe’s preparation ability is second to none. He has a keen sense of detail and ensures that everything that needs to be handled is taken care of. Joe is extremely task oriented. Most recently, he was assigned to coordinate the orientation training for 21 new firefighters. This group was the second largest in the history of the Department and the Training Section had to consider conducting the program in a new format. With the help of a few others, he was able to coordinate, oversee, and participate day-by-day in the eight weeks of fire and EMS training for the group. Joe also plays an active role in the safety of the members within the Department. He has taken the “Incident Safety Officer” class, “Health and Safety Officer” class, and the “Legal Issues for the Safety Officer” class, in order to sharpen his safety knowledge. He will soon be certified as a State of Florida “Incident Safety Officer.” Joe ensures that all safety measures are handled before, during, and after training evolutions. Joe and other Training Section  embers identified safety concerns with Department equipment. He helped in the recognition and documentation of issues with the Epic Blue Tooth SCBA communication equipment. Joe has an additional Department responsibility, as he coordinates the “Fire Rescue Map Program.” He interacts with the Development Services Department and all contractors that are in the permitting process. He approves all addresses within the City for new construction. He also coordinates with the U.S. Post Office to ensure proper addressing, which facilitates mail delivery. He provides field verification and assistance to the City staff that maintains the “Graphic Information System,” aka GIS maps. These GIS maps are used by the entire City staff. This is just the tip of the iceberg of all the tasks and responsibilities that Joe handles with ease, expertise, and professionalism. For all the above reasons, Captain Joseph Brooks is deserving of the honor of Firefighter of the Year.Florida Highway Patrol.

2016 Deputy Sheriff of the Year

Detective Michael Valenti

Detective Michael Valenti is an experienced and dedicated detective who has worked for District 7, West Boca Raton for nine years. Detective Valenti is assigned to handle property crimes and in March of 2016, he was called out for what appeared to be a routine occupied residential burglary that just occurred involving an elderly woman who lived alone; she was 69 years old. The victim was also taken by the suspect in her own car and driven around the area before being dropped off. Detective Valenti was able to establish a good rapport with the victim and began interviewing her about the burglary. The victim confided in him that she was also sexually battered and kidnapped by the suspect; he had also tried to smother her before letting her go. She said she didn’t tell the initial deputies because she was ashamed and embarrassed of what happened. Detective Valenti immediately got Special Investigations involved and stayed part of the investigation to support the victim. Detective Valenti made contact with a transient he knew in the area to see if he had seen an individual matching the description of the suspect. Further investigation identified the suspect as a Sexual Predator with an ankle monitor who lived near the victim. The suspect had just served a 14 year sentence for Sexual Battery and was released only one month prior. He was located and quickly arrested before committing another terrible crime. Detective Valenti’s patience and compassion for the victim along with his tenacity led to the identity of a Sexual Predator and the solving of this case. Detective Valenti is selected as The 100 Club’s Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Deputy of the Year for 2016.

2016 Police Officer of the Year

Detective Michael Lamia

The Boca Raton Police Services Department is honored to present Detective Michael Lamia to The 100 Club of South Palm Beach County as our 2016 Officer of the Year. When Detective Lamia was 14 years old, knowing he was interested in being a police officer, he joined the Police Explorer Program with Boca Raton. There, Detective Lamia’s interest and passion for police work only grew. In 2006, Detective Lamia began his official career with the police department as a Community Service Officer. While he learned many valuable skills as a crash investigator, Detective Lamia became a police officer with Boca Raton in 2009. In 2013, Detective Lamia became a member of the Tactical Team, where he developed the skills that would later be instrumental in his success as a detective. Detective Lamia was assigned to the Detective Bureau in 2014 and continued to excel and develop the skills that are crucial for a great detective: hard work, dedication, attention to detail, and going the extra step. In 2016, Detective Lamia was involved in numerous, complex investigations. In April, Detective Lamia was assigned a cellphone theft investigation that occurred at a local retail store where the suspects ripped the cell phones from the display and ran out of the store. After disseminating bulletins and learning that several other jurisdictions had experienced similar crimes, Detective Lamia took the initiative and began to coordinate intelligence meetings. Detective Lamia took the lead to prepare one case file with all involved agencies and presented it to the Statewide Prosecutor’s Office to pursue racketeering charges. In October, Detective Lamia was assigned a burglary investigation where a suspect vehicle was captured on video surveillance. After disseminating bulletins, the vehicle could not be identified. The following month, while investigating an unrelated suspicious vehicle in a neighborhood, Detective Lamia observed a vehicle with damage consistent to the suspect vehicle captured on the video surveillance drive past him. Detective Lamia immediately began to follow the vehicle and coordinate surveillance with other units. Eventually, a traffic stop was initiated and determined to be the same vehicle responsible for the residential burglary. The driver  confessed to the burglary and additional stolen property from another jurisdiction was located in the vehicle. In November, Detective Lamia was assigned a vehicle burglary where a firearm  was stolen. Surveillance video from the residence captured two suspects who were not able to be identified during the investigation. On Detective Lamia’s day off, while running errands, he observed the female  suspect in front of a residence in the city. Detective Lamia contacted dispatch and kept a visual on the suspect from a distance until road patrol officers could make contact and identify the female. On his next working day, Detective Lamia followed up on the information obtained and through his investigation, the second male suspect was identified. Both suspects were later arrested for the burglary. These are just a few examples of the dedication and diligence Detective Lamia puts into working his cases. Detective Lamia’s friendly, easygoing, dedicated work ethic was instrumental in solving many crimes. These characteristics, as well as his experience and willingness to help fellow detectives, have made him a great resource and a successful detective.

2016 Trooper of the Year

Sergeant Mark Wysockyi

Mark Wysocky joined the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Auxiliary in 1979. Then in May of 1981, after graduating from the FHP Academy, he became a State Trooper and was assigned to Broward County as a road trooper. In 1994, he was promoted to Corporal becoming a Traffic Homicide Investigator in which he investigated traffic homicides and conducted background investigations for Florida Highway Patrol employment. In 1996, he was promoted to Sergeant and was assigned as a road supervisor. In addition to his duties as a supervisor. He was responsible for Dignitary Protection details and escorts to include the Florida Lieutenant Governor, members of the United States Congress, and the President and Vice-President, along with other United States Cabinet members and even the Dalai Lama. During his career, he has also had deployments to Homestead for Hurricane Andrew, Miami for the Lozano Trial, Gainesville for the Rollings murders, Miami for the Presidential visit with the Pope, and Arcadia for Hurricane Charlie. In 2006, he was appointed as one of two Public Affairs Officers for Troop L which includes Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties. During the last 11 years, he focused traffic safety issues including community events, safety talks in schools and businesses, and a traffic safety segment on sports talk radio WINZ 940 with Andy Slater every Wednesday afternoon. During the last several years, he averaged over 100 safety presentations a year. Sergeant Mark Wysocky will retire on December 31, 2017. He is to be commended for over 37 years of exemplary service. His commitment, passion and professionalism was demonstrated in everything he did; he truly exemplified the high standards of the Florida Highway Patrol.