2019 Award Winners
2018 Firefighter of the Year Firefighter Sherry Griffith
On the evening of Sunday, May 20, 2018 at 7:43 p.m., Boca Raton Fire Rescue was dispatched to a Water Rescue in the Atlantic Ocean at 3000 South Ocean Boulevard. Dispatch information indicated a female swimmer in distress, with a male companion swimming out to assist her. Due to very rough seas, the location being some distance south of the inlet and the victims being near-shore, the decision was made to attempt a beach rescue in lieu of using Boat 3. Upon arrival, Firefighter Sherry Griffith, Lieutenant Mike Sember, and Ocean Rescue Captain Tim Fry (who heard the call dispatched on his radio), entered the surf with a RescuePaddleboard and other basic water rescue equipment. Even though Firefighter Sherry Griffith was hindered by a full-length uniform jump suit, very rough surf and strong currents, she was the first rescuer to reach the victims. After quickly assessing the condition of both victims, she first assisted the female swimmer who was exhausted and very near drowning. After positioning the female on the Rescue Paddleboard, both victims were brought to shore. The female victim was transported to the hospital by Broward County Sheriff Fire Rescue personnel and later released. In the female victim’s own words, she had resigned herself to the fact that she would drown, as total exhaustion had rendered her helpless. It was at that point that she heard Firefighter Sherry Griffith’s voice calling to her out of the darkness.
Additionally, on Sunday, June 17, 2018, Firefighter Sherry Griffith was one of four female first-responder professionals who rowed a lifeguard rescue boat from Bimini, Bahamas to Lake Worth, Florida. This was part of a fundraiser event to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. During the crossing, she and her twin sister rowed in two-hour shifts while the other two teammates rested on a chase boat. The crossing to the Florida mainland began at 1:00 o’clock in the morning and took all the next day to complete.
Firefighter Sherry Griffith has devoted her life to public service, working as a lifeguard and firefighter for most of her adult life. In 1995, she brought her talents to Boca Raton as a member of the Ocean Rescue Service. Thirteen years later she became a Boca Raton Fire Rescue Firefighter. Her commitment to excellence has led her and her twin sister to sixteen national championships in Open Water Rowing. Firefighter Sherry Griffith has also made a commitment to giving and benevolence. You can usually find her involved in a myriad of benevolence activities.
Due to the water rescue on May 20, 2018, Firefighter Sherry Griffith was chosen as the Boca Raton Fire Rescue 2018 Firefighter of the Year.
2018 Deputy Sheriff of the Year Detective Christopher Fleming
Beginning in May 2018, the victim’s vehicle, a 2015 Silver Subaru, sustained $4,300 worth of damages caused by vandalism. Over the course of several months, the victim continuously sustained damages to her vehicle and thousands of dollars of damage to her residence. As a result of the deliberate and malicious actions of the suspect, the victim incurred the cost of replacing 11 vehicle tires and repairing the damages to her home. The victim’s total estimated cost for repairs was $7,030.
As PBSO District 4 Road Patrol units were developing leads and documenting case information, Detective Christopher Fleming took a personal interest in this case. He was bound and determined to provide peace and justice to the victim who was being tormented by this suspect. Utilizing his superior investigative skills, Detective Fleming conducted hours of mobile and stationary surveillance on the victim’s residence, canvassed the entire neighborhood for witnesses or video cameras that might have captured these crimes. To no avail, Detective Fleming went even further and expanded his investigative efforts by installing stationary pole cameras outside of the victim’s home. These cameras had the capabilities to capture activity near her vehicle and home, day or night.
With nearly three months of pain staking work and no leads, and witnessing this victim being terrorized by this unknown suspect, Det. Fleming finally got a break in the case. On August 30, 2018 at 4:45 a.m., his surveillance video set in place captured a white male puncturing three of the victim’s tires in front of her residence. The suspect was initially identified from the video surveillance footage as the victim’s ex-boyfriend. His identity was ultimately confirmed by the victim upon her review. Det. Fleming’s investigation revealed the victim had terminated her volatile relationship with the suspect months prior to the initial criminal investigation. Based on the facts of the investigation, the suspect was ultimately charged with multiple felony counts of aggravated stalking and criminal mischief.
Det. Fleming is recognized for his investigative skills, attention to duty, compassion and for taking the initiative to utilize all available resources to ensure the victim received not only protection but justice. As a result of Det. Fleming’s dedicated efforts, the suspect was held accountable for his actions and faced both domestic related and felony criminal mischief charges.
Det. Fleming is the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office 100 Club Deputy of the Year for 2018.
2018 Police Officer of the Year Officer Rosalind Gualtieri
The Boca Raton Police Services Department is honored to present Officer Rosalind Gualtieri to the 100 Club of South Palm Beach County as our 2018 Officer of the Year. Officer Gualtieri began her law enforcement career for the City of Boca Raton in 1994. From 2005 to 2014, Officer Gualtieri was a member of the Community Policing Unit and was designated to serve the residents of the Pearl City/Dixie Manor neighborhood. Since 2016, Officer Gualtieri has been assigned to patrol the downtown area, as part of the CRA initiative. In this capacity, she has been able to work in partnership with residents, business owners and community leaders to improve city services and create a safer environment.
In 2018, Officer Gualtieri was the lead instructor for the Self Defense Awareness Familiarization and Exchange (S.A.F.E.) program, where she taught nine self-defense classes to over 150 women. As a 10-year member of the Honor Guard Team, Officer Gualtieri has attended several funerals and has participated in numerous events throughout the state. In May of 2018, she arranged for the Honor Guard Team to travel to Washington D.C., where they competed against other teams during National Police Week. Officer Gualtieri was responsible for planning, organizing and managing the trip for the entire team. Officer Gualtieri has conducted numerous investigations, while assigned to the CRA, which included theft, fraud and robbery cases. Many of these investigations concluded with the arrest of a suspect, often resulting from Officer Gualtieri’s exceptional investigative skills and abilities.
Shortly after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in February 2018, Officer Gualtieri volunteered to speak at local PTA meetings concerning school safety and threat assessment. Officer Gualtieri also participated in a community outreach prayer walk, “Breaking the Chains,” which focused on the issue of violence in African-American communities. She also identified and selected several military families, who were in financial need, for the Boca Raton Blue Benevolent Shop-with a Cop event. She continues to assist in community affairs for the Pearl City/Dixie Manor neighborhood and she keeps in constant contact with residents and community leaders to improve living conditions and
reduce crime.
Officer Gualtieri has demonstrated character, com-passion, teamwork and leadership in everything she does. Her hard work and dedication are truly appreciated, and we are grateful for her service.
2018 Trooper of the Year Trooper Mithil Patel
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) would like to nominate Trooper Mithil Patel for the annual 100 Club Award for his heroic actions in which he exemplified the proud tradition and reputation of the Florida Highway Patrol.
On Monday, December 3rd, 2018, at approximately 7:22 AM, Trooper Mithil Patel was conducting a traffic crash investigation on I-95, at mile marker 96, in Martin County. The right shoulder and right lane were closed due to the traffic crash being investigated. Service Contractors from Jorgensen and Road Rangers from the Florida Department of Transportation were on-scene with cones and arrow boards alerting the motoring public to potential hazards. Trooper Patel was standing on the right shoulder, speaking to Mr. Rony Bottex, one of the drivers involved in the crash. At that time a secondary crash occurred involving a Chevy van and an Audi traveling northbound in the left lane. This secondary crash caused the Audi vehicle to rotate clockwise and travel northeast, into the lane closure. A moment prior to being struck by the Audi Trooper Patel without hesitation took immediate action to push Mr. Bottex out of harm’s way, likely saving his life. Trooper Patel was unable to also move from the path of the passenger vehicle and was subsequently struck by the vehicle. All this occurred within mere seconds. Martin County Fire Rescue treated Trooper Patel on scene and subsequently transported him to Saint Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach. Patel spent a few days in the hospital and spent months recovering from his injuries. The entire event was captured on video by a news crew from Channel 12 West Palm Beach and made not only national but international news. Within the first few days the video of the incident went viral, with over 6.9 million views. During the many media interviews, Mr. Rony Bottex credited Trooper Patel with saving his life.
All of us at the Florida Highway Patrol are extremely proud of Trooper Patel’s instinctive reflex to selflessly push Mr. Bottex out of the path of the vehicle. We like to think that all of our troopers would have reacted the same way. Trooper Patel’s act of heroism is to be commended; he is a hero.