2021 Award Winners

2021 Firefighter of the Year
Kyle Graham, Lieutenant

Lieutenant Kyle Graham was chosen as our 2021 Firefighter of the Year and was also chosen as the Career Firefighter of the Year for the State of Florida. Lt. Graham started with the City of Boca Raton in 2013 and was promoted to Firefighter/Driver in 2018 and then to Lieutenant in 2019.

On September 6, 2021, Lt. Graham and another member of our department, Captain Randy Prokos, traveled to North Dakota. One of their planned activities during this trip was to hunt using bows and arrows. The two decided to split up and hunt in different locations and were separated by half a mile. Capt. Prokos began setting up his equipment and while doing so, his bow with an arrow loaded in it, fell from the spot it was stowed. As Capt. Prokos moved backwards, the arrow stuck into his right leg just behind and below the knee. Unfortunately, the injury caused by the arrow was very severe as it lacerated an artery.

Capt. Prokos was losing a large amount of blood and was unable to stop the bleeding. It became quickly apparent to Capt. Prokos that the situation was dire, and help was nowhere in sight. To make matters worse, cell phone reception was nonexistent, and the closest road was two miles away. Capt. Prokos made his way to the edge of a cliff and began yelling for Lt. Graham. As Capt. Prokos was losing consciousness, Lt. Graham appeared and quickly began rendering aid. Using his belt, Lt. Graham made a tourniquet and used advanced hemorrhage control techniques to control the bleeding. It took an estimated hour for local EMS to hike to their location and another half-hour for a transport unit to arrive. Keeping him alive with his extensive paramedic training and advanced techniques, Lt. Graham remained treating Capt. Prokos and accompanied him to the hospital. Two and a half hours after the accident happened, Capt. Prokos received his first unit of blood after arriving at the hospital.

Without Kyle, a father, husband, and fellow firefighter would not be with us today.

2021 Trooper of the Year
Corporal Danny Diaz

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) would like to nominate Corporal Danny Diaz for the annual 100 Club Award for his continued unwavering dedication to the Florida Highway Patrol and to the citizens of Palm Beach County.

Corporal Danny Diaz began his career with FHP in March of 2012 and after graduating from the 122nd FHP Recruit Academy in September 2012, he began patrolling the roadways in Lee County. In 2015 Trooper Diaz transferred to Broward County and then was subsequently promoted to Corporal (Traffic Homicide Investigator) assigned to the Lake Worth District serving in Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

Corporal Diaz was assigned 19 traffic homicide investigations within his first nine months as a Traffic Homicide Investigator. Of his 19 cases; 5 involved multiple felony charges in each case. In addition to his own cases; he has assisted the other investigators with numerous cases. He has been described by his supervisor as his “most dependable and skilled investigator.” He independently identifies and manages situations or incidents, considers information and resources, and selects an appropriate course of action in accordance with established THI Manual and FHP Policy guidelines.

Specifically, Corporal Diaz’s exceptional aptitude as an investigator, strong work ethic and ability to think “outside the box”; led to him identifying a suspect that left the scene of a traffic crash involving the death of a 6-year old child. Within the first 24 hours of the traffic crash; he had identified that driver that left the scene through perusing social media, interviewing witnesses and obtaining/viewing surveillance video footage. After writing numerous warrants and subsequently locating the suspect that was then arrested on an unrelated criminal charge; Corporal Diaz exhibited “outside the box” thinking in requesting/obtaining audio of the suspects jailhouse telephone conversations. Although DNA eventually linked the suspect to the vehicle as the driver; the recorded conversations between the suspect and his girlfriend definitively identified him as not only the driver, but also his own admission of leaving the scene of the traffic crash.

Corporal Diaz more recently arrested a suspect on charges of DUI Manslaughter and Vehicular Homicide from a wrong-way fatal traffic crash. The father of the victim had been extremely persistent in his demand for justice for his son. Corporal Diaz conducted a thorough, and complete investigation that ultimately led to the arrest of the suspect a mere 3 months from the date of the traffic crash. He did this while simultaneously investigating multiple other criminal cases that occurred in the months following this wrong-way crash.

Corporal Diaz is an extremely talented investigator and willing to do whatever it takes to bring justice and closure to the families of the victims in his cases. Due to his strong work ethic, commitment to the THI program, and thorough investigations he has excelled in his duties as a Traffic Homicide Investigator and in service to the residents and visitors of the State of Florida. Corporal Diaz’s exemplifies what it means to be a State Trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol. His efforts are appreciated for a job well done.

2021 100 Club PBSO Deputy of the Year Detective Emilio Graveran

Beginning July of 2021, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) – District 7 (Boca Raton) began experiencing burglaries at construction sites. Upon inspecting the cases it became apparent suspects were targeting specific equipment on the sites consisting of ground X-Ray/GPS systems. These pieces of equipment are bolted to the under-carriage of tractors and heavy machinery and allows the operator to see underground for construction and digging purposes. The value of the GPS units can market in the range of $5,000-$10,000 each.

The investigation was assigned to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office – District 7 Detective – Emilio Graveran # 30562. Det. Graveran was newly assigned to the D7 Detective Bureau, but confidence was placed within him to handle the investigation with his extensive technology background prior to working at the Sheriff’s Office.

Det. Graveran immediately dove into the investigation scouring various databases and researching the stolen GPS equipment’s usage, applications, and online resale markets. Working closely with the victim H & J Contracting Inc., Det. Graveran made an inquiry with the company Sitech which specializes and is a certified dealer of the specific ground GPS systems. Sitech had recently began repurchasing ground GPS systems as a business model for refurbishment and resale based on the COVID 19 pandemic’s hit to their usual business sales model. Det. Graveran was able to locate and identify (2) stolen GPS equipment pieces from PBSO District 7 cases based on Sitech’s dealer network. Working backwards with Sitech employees, Det. Graveran was able to locate the Ebay account from which Sitech had purchased the stolen GPS units and in turn potentially identified a potential suspect.

After subpoenaing the suspected Ebay account’s records and digging through its past posts, Det. Graveran successfully identified the seller as James Martin. Martin had a current address within Broward county, which matched the outgoing mailing address and nearby FedEx mailing facility codes on the packaging received by Sitech upon purchase from Martin’s account. Over the following weeks, a deeper dive into Martin’s Ebay account uncovered numerous stolen GPS units and components for sale and already sold throughout the state of Florida. In total, Det. Graveran was able to identify and link (7) cases over (6) agencies throughout Florida, with a total loss ranging between $30,000-$40,000. Det. Graveran then began the process of notifying the identified agencies and gathering their case information. Based on the breadth of the investigation it was determined the investigation would be presented to the State Wide Prosecutor’s (SWP) office for adoption. The SWP quickly accepted the cases based on the intricate outline of evidence and facts Det. Graveran presented.

Det. Graveran acted as the point of contact and lead investigator for all jurisdictions involved throughout Florida. He worked side by side with the SWP for months coordinating and gathering information for prosecution of the suspect James Martin. As of writing this nomination, the SWP’s Office is actively writing a search warrant and arrest warrant for the suspect. Once executed, the information and evidence gathered will allow the investigation to mushroom into the suspect’s contacts and accomplices whom Det. Graveran believes the suspect Martin is directing and orchestrating.
The SWP Office has already indicated the suspect’s subpoenaed bank records, acquired by Det. Graveran, lean toward an established criminal enterprise and additional charges under the RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) will be forthcoming, once Felony charges of Dealing in Stolen Property are put in place.
A long and intricate investigation is coming to an end and a savvy criminal who has openly evaded law enforcement for years with similar operations will soon be behind bars. Detective Emilio Graveran is selected for the 2021,100 CLUB PBSO Deputy of the Year for his outstanding investigative work and synchronization with fellow law enforcement officers to achieve a successful outcome.

2021 Officer of the Year Detective Robert Daniels, Jr

Vice Intelligence & Narcotics (VIN)

Detective Robert Daniels, Jr. began his career with the Boca Raton Police Services Department in 2001. In 2017, he transferred to the Vice Intelligence and Narcotics (VIN) Unit and has made invaluable contributions to the unit with his ingenuity and implementation of resources. Detective Daniels is responsible for developing covert surveillance systems for stationary and mobile targets utilizing unique power systems which has given the VIN Unit capabilities it never had before.
Detective Daniels is a major part of the VIN Unit’s social media investigations. Utilizing social media applications has allowed narcotics dealers to move their operations off the streets, where the activity is more readily apparent, and into cyberspace where their activity is much more covert. Detective Daniels’ “outside the box” thinking has been instrumental in developing new techniques to expose these criminals.
Detective Daniels has also been a major part of the VIN Unit’s undercover work. His ability to change his appearance to blend into situations, and his ability to empathize and converse with anyone, has led to many successful undercover operations. Detective Daniels is gifted in building confidence and legitimacy through his professionalism. In 2021, several cases demonstrated his exceptional work:
Detective Daniels received information that an individual was selling large quantities of marijuana and cocaine from a residence in the City of Boca Raton. While surveillance was being maintained on the residence, an armed home invasion took place at the location. Utilizing several covert investigative tools, Detective Daniels was not only able to coordinate the arrest of the individuals responsible for the home invasion in Broward County but was also able to obtain a search warrant for the residence where cocaine, Xanax, marijuana, and guns were located. The individual was ultimately arrested on these charges.
Detective Daniels’ most significant case involved a large methamphetamine drug trafficking organization that was responsible for processing and distributing methamphetamine throughout South Florida. Detective Daniels worked with other law enforcement agencies to secure and execute a search warrant at a residence in the City of Boca Raton. Significant quantities of liquid methamphetamine, something which has not been seen in recent years, were located. Since the conclusion of this operation, the residents have moved out of the City of Boca Raton and federal indictments have been brought against the subjects involved.
Detective Daniels was also responsible for the arrest of an individual who was selling large amounts of narcotics throughout the City of Boca Raton. After coordinating several undercover narcotic buys, utilizing social media as a means of communication, Detective Daniels obtained an arrest warrant and search warrant for the target’s residence where significant amounts of MOMA, cocaine, LSD, Xanax, two handguns and two rifles, and over $100,000.00 in cash were seized.
Throughout all these cases, Detective Daniels demonstrated integrity, determination, and ingenuity. He brings skills that are in high demand in law enforcement and he is willing to put himself out there for the good of the department and the community at large.