HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #38 - Discussion Item1.1ty OF NIIAti11. F! oRto.1
To Howard Gary it , ,?' r'►'I ..rr. 4 May 1981 E DIA=2
City Manager
.:. Officer of the Month
)� j) April 1981
Xenneth tr Harms
Chief of Police
.s
C
The Miami Police Department has selected Sat, Richard Napoli
and Off, Edward Hanek as its Most Outstanding Officers of the
Month for April 1981.
At 1t00 AM on March 13th, Sgt, Napoli and Off. Hanek were called
in from home to begin an investigation into the brutal murder of
a 19-year old :woman, Claribel Benitez. The victirni was robbed and
shot by three Mariel refugees in the Central Shopping Plaza. The
only information she was able to provide police before she died
was that her assailants :were three latin males, one with a tooth
missing, in a brown station wagon.
Sgt. Napoli and Off. Hanek had no witnesses, no crime scene and
no information on the perpetrators other than the victim's description
of them.
The two detectives arranged for a plea to the public for, information
through the ne:•rs media. Almost immediately, tips started cornin in
from a community outraged by this brutal murder of an innocent victim.
Over the next 216 days, during ;,,hick they worked without a day off
and put in over 200 ho•.z»s of o'%-erti:ie, Sgt . idapoli and Off. Hanek
checked out over 300 le?d:, received from citizens, Central Shopping
Plaza merchants and nolice officers from other agencies. They
personally checked over 1100 brown station wa ons, 60-80 ref a ~ees
with one missing tooth and conducted several stakeouts.
Their effort-3 were rewarded when all three offenders :were
identified and arrested between March 30th and April 7th, each
charged with First Degree Ilurdear and Armed Robbery. It ;was an
incredibly intensive invest ir;ation by t,•.,o highly dedicat ed and
professional detectives.
Sgt . Napoli i s an 11-year ;Miami Police veteran .who has earned
38 departmental commendations, including five personal citatians
from the Chief of Police. Five times he has been nominated for
the department's '•lost Outstanding Officer of file ,.Ionth award;
he has ;won the honor three times.
r
L
.,
AbWard GaPy
4 May 1981
Page 2
been a Miami Police officer 19 years, the
Officer Hanek has and
even in the Homicide Detail, lie ofmdutyed a
last s Officer
total of i16 times for
i htuti.mesdfor post Outstanding
has been nominated eight
of the Month,
date and time 89t b Plapoli
Please advise this off Iceof
before the
City Commission to
and Off Hanelt are to appear
receive the Certificates of Appreciation.
KIH:ab
cc: Angelo gitsis, Public Information