This afternoon, United States Justice Department officials bestowed the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing to 19 law enforcement officers from 12 jurisdiction across the country on their efforts in criminal investigations, field operations and innovations in community policing.

South Florida’s Aventura Police Department was one of those 12 national law enforcement agencies – and the only one in the entire State of Florida – in the spotlight today.

In a press release just issued, Southern District of Florida U.S. Attorney Arian Fajardo Orshan announced:

Detectives Kenneth Sealy and Sandra Marquez of the Aventura Police Department, in the Southern District of Florida, are being recognized for their investigative work in solving several high-dollar fraud schemes targeting multiple businesses and retail stores.  During an intense investigation involving a large credit card fraud ring operating in South Florida, the detectives identified approximately $194,000 in fraudulent transactions and seized another $218,000.  Another case involved money laundering and widespread credit card fraud committed in multiple states, which included a loss of almost $4 million over three years.  The detectives are continuing this important work in coordination with several federal agencies.

U.S. Attorney Orshan stated, “We commend Aventura Police Department Detectives Kenneth Sealy and Sandra Marquez for their exceptional police work.  By directly engaging with the community and carrying out proactive investigations, they are providing invaluable policing and are worthy of this special recognition.  We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Detectives Sealy and Marquez, and law enforcement officers throughout our country who work tirelessly to keep us safe from harm and protect our national interests.”

The 19 law enforcement officers were chosen by the Department of Justice from total of 414 individuals nominated.  The press release noted that they were awarded for demonstrating “active engagement with the community in one of three areas: criminal investigations, field operations, or innovations in community policing.”

The 17 other officers from 11 agencies recognized also include:

• Detective William Maldonado of the Suffolk County Police Department, New York
• Detectives George Duarte and Jeffrey Richards of the Providence Police Department, Rhode Island
• Officers Evan Jurgensen, Nicholas Kelly, Rachel Mynier, and John Yenchak of the Prince William County Police Department, Virginia
• Deputy Richard Hassna of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, California
• Deputy Ross Jessop of the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Montana
• Officers Aaron Bates and Alexander Stotik of the Cohasset Police Department, Massachusetts
• Officer Phalon McFate of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Nevada
• Officer Jesse Guardiola of the Tulsa Police Department, Oklahoma
• Detective Anthony Roberson of the Providence Police Department, Rhode Island
• Officer Jonathan Plunkett of the Irving Police Department, Texas
• Detective Kathleen Lucero of the Isleta Tribal Police Department, New Mexico
• Officer Troy Quick of the Conyers Police Department, Georgia

We here at VotersOpinion would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the 19 law enforcement officers honored today.

We especially salute Detectives Kenneth Sealy and Sandra Marquez of the Aventura Police Department for their incredible achievement, and for proudly representing South Florida’s Finest on the national stage.

Stephanie