Officer of the Month - March 2004
Concerned Citizens of N.E. Dade
Lt. Michael Grandinetti

During the week of November 16, 2003, the entire County of Dade was focused on an International event that was being held in Miami dealing with Free Trade Area of the Americas or FTAA. This controversial and explosive topic had been the setting in previous cities such as Seattle, Toronto, Philadelphia, etc. where widespread violence, injuries and great financial losses due to destruction occurred.

Local police at all levels were tasked with handling the expected 40,000 - 60,000 visitors, many of them protestors to our area. Even our own small city of Sunny Isles Beach could be affected we were warned. Therefore, in preparation for this, I assigned Lt. Michael Grandinetti to handle this responsibility. He did so professionally and responsibly.

For more than a month he attended meetings, task forces, ordered specialized equipment, trained for and with officers who would be on the front lines against those trying to incite violence and cause destruction.

He led a squad of specially trained Sunny Isles Beach Police Officers who joined the larger agencies to protect and defend not only our area but that of our neighbors in the City of Miami and Miami Dade County.

It was hot, humid, exhausting and long, very long days that they experienced. But they performed tremendously. Even the Commanders of large agencies called and wrote to me to express great praise and commendation for the professionalism and dedication of your Sunny Isles Beach Police officers. I was extremely proud of them, both male and female officers who participated.

It takes a special person to be a leader. It takes an even greater person to be a good leader. Lt. Grandinetti exhibited both. And to reinforce that statement I want you to know that he performed all of this while still handling and maintaining all of his regular responsibilities as the head of the Administrative Division of the Police Department. Yes, at the end of a very long day out on the front lines, he would come back to the police station for several hours to insure that his day to day work was done.

For all the above and much, much more, and by nomination and recommendation from the very troops he led during the FTAA, he has been selected as Officer of the Month for March, 2004 for the Concerned Citizens of N.E. Dade.

Congratulations!

Fred A. Maas
Chief of Police

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