Giving Someone Outside Our City a "Sunny" Isles Day..
By Chief Fred Maas

Unfortunately, in today's society we turn on the news and quite frankly it is depressing. So many of you have mentioned that you feel the same way. News reports of war abroad, murder here at home, kids killing other kids, child neglect and abuse... on and on and so it goes. It seems like we have lost sight of the good news to report, the nice things people do and pleasant stories of human kindness. And if we do hear about it, it is usually tucked away between the advertisements or at the very end of the T.V. broadcast. Well, I have a story to share with you that will hopefully restore your faith in human kindness and make you the proudest anyone could be of the police officers that serve their community.

On Sunday mornings, a number of Sunny Isles Beach officers play softball together in a league with other teams. That is, after church of course! On Sunday, February 22, it was unusually warm and humid so after the game a couple of officers stopped at a nearby convenience store to get water and Gatorade. The line was long and being delayed apparently because a "little old lady" was at the front of the line and asking if anyone could help her. She was tiny and frail but clearly articulate and she was exasperated and frustrated that no one was offering to help or listen to her.

As soon as they realized what was happening Officer Martinez and Detective Sanchez who were at the back of the line, left their places and went to check on her. It seems she was from another state and had no idea of how the gas pumps and pre-payment in Florida worked. She was only asking someone to help her get gas for her car. No one could be bothered, except for (2) two Sunny Isles Beach officers who were off-duty. They immediately took the lady outside, her name we found out was Bea, and proceeded to help her. Her credit card was not working properly so the officers went inside and pre-paid with their own cash to fill up Bea's tank. After they were done, Bea was so thankful for the assistance and asked how much she owed them. They responded "you don't owe us anything; this is our treat to you."

With that, Bea started to shake and cry. I was standing nearby so I moved in to console her and asked what was wrong. She said - "Today is my birthday and my biggest fear was that I was going to spend it "ALONE." But you boys have made my day."

With that, we each wished her a happy birthday, each gave her a big hug and a kiss, which I think she enjoyed more than the free gas, and we wished her well. She said she would never forget the officers who helped her when nobody else would be bothered, and I believe that. I have called several times to check on her welfare and she has called several times just to say hi and thanks.

Ladies and gentlemen, the qualities that many of your Sunny Isles Beach officers possess, cannot be learned thru training or by giving orders. They are qualities of compassion, sympathy, respect for others, and acts of human kindness. And that is what I look for when I hire your police officers. We can train them to be police officers but the other qualities they must possess on their own, especially if they are going to work for me here in Sunny Isles Beach. I am very proud of my officers, but today I am especially proud to nominate these two officers for Officers of the Month for April 2004 for the Concerned Citizens.

P.S. By the way, our team is in first place in the league so they're not too bad at playing baseball either.
 

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