City of Sunny Isles Beach Official Website
Monday, March 25, 2019
By Christopher J. Russo, Former City Manager &
Fred Maas, Former Police Chief
Former City Manager Russo: It has been almost a year since former Chief Fred Maas entered retirement. Retirement for Fred is defined by continuing to serve the police profession through volunteerism while continuing to nurture and maintain the many relationships he established throughout his career. One such opportunity to meld those two is his participation in the Law Enforcement Officers Awards (LEO’s) and the annual Borrell Family Award. One of his other passions is writing and he especially enjoys writing about the wonderful works of his beloved former officers and his good friends. Please read on for a special story by retired Police Chief Fred Maas.
Former Police Chief Maas: On Thursday, March 7, 2019, the 11th annual presentation of the Borrell Family Award was held and it was an exciting day of firsts. This year’s recipients were two SIBPD officers, both female, which was a first in the history of the award. Detective Sasee Morales and Officer Maureen Carulo were named co-winners of the award. The award is named in honor of two professional sports icons, Joe and John Borrell, internationally known athletes in boxing and golf, respectively. The award symbolizes strength, courage, benevolence and compassion when dealing with the less fortunate in our community.
Both women are known for their extreme compassion and understanding toward helping the underprivileged in our community, from children to the elderly. Both are highly respected for their knowledge and use of resources in order to effectively secure help for those in need, specifically in the areas of elder abuse, DCF cases, homelessness and mental health crisis cases. It was a very proud day for both of these veteran officers who are respected for the job they do in this field. Mr. Frank Borrell and his son, Joe, were both on hand to make the presentation along with numerous guests. Congratulations to both of these fine officers.
The Borrell Award presentation was preceded by the annual Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Awards, and once again, the Sunny Isles Beach Police Department was well represented. Detective Mitch Glansberg was nominated for his relentless pursuit of justice in an economics crime case involving over $2 million. The work of the detective division requires patience and determination amongst other investigative attributes as many cases take time and require endless follow-up. Congratulations to Detective Glansberg for being recognized for the outstanding achievement in bringing this white-collar crime to justice.
It is not surprising that the other Sunny Isles Beach officer recognized at the LEO Awards was Sasee Morales mentioned before. Sasee is a veteran Sunny Isles Beach police officer who has really found her niche. Her caring and nurturing persona made her ideal for the position of being the go-to person for incidents involving children, elders and mental health cases. Sasee has made connections countywide to best serve all of our residents in any circumstance. Policing goes beyond the enforcement of law and Sasee embodies the spirit of community service we strive for.
As all of the above-mentioned officers will tell you, it takes a team of support behind them to be successful. This extends to their fellow officers, colleagues, and superiors all the way to the City Manager and the City Commission. They are provided the opportunity of training, equipment and resources to accomplish their goals. To all of SIBPD, I say thank you for another remarkable year of going above and beyond, and for the honor and privilege to share the word of your good works with our residents.