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Congratulations to Officer Michael Aleman, recipient of the City of Coral Gables “Officer of the Month Award,” for October 2023.
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On Monday, October 23, 2023, at approximately 2:56 AM, Coral Gables Police units were dispatched to a commercial audible alarm at 3800 SW 8 ST (Caffe Italia Restaurant). Officer Aleman was the first arriving officer and observed a white male subject in the rear parking lot of the businesses adjacent to Caffe Italia. Officer Aleman maintained visual of the subject even with a metal fence located in between them and tracked the male to the 800-Blk of Galiano St where he detained the subject. A secondary alarm call was received for the business located at 3830 SW 8 ST (Pizza Hut). Additional arriving officers observed a shattered front door at Pizza Hut. The offender(s) used a large rock to smash the front entrance of the business and make entry. From a distant view, it appeared one of two cash registers had been removed from inside of Pizza Hut. Officers checked the rear of the businesses on the 3800-BLK of SW 8 ST and observed a cash register that had been pried open, thrown on the parking lot. Contact was made with the Pizza Hut Manager who responded and provided video surveillance footage of the incident. The footage showed the subject detained by Officer Aleman throwing a large rock and shattering the front entrance of the store. The subject made entry and removed a cash register from the counter.
Assisting officers observed two other businesses had been broken into. Contact was made with the restaurant owner of Cava Restaurant located at 3850 SW 8 ST who confirmed a laptop that was located at the hostess stand had been removed from inside the restaurant. Wine and US currency coins had been removed from Caffe Italia and located on the subject’s pocket. The laptop from Cava Restaurant was located at the 800-Blk of Galiano St behind a bush and returned to the owner on scene. This is the same location the subject was walking to when Officer Aleman arrived and where he was stopped.
Officer Aleman conducted a thorough assessment of the scene, ran the subject with CGPD Teletype and conducted a thorough pat down which revealed stolen US currency inside of the subject's pocket. The male agreed to speak to detectives and CID was contacted. Detective Taha responded to CGPD and interviewed the subject. The subject confessed to breaking into three of the businesses. He confessed to making entry into Pizza Hut and stealing the cash register, removing the laptop from Cava Restaurant and drinking wine and stealing change from another register while inside of Caffe Italia.
In my short time as a Sergeant working the north end sector of the city, I have observed Officer Aleman respond to calls even when not dispatched and assist in the call for service or investigation. Officer Aleman maintained a proactive approach on an audible alarm call and his quick assessment led to the arrest of the offender. Other jurisdictions in the area (City of Miami, South Miami and MDPD Kendall and Hammocks) have reported the same MO at commercial locations and the offender's information was shared with those agencies for further investigation.
Officer Aleman's keen observation skills, quick thinking, and decisive actions resulted in the apprehension of a burglar with extensive past and prevented this individual from remaining at large. His actions allowed the Coral Gables Police Department Criminal Investigations Division to close three commercial burglaries in the city and provided intel to other agencies.