Title
Congratulations to Sergeant Velier Zaccheo and Officer Alexander Rodriguez, recipients of the City of Coral Gables “Officer of the Month Award,” for the month of March 2022.
Body
I would like to respectfully nominate Sergeant Velier Zaccheo and Officer Alexander Rodriguez for Officers of the Month of March 2022 for their actions in arresting a bank robbery subject on March 26 (Case# 22-001899).
On March 26, 2022, the Coral Gables Police received a 911 call from the TD Bank located at 2401 Ponce de Leon Boulevard advising of a robbery in progress. Coral Gables Communications provided BOLO and direction of travel of the subject. Sergeant Zaccheo and Officer Rodriguez immediately responded to the area. With the continued help of the Coral Gables Communications Department, Sergeant Zaccheo and Officer Rodriguez were able to locate the vehicle.
Sergeant Zaccheo and Officer Rodriguez then conducted a felony stop on the vehicle. Using clear communication and direct instructions, they were able to have the offender exit the vehicle and place her safely under arrest. Knowing proper procedure with bank robbery offenses, both Sergeant Zaccheo and Officer Rodriguez secured the vehicle, as not to disturb the crime scene for the Federal Bureau Investigation.
Unbeknownst to the Sergeant and Officer prior to the felony stop, the offender was an expectant mother. Upon realizing this, they immediately requested the City of Miami Fire Rescue to assess the prisoner's health. Knowing that such a stressful situation could have negative impact on the health of the prisoner and her unborn child, Sergeant Zaccheo and Officer Rodrigue checked on her mental and health status every fifteen minutes.
In what is typically not a frequent occurrence in the City of Coral Gables, combined with the unusual personal circumstances of the bank robbery subject, Sergeant Zaccheo and Officer Rodriguez made it appear routine. Many times, a serious situation can get out of hand and go awry, ...
Click here for full text