Sheriff Tony: BSO Lauded with Prestigious National and International Honors

Sheriff Gregory Tony

A Message from Sheriff Gregory Tony:

The Broward Sheriff’s Office has recently garnered national and international recognition for exceptional performance across all aspects of our public safety operations. These awards and accolades indeed boost our morale but, more importantly, exemplify our organization’s commitment to excellence in service.

HEROISM: This past year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) presented BSO SWAT operators with one of its highest honors: The FBI Shield of Bravery. These highly trained tactical operators pulled two FBI agents from the line of fire. Though the agents tragically sustained fatal injuries, the SWAT operators performed remarkably in the face of grave danger to save their lives. The award received is rarely issued and is bestowed only for acts of exceptional heroism well above the call of duty. The award is an unwavering testament to our training and preparedness. Seeing these dedicated first responders receive this supreme honor was one of my proudest moments as sheriff.

INTELLIGENCE: Proactive, intelligence-led policing safeguards our communities by discovering and stopping illicit activities before they escalate. The BSO Gang Investigations Task Force has been at the forefront of these strategic efforts, significantly reducing crime throughout Broward County. Their efforts earned them distinguished recognition as the Gang Unit of the Year by the Florida Gang Investigators Association.

PUBLIC SAFETY: The BSO Aviation Unit garnered recognition from the International Association of Chiefs of Police with the Leadership in Police Aviation Award and two awards for their use of tactical airborne forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras to aid in the success of their missions. This team of highly trained, experienced professionals was also honored within our organization as BSOs Unit of the Year for the Department of Preparedness and Response.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Every accolade we receive demonstrates the significant progress our organization is making. BSO Sergeant Eric Girado was recognized as Investigator of the Year by the Florida Internal Affairs Investigator Association. Sgt. Girado’s recognition is a strong endorsement of our commitment to responsible, transparent policing of ourselves. Since day one, my administration has focused on maintaining the highest standards of accountability, ensuring any allegations of misconduct are investigated fairly, thoroughly and objectively.

COMMUNITY: BSO’s Neighborhood Support Team received well-deserved recognition as the Outstanding Crime Prevention Unit of the Year by the Florida Crime Prevention Association. The community initiatives launched by this exceptional team have helped at-risk youth, supported life skills and job training, and assisted our most vulnerable residents. The Neighborhood Support Team continues to build trust and respect with all our communities while keeping them informed on important public safety matters.

ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT: Recently, Dr. James Roach received the State Medical Director of the Year Award from the Florida Department of Health. The Raymond H. Alexander – EMS Medical Director Award is a prestigious honor and testament to Dr. Roach’s outstanding contributions to BSO’s emergency medical services. Additionally, the BSO Fire Rescue and Emergency Services Advanced Life Support (ALS) Team is standing out in the industry, placing first in two major ALS competitions: the Fire Rescue East ALS Competition and ClinCon. The contests place the team in multiple scenarios to test their medical and protocol knowledge, skills, critical thinking and decision-making abilities. These victories highlight the team’s commitment to being the very best in EMS response.

PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS: Our efforts to communicate with and inform our community of critical public safety matters extend to a variety of digital mediums. This year, our Community Affairs Division and Public Information Office won three Telly Awards, a premier award honoring excellence in video and television productions. The videos awarded highlight important public safety information and, in one instance, assisted the BSO Cold Case Unit in highlighting a decades-old unsolved homicide case.

The achievements highlighted here share a common purpose — all are a product of our promise and commitment to be the most progressive, innovative, service-oriented public safety organization in Broward County. We are proud of each of these distinguished honors and will continue to push forward with the same vigor to reach even higher levels of performance and accomplishment.

Sheriff Gregory Tony

Service Equals Reward

Certain Broward cities like Coconut Creek, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines, Sunrise, Plantation, Davie, Margate, Miramar, Lauderhill, Lighthouse Point, and Coral Springs maintain their police departments; however, BSO does provide communications and dispatch services to the following cities: Central Broward, Cooper City, Dania Beach, Deerfield Beach, Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Int’l Airport, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Lauderdale Lakes, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Parkland, West Park, Pompano Beach, Port Everglades, Tamarac, Weston, and unincorporated West Broward.

Send your news to Tamarac’s #1 Award-Winning News Source, Tamarac Talk.