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HomeMy Public PortalAboutLTC 011-2017 Officer Compliment – Ofc. Braxton McClams and Ofc. Ricardo Rodriguez in the Bal Harbour Village Police DepartmentBAL HARBOUR - VILLAGE - OFFICE OF THE VILLAGE MANAGER LETTER TO COUNCIL NO. 011-2017 To: Mayor Gabriel Groisman and Members of the Village Council From: Jorge M. Gonzalez, Village Manager Date: January 20, 2017 Subject: Officer Compliment - Ofc. Braxton McClams and Ofc. Ricardo Rodriguez in the Bal Harbour Village Police Department The purpose of this Letter to Council (LTC) is to transmit to you a positive compliment received praising Officer Braxton McClams and Officer Ricardo Rodriguez in the Village's Police Department for providing courteous community service. The positive compliment letter has been attached for your review. Join me in recognizing these Officers for their hard work in promoting a positive community -oriented Police Department. If you have any questions or need any additional information, please feel free to contact me or Captain Miguel de la Rosa. JMG/MdIR/AC Date: January 5th, 2017 TO: Captain De La Rosa, Officer McClams, Officer Rodriguez CC: Lieutenant Flowers, Lieutenant Amago RE: Bal Harbour Police Department- job well done Dear Captain De La Rosa: I want to thank the Bal Harbour Police Department, you and specifically Officers McClams and Rodriguez for their tremendous kindness and assistance to my family this past New Years Eve. Our 20 -year -old son had attended a party and sadly ended up drinking too much. When I tried to take him back to where we were staying in the village he became confrontational. He got out of my car and started to walk down the sidewalk of Collins Avenue. I was following him in my car, which was not safe to do, and then he ended up straying into the road a little and then back to the sidewalk. At this point I realized I needed help keeping him safe and called your department. Officer McClams and Officer Rodriguez arrived quickly and immediately began talking with our son. They treated him kindly, with no threats and knew that we were just in a tough spot. I was incredibly shaken (I do not drink at all so I am not skilled in any of this) and both officers took the time to settle my nerves as well. I was so thankful that they understood the situation- this is a good kid who had made bad choices that night and I was caught between having my son learn something but not punishing him with something that would permanently affect him. The officers never seemed rushed to be done with us- they counseled me and we had an insightful, tremendously helpful conversation about teenage boys and the fact that tonight was not the time for me to even attempt to communicate with my son. They went on to allow me to explain some of the mistakes he's made in the past and my fear of him "not catching on" etc. Again, they listened so patiently, counseled, and shared advice all of which was wise and to the point of helping our family move forward in the right direction with our son. After helping get my son back in the car, Officer McClams offered to follow us home to make sure we were set. Officer McClams walked us to our door and told my son he had to go to bed and not to leave the apartment or mom would have to call again so he could be kept safe. I had asked both officers that night if they would consider talking with my son the next day when he was of right mind so he could hear their perspective. Of course being the dedicated people they are they agreed willingly and I told them I would call. Two days later Officer McClams met with my son and my husband and spent time talking to them about the reality of what my son has to do now for himself. I do not have words, nor can I describe how well Officer McClams handled this meeting- my husband was blown away and we know our son was taking it all in. The officer was kind enough to share personal experiences didn't lecture, and he didn't put our son down or make him feel like a bad kid: he simply talked and shared his wisdom. Once again both my husband and son never got the feeling that the Officer was rushed or had somewhere better to be (in fact we know he did) but they felt they were his top priority at that time which is in incredible in today's world when that unselfishness seems all too rare. Our son told his grandfather that his meeting with officer McClams had more of "an impact" on him than anything he can think of. To go one step further, I called the station that night to thank Officer McClams once again for going so far above and beyond the call of duty. After I thanked him we began to talk and I told him I was still so upset and feel that we need to make sure this was a huge wake up call for my son who is to return to Boston College in a few weeks. In his wise, caring, heartfelt way Officer McClams then spent over an hour and half (OFF DUTY time- I know his shift was over) going over everything with me and how "mom and dad need a plan of action". He didn't feel we should pull our son from college, but by the end of the phone call I had three pages of notes of pertinent advice, suggestions and again personal experiences from Officer McClams. He presented his thoughts and it was presented in a clearer more poignant way than any doctor had for us in the past. Thanks to officer McClams now we know our next moves. We now are in the works of getting those things done and on paper with a contract with our son. Officer McClams went on to share his email address and phone number with our son and said to please feel free to touch base if anything isn't going well, if he needs help or even better yet if it is going well. I know this letter is too long but each time I tried to shorten it I felt I was leaving out too many of the snippets that made our experience with the Bal Harbour Police Department as incredible as it was. They kept my son safe and there's nothing more important in life than that. I hope and pray we only see your officers for fun at the Sea view or in town on our next yearly visit, but if we do need their assistance ever again I cannot think of any finer people who we could rely or lean on for help. I hope this letter is shared with any or all of the Police Department to help honor these two (especially Officer McClams) and if you would like it shared anywhere else please contact me so we could remove my identity/name. Sincerely and All the Best -:171 Jenn fer McDonough Albanesi (860) 250-6411