Mayor Jeff Porter recognized Christopher Wilson as Officer of the Month at the Homestead City Council’s April 18th Special Presentations for his exceptional public service during the month of March 2018.
Captain Raymond DeJohn, who assisted Mayor Porter in making the presentation to Wilson, was joined at the front of the Council Chambers by Chief Alexander E. Rolle, Jr., Colonel Scott Kennedy, Captain Edilia Surman, Captain Angela Washington, Major Tony Sincore, Sergeant Miguel Acosta and Sergeant Carlos Garcia.
Wilson, an experienced officer, came to the Homestead Police Department (HPD) after serving with the Florida City Police Department for seven years. He began working with HPD as a reserve officer in May 2016, and in January 2017, he became a full-time officer with the Department. He is currently assigned to Uniform Patrol and works the midnight shift.
DeJohn recounted the primary incident that led to Wilson being recognized as Officer of the Month. On March 4, 2018, at approximately 1:23 a.m., Wilson observed a subject brandishing a firearm and pointing it at the driver of another vehicle. The subject fled the area in a black vehicle. Wilson followed the vehicle and called for backup. Wilson attempted to conduct a felony stop and the subject fled. The subject’s vehicle crashed into a light pole and the subject ran away. Officer Wilson began to canvas the area and located the subject hiding inside of another vehicle on a floorboard. He was taken into custody without further incident.
DeJohn said that during the month of March Wilson had completed 103 business checks, 32 incident reports, 25 arrests and 26 FI cards. The arrests he made involved: carrying a concealed firearm, narcotics, warrants, and loitering and prowling, as well as numerous traffic-related arrests.
Chief Rolle added that earlier, Wilson had identified a subject responsible for the homicide of a 17-year-old who was killed by Blakely Park, in January 2018. Rolle said that this was the first homicide in the city of Homestead in 2018.
“So this tells you what kind of police officer this is,” Rolle said. “That’s the kind of people we hire here – we want good, experienced police officers that are going to take care of business in the City of Homestead when you’re dealing with crime. … On the other hand, our job is to assist the citizens of Homestead in a professional manner and [help] them with anything we can. That’s what the Homestead Police Department is all about.” He thanked Wilson and added, “Keep up the good work.”
Mayor Porter read and presented Wilson with a certificate of recognition and him for his distinguished service. At the end of the presentation, Mayor Porter added, “Thank you, Chief. Another example of the awesome job you do every day.”
Wilson responded, saying, “I’d like to thank Chief Rolle and the Command Staff for bringing me over. I’m finally here and I’m loving it. I want to thank my supervisors, Sergeant Garcia, Sergeant Acosta and Lieutenant Trad.”
He added, “It’s all a team effort. We all work together. We’re all one.”