On July 26, 2017, Mayor Jeff Porter recognized Detective Jose Murillo for his exceptional contributions as a member of the Homestead Police Department during the month of May at the special Council Presentation. Participating in the recognition ceremony were Lieutenant Bryce Barker and Colonel Scott Kennedy, along with Captain Raymond DeJohn and Major Tony Sincore. Also present to celebrate his achievement were 12 proud family members, along with a number of fellow officers standing in the rear of the chamber.
Barker, in his opening remarks said, “It gives me great pleasure to present [the Officer of Month Award] to one of my guys, Detective Jose Murillo. He has been involved in a variety of cases where he performed his duties above expectations, most notably in investigating and solving a serial burglary case targeting businesses in South Dade and Homestead.”
Barker explained that during the month of May, Homestead experienced a rash of business burglaries committed by a serial burglar. On May 17, the burglar struck 11 businesses in the south end of Miami-Dade County. Murillo, through a thorough investigation, determined that the same suspect was targeting Homestead’s commercial businesses.
Barker said, “Upon Detective Murillo realizing the relentlessness and determination of the suspect to continue his crime spree, he knew he had to put a stop to it. He contacted the Miami-Dade County burglary squad and provided them with the investigation information he gathered.” By May 17, Murillo, in conjunction with Miami-Dade’s burglary detectives, had identified, located and apprehended the suspect.
Murillo also investigated and solved a burglary that had occurred at the South Dade News Leader, where a subject smashed a window and removed business checks from the premises. Murillo located the subject as he was attempting to cash one of the stolen checks. In addition, on May 31, a clerk at a convenience store called the police to report that a man had threatened him with a firearm and then fled in a vehicle. Murillo was in the area when the call went out and quickly located the subject’s vehicle.
Emphasizing the leadership he exhibited in his work, Barker stated, “Detective Murillo’s performance and investigative diligence were in accordance with the highest standards expected by the Chief of Police,” adding, “His commitment to his profession and the community he serves is reflected daily in the way he tackles his duties.”
As he presented a plaque to Murillo, he said, “Detective Murillo is well deserving of the Officer of the Month for May,” and addressing him directly, reiterated, “Well deserved.”
Noting how fortunate the citizens of Homestead and the police department were to have Murillo, Kennedy commented, “I’ve worked with Jose for many years now. I can truly attest to you that when he comes to work in the morning, he comes to work in the morning. He’s a tenacious investigator. He’s solved, many, many of the cases he’s been assigned to. It wasn’t too long ago he stood up here to receive an Officer of the Month [for May 2016] plaque for his ability to clear, solve and prosecute the Kohl’s robbery case.”
Murillo thanked Mayor Porter and the Council and added, “I want to thank my unit for helping me out on a bunch of the cases, my family for supporting me, the command staff, and our supervisor, who’s stood behind us on every case we worked on. They’ve made this unit cohesive. Thank you to our uniformed patrol who are here as well.”
He concluded, “I try my best, and thank you all for acknowledging me in everything I do.”
Mayor Porter commented, “This is a really nice honor for me to be able to stand up and recognize the Officer of the Month and acknowledge the best and brightest of the crew. It’s a pleasure to say how blessed we are as a community to have such dedicated officers.”
Detective Murillo began his career with the Homestead Police Department in October of 2003 as a Reserve Police Officer. In December 2004, he became a full-time police officer with the department. He then became a detective in October of 2006 with the General Investigations Unit (GIU), where he specializes in burglary investigations. A father of two, he enjoys being with his family and working on home improvement projects.