Cop of the Year

Sunny Isles Police Officer Receives National Award  

It was on one of those long weekend days that Mulvey spotted a man and his four children, whose ages ranged from 5 to 11, drowning near Haulover bridge.

By Elisa Llebry

Contributing Writer

For the first time in the short history of Sunny Isles Beach Police Department, one of its officers has received a national recognition award.

The National Association of Police Officers (NAPO) presented the “Police Officer of the Year” award to 37-year old Michel Mulvey, Jr. in New York City on September 11, 2002.

“It is an honor for anyone in law enforcement to be recognized nationally,” said the fourth generation officer, who originally came to Florida in order to be with his father, Michael Mulvey, Sr., a retired Police Officer from New Jersey.

The honoring gala coincided with the first anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

“It was a Grammy’s-like ceremony. There were a lot of celebrities,” said Officer Malvey. “The honoree speakers were former president Bill Clinton and his wife. John Walsh from America’s Most Wanted hosted the top cop awards.”

Sergeant John Rivera, president of the Police Benevolent Association, a union that represents police officers nationwide, nominated Mulvey for local and national recognition after he saved a father and four children from drowning at Haulover Beach. 

Mulvey was honored by the Miami-Dade County Law Enforcement Department not long before he won the Police Officer of the Year Award.

Last week, commissioners paid tribute to the nationally acclaimed officer during a commission meeting at Sunny Isles Beach City Hall Chambers.

“It is an honor to have officers like Mulvey in our department,” said Sunny Isles Police Chief Fred Mass, who introduced the officer to city officials. 

Malvey, who joined the force following a family tradition that dates back to his grandfather, said that his accomplishment is a source of pride for his family and for the local law-enforcing community.

“This recognition is an honor to South Florida’s law enforcement in general. As far as I know, they haven’t had any recognition in regards to this type of award in years past,” said Malvey, who has become accustomed to working 12-hour shifts without prior request from his superiors.

It was on one of those long weekend days that Mulvey spotted a man and his four children, whose ages ranged from 5 to 11, drowning near Haulover bridge.

“I saw a father pulling four children on rafts with his jet ski through the strong currents of the Haulover inlets.  They were capsized and thrown into the water. The kids were being pulled under, so I went over in my jet ski and shuttled them, one by one, over to a passing boat,” said the Sunny Isles officer. “They eventually got the father, who was separated from them.”

Mulvey, who has witnessed the upward mobility that has been a feature of the Sunny Isles Police Department over the past four years, said that he plans to be part of the team for a long time. His stint with the department has seen him ascending from the uniformed patrol to the detective squad and, recently, to a managerial position.

“I don’t foresee any changes. They have been good to the policemen here, and we have a lot of resources that other police officers don’t have,” said Mulvey, who has been a police officer for over nine years overall. “This is a good place to work.”