Bonyton detective receives top honor from department
BOYNTONBEACH— The Boynton Beach Police Department recognized several officers and employees Tuesday for acts that included saving lives, getting drugs and guns off the streets, and keeping a man who had just been shot seven times calm until first responders arrived.
At the quarterly awards ceremony, Astrel Labbe was named Detective of the Quarter. Labbe works in the Special Victims Unit and partners with a beagle mix about 6 years old named Harley, who is the department’s therapy dog.
Labbe’s recent work includes obtaining an arrest warrant for an Uber driver accused of sexual battery of a woman, despite a year of working through road blocks to do so, and a case involving a child being sexually abused by an adult. That case ended in a 15-year plea deal in January, according to a news release.
“It’s excellent to be recognized,” Labbe said with his wife, Kirsha, by his side.
Astrel Labbe was also recognized Monday as the Palm Beach County Victim Services Officer of the Year for helping sexual assault survivors.
Captain Matthew Zeller said the examples cited during the ceremony were only “a glimpse of the hard work” done daily:
■ Communications Supervisor Terri Bennett was awarded the Civilian Appreciation Award for a 911 call she handled in February when a man said he’d been shot seven times by his wife after smacking her.
Bennett dispatched paramedics and police while obtaining information. She remained calm, which kept the man calm, according to a news release.
■ Officer Jervis Daley was given the Life Saving Ribbon for saving the life of an elderly man who was found in his apartment unconscious and not breathing in February. He performed CPR for several minutes.
■ Agents Cory Herny, Andrew Berben and Shaun James and Officers Mark Sohn, Cynthia Rivera and Barry Ward were given the Meritorious Unit award for Operation 10K Withdraw, which resulted in 100 arrests, the recovery of 20 firearms and the seizure of 157 grams of heroin, among other successes.
■ Civilian of the Quarter: Norma “Joy” Richards. Richards is a records technician and reviews every police report submitted. She also volunteers without hesitation to help with front desk work, Zeller said.
■ Officer of the Quarter: K-9 Officer Brian Adams, who is retiring soon. On Jan. 22 officers were participating in Operation White Dragon, targeting heroin dealers in Palm Beach County. Officers said they saw a handto-hand drug transaction in a car and the driver started to flee. The driver hit a Palm Tran bus head on and continued to flee. Adams and his K-9 dog, Duke, tracked down both the driver and passenger.
Adams was also credited for “spearheading” the annual South Florida Police K-9 Competition for its seventh year.
“During the closure of his 20-year career with the BBPD, he continues to have the tenacity of a one-year officer,” Zeller said. “He is always first on scene and provides valuable insight to supervisors when it comes to the apprehension of dangerous felons.”