Rocking out BSO ceremony honors deputies, firefighters

At 28 years old, Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Reyka has been through more in his lifetime than he should, Sheriff Scott Israel said.

Reyka earned the agency’s Silver Cross for bravery in a deadly situation during the Broward Sheriff’s Office Annual Awards ceremony in Fort Lauderdale.

Last October during a late-night traffic stop, a driver intentionally drove his car toward Reyka twice. Hewas hit both times. Reyka sustained injuries to his elbowand leg thatwould takeweeks to heal. Still, he helped capture the suspect.

The attack took place in Pompano Beach two miles from where his father, Sgt. Chris Reyka, was murdered in 2007 after pulling a car over.

“There’s no such thing as a routine traffic stop,” Israel said.

During the ceremony the BSO honored scores of lawenforcement officers, firefighters, civilian staff and community partners. Family members and friends filled Parker Playhouse to share the celebration.

“People think our heroeswear jerseys with a name and number on the back, but the real heroes are going to come up on stage,” Israel said. He presented each honoree with a plaque.

Deputy Thomas Malcolmwas named Deputy of the Year and also won the National Sheriff’s Association Purple Heart& Medal of Valor. Malcolm was injured while disarming an inmate whowas stabbing himself in the face and neck with scissors.

Firefighter of the Yea rwent to Eric Solera. He developed a state-of-the-art Hazmat program.

Among five Unit of the Year awards, Fire Rescue Station 10was named for putting out an engine fire on a jetliner about to take

off with101 people on board.

“We have a lot of lifesavers,” Israel said, as he introduced each of the 29 recipients for the Life Saving Award. They’re often the first to arrive at accident scenes.

In one case, Deputy JamesHyppolite witnessed a 5-year-old girl being struck by a car. He rushed to help. The girl had no pulse andwas not breathing. He immediately began to administer CPR. Deputy Carlos Brandao arrived and together the two stayed until the child began to breathe.

“Youwork to make Broward County a safer place and I thank you for that,” Israel said. “Congratulations to all.”

HelenWolt can be reached at hwolt@tribpub.com.

BETH BLACK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The band A Thousand Horses went into the crowd for a meet-and-greet with fans during the Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale. The members posed for hotographs, signed autographs and gave an impromptu concert.