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 elbow and 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 heroes wear 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 Malcolm was 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 who was stabbing himself in the face and neck with scissors.
Firefighter of the Year went 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 with 101 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 James Hyppolite 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.
“You work to make Broward County a safer place and I thank you for that,” Israel said. “Congratulations to all.”