LTC 306-2016 ADL Doris and Murray Felton Excellence in Law Enforcement Award to Det. Juan Sanchez MIAMIBEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# 306-2016 LETTE TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members the City C mission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: July 19, 2016
SUBJECT: ADL Doris & Murray Felton Exce ence in Law Enforcement Award Given to
Miami Beach Police Department etective Juan Sanchez
This Letter to the City Commission is to announce the selection of MBPD Detective Juan
Sanchez by the Anti-Defamation League for the 2015 Doris and Murray Felton Excellence in Law
Enforcement Award.
The Doris and Murray Felton Excellence in Law Enforcement is provided to a member of the law
enforcement community within the State of Florida that demonstrates relentless dedication to
containing and minimizing the prevalence and severity of hate-motivated behavior. Specific
criteria include leadership, particular progress or advancement, general excellence, novel
approaches, extraordinary casework and/or prosecution, and dedication to training in the areas
of hate crimes, terrorism or extremism.
Detective Sanchez was nominated for this honor based on his hard work and dedication to
developing the MBPD's hate crimes reporting process and training module, for his role with the
U.S. Department of Justice in creating a national model for police interaction with the
transgender community, and for his success as a liaison to the LGBT Community on behalf of
law enforcement in Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County.
MBPD's much-admired hate crimes reporting process assists the Miami-Dade County State
Attorney's Office and the U.S. Attorney's office in pursuing justice and filing the appropriate
charges in these extraordinarily sensitive cases. When a hate crime occurs in the city, Detective
Sanchez becomes the Department's coordinator of the investigation and subsequent
prosecution. If an arrest is made, he is the lead liaison to the State of Attorney's Office or U.S.
Attorney's Office. He follows the investigation throughout the entire process, providing
assistance as requested and reassurance and thorough follow up with the victim.
Detective Sanchez is also tasked with monitoring the Department's Hate Crimes Hotline, and he
responds accordingly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With each call he responds to,
whether hate-crime related or not, he provides the proper direction to the caller.
No doubt a factor in Detective Sanchez' selection this year for this honor was his role in assisting
the U.S. Department of Justice in a new national training model for law enforcement regarding
transgender issues, rights and interaction with law enforcement. Detective Sanchez volunteered
to attend several meetings at the Department of Justice in Washington DC to help create a new
national training module, entitled "Law Enforcement and the Transgender Community." This
training module has been rolled out throughout the United States. Detective Sanchez was a key
architect in designing this training and has assisted in delivering it to law enforcement and
community groups in several locations in the southeast, including Atlanta, Tampa and a regional
session hosted here in Miami Beach.
The meetings at the Department of Justice also inspired Detective Sanchez to create the
Department's Transgender Interactions Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). Detective
Sanchez worked closely with the Center for Transgender Equality to create the SOP. This same
SOP has been supplied as a model to police departments across the United States and is being
adopted nationally as a new best practice in law enforcement.
The Department of Justice has also called upon Detective Sanchez' hate-crimes expertise, and
he participated in two separate panels during a Hate Crimes Seminar in which Denis and Judy
Shepard, the parents to Hate Crime victim Mathew Shepard, were the guest speakers. Detective
J. Sanchez hate-crimes knowledge and presentation were praised by the Shepards and by U.S.
Attorney Willy Ferrer. Detective Sanchez is now working on bringing the Department of Justice's
transgender law enforcement training to more departments in South Florida. Because of his
leadership, the training is being offered for free to members of the Law Enforcement Community
in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Collier Counties.
Detective Juan Sanchez is a very special asset to the Miami Beach Police Department and the
entire City of Miami Beach. We are extremely pleased that the Anti-Defamation League has
honored Juan with this prestigious award.
JLM:DJO:tr