BOCA RATON POLICE CHIEF WINS FIRST “PUTIN” AWARD

Michele Miuccio Wins Award Honoring “Police Unwilling To INform,” or PUTIN!

BY: Editorial Board

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — There are brave, professional, highly skilled men and women on the Boca Raton Police force who risk their lives every day to protect all of us. But it’s unlikely you’ll ever hear the stories of the good things they do. Boca Raton Police Chief Michele Miuccio, who has been on the force for decades, rules the department with an iron fist, largely prohibiting the release of public information — good or bad. For that, we bestow upon her our first ever PUTIN AWARD. While the award may sound a lot like the name of a man considered by many to be a brutal dictator, in this case it’s an acronym for “Police Unwilling To INform.” The first letters of each word spell PUTIN. Any resemblance to the name to a leader who has made a career out of spin and secrecy is purely coincidental.

We reported several weeks ago on the internal City of Boca Raton employee survey that revealed tremendous angst on the police force. The survey revealed concerns raised by officers who believe Chief Miuccio has crafted a management structure where supervisors are encouraged to target rank-and-file officers by reviewing bodycam video for problems even when no one has complained. We reported on officers who say they’re told to fight crime, only to be chastised and criticized when they make arrests or issue citations. We reported on officers who believe their opportunities for advancement are based solely on personal relationships, not skills or accomplishments.

INVESTIGATIONS NEVER CLOSED. REPORTS NEVER RELEASED.

Our own issues with the City of Boca Raton Police Department also contributed to Chief Miuccio’s award. In a region where every other police department routinely releases information in near real-time, the City of Boca Raton refuses to answer questions about simple events — like what led to a car overturning in front of a bunch of kids in Spanish River Park three weeks ago. The City of Boca Raton Police Department claims it doesn’t have to release this information. That should lead even the least cynical among us to ask: what are you hiding? We did. We still don’t have an answer. This is how Chief Miuccio operates. If the police department doesn’t talk about it, it didn’t happen.

Chief Miuccio’s embracing of secrecy was highlighted just a day ago when the neighboring City of Delray Beach Police Department responded to questions about the Brightline Train/Delray Beach Fire Truck crash within minutes of the incident. Behind the scenes: when BocaNewsNow.com first learned of the crash roughly six minutes after impact, we immediately reached out to a Delray Beach Police Department spokesperson. We received a response just minutes later. That’s how it’s done in 2024. But not in the City of Boca Raton, where everything is a secret. Questions never get answered. Investigations are never closed so reports never have to be released. What’s the status of the mall lock-down investigation from three months ago? No answer. Why was a murder suspect able to make it from a shooting scene basically on the beach in Boca Raton to Georgia during rush hour traffic? No answer. Why won’t the City of Boca Raton provide insight and guidance into what caused a crash that slowed your drive to work, or school, or home? Under Chief Michele Miuccio, there’s never an answer.

BOCA RATON OFFICER DIES FROM CANCER.

There is another example that also stands out to us. Late in 2023, we were approached about a fundraiser for Officer Lauren Kresse, a City of Boca Raton police officer in treatment for cancer. She later died. At the time we were approached about the private fundraiser, we reached out to the City of Boca Raton Police Department for words of support. Something. Anything. Under Police Chief Michele Miuccio, the police department refused to get involved. It’s one thing to not mix city resources with a private fundraiser. It’s something entirely different to not even offer a statement of support for your own officer dying from cancer. That’s the City of Boca Raton Police Department under Chief Michele Miuccio. And why she deserves The Putin Award. (We also have asked the City of Boca Raton to highlight an officer of the week. Or month. Or any time frame that works. We’d love to promote our local cops. The City’s response? No).

We commend the City of Delray Beach… Boynton Beach… The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office… West Palm Beach Police… Coconut Creek Police… the Broward Sheriff’s Office… Florida Highway Patrol… Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles… every single public safety agency in South Florida that we deal with on a regular basis. Questions are answered. Information provided. But in the City of Boca Raton, you’ll never know why you’re sitting on Glades Road for 90 minutes. You’ll never have the context to know why the entrance to FAU is blocked. You’ll never know why a car overturned in front of kids in a park. Because in the City of Boca Raton, silence means it didn’t happen. When we think of other things that didn’t happen, we think of the Azerbaijan plane that wasn’t shot down by Russia a few days ago. We think of the death of Alexi Navalny who certainly wasn’t killed by people under order from Vladimir Putin. And we think of the “operation” (but not war!) that has Russia inside of Ukraine.

To the chief, who we hear may be retiring soon, we bestow upon you our first ever Putin Award. There is no one else who represents “Police Unwilling To INform” better than the senior leadership of the City of Boca Raton Police Department. Actually, there’s no other agency that even comes close. The City of Boca Raton has a new city manager and a new city attorney, in no small part because the city recently lost a $2M public records lawsuit. Maybe it’s time to consider that the City of Boca Raton’s approach to secrecy is costing taxpayers a lot of money, and building a significant amount of distrust. It’s certainly something we hope Chief Michele Miuccio thinks about as she considers why she won this award that is coveted by no one.