Officer of the Month - March, 2007 PBSO Agent Rey Paniagua - nominated by Dan Burrows Rey was involved with a 5 month wire tap investigation into a drug ring operating in Palm Beach County. This investigation led to 22 federal indictments and seizures of $560,000, 55 kilograms of cocaine and 5 pounds of pure crystal methamphetamine. Rey dedicated over 1,000 hours and conducted all the undercover work to this case which was recognized by the DEA as part of a nationwide investigation into one of the largest drug cartels in the western hemisphere.
	Officer of the Month - April, 2007 West Palm Beach Police Officer Shawn Phillips, nominated by the Palm Beach County PBA Shawn was in an officer-involved shooting on April 14, 2007 at the Briar Bay community in West Palm Beach. Shawn responded to a call of a suspect attempting to open windows and enter homes in this gated community. As Shawn approached on foot, the suspect suddenly spun and smashed him on the side of the head repeatedly with an object. Unable to fend off the vicious attack with pepper spray, without a Taser, and with back-up miles away, Shawn fought to stay on his feet, maintain consciousness and his firearm. Fighting for his life with the suspect who previously had fought with law enforcement, Shawn managed to draw his gun, shoot and kill his attacker. Had he not managed alone to fend off the attacker and keep his wits about him, his sidearm would’ve been lost and maybe his life.
	Officers of the Month - May, 2007 PBSO - Cpl. William Kirkpatrick, Detective Donald Combs, D/S Michael Tognacci, D/S James Suarez and D/S Engel Perez, Nominated by the Palm Beach County PBA On April 27, 2007, all of these men involved themselves with bank robbers armed with an AK-47 and a Tech-9. Cpl. Kirkpatrick, on his day off and driving home was monitoring dispatch when a vehicle matching the one being driven by the robbers careened into his path and crashed off Jog Road. In shorts and a t-shirt and armed with only a handgun, Kirkpatrick took up a foot pursuit of the heavily armed suspect - overtaking him on a path to a busy Publix, wounding and capturing him when the robber turned to confront him. Det. Combs, also without a ballistic vest, came upon the scene of the bank robbers’ crash and drove after the other suspect who had fled on foot. Combs jumped out of his vehicle where the suspect was struggling with another deputy for control of a handgun and shot the suspect just as the suspect was going to shoot that deputy. Det. Perez, riding with Combs (and also without a vest), jumped out and with Combs ahead of him, refrained from taking a reckless shot - having been delayed in the race to the struggle over the gun only by that extra second it took to get around the truck from the passenger side. Deputy Suarez, wearing BDUs and a t-shirt (no vest either), responded to the radio accounts of the heavily armed robbers’ flight and managed to position himself in time to see their vehicle crash, and to engage a foot pursuit. Despite hearing shots, he had good reason to believe they were being fired at him, Suarez persisted in his pursuit and arrived at the scene of the suspect’s struggle over the gun in time to render aid to his sergeant and ensure no further and unnecessary shots were fired. Deputy Tognacci, recently returned from Iraq (and the only officer with a vest in this incident) followed the radio account of the armed robbers’ travel and initiated his pursuit from far to the north, at Okeechobee and Haverhill. Tognacci managed to arrive at the scene of the robbers’ crash in time to spot one of them running towards a nearby assisted living facility. Despite the sounds of the shots fired, Tognacci gave chase on foot and got to the scene of the struggle over the gun simultaneously with Det. Combs. Seeing a fellow deputy about to be shot, Tognacci shot the suspect. Chasing after suspects with no regard for life, in desperate need of vehicles and in an area filled at that time of day with vehicles running and occupied by citizens, by their unhesitating actions at risk to their own lives, these officers saved innocent lives and the life of at least one fellow officer.
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