On a terrace under bright sunshine, the City of Progress commemorated four men in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“This is a day of remembrance,” said Officer Jose Torres. “This is a day that we remember our fallen officers.”
Atop the Milander Center for Arts and Entertainment, police fired off a 21-gun salute, a bagpiper sounded somber notes and a trumpeter played “Taps.”
Hialeah police lost Officers Hugo Becker in a 1966 car crash, Emilio Miyares to gunfire in 1986, and Sergeant Pedro “Pete” Caiñas to gunfire in 1992.
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Crime Scene Technician Rene Mateo also died in January 2002 after a drunk driver struck his patrol unit.
“He was a jokester,” remembered fellow technician, Ailyn DeJesus.
Mateo’s widow, Maria Mateo also attended the ceremony with her son and daughter-in-law.
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“This means a lot that even though it’s been 20 years, the police officers are still keeping this alive,” she said.
