City of Homestead Police Officer John Buchanan was recognized by Mayor Jeff Porter for his exceptional public service during the month of April at the Special Council Presentation in July 2016.
Mayor Jeff Porter addressed Officer Buchanan and several other officers saying, "We're blessed in Homestead to have a great police force, a great department, and a great command staff. I couldn't be more proud of the job you do every day.”
"Sometimes it's not always what you do in a particular month. Sometimes it's what you do every day of the month,” said Captain Raymond DeJohn. “As an investigator, Officer Buchanan goes through these traffic cases in an unbiased manner. He doesn't just make an arrest, he thoroughly prepares each case for prosecution. It's this attention and dedication to duty that makes these tragic incidents have a successful resolution."
In April 2016, a road rage incident involving a motorcyclist and a driver drew international attention when the video was posted on YouTube and went viral. Initially, it was believed that the driver was trying to run over the motorcyclist. Officer Buchanan led the case, gathered evidence, and obtained statements from both drivers. Through his thorough investigation, it was determined that both parties were at fault and both were subsequently arrested.
Officer Buchanan was also involved in the investigation of a traffic homicide case from 2011 that went to trial in April 2016. A number of years had passed from the incident to the trial date, so Officer Buchanan took the time to reexamine the case to make sure all the facts were correct. As a result of his determination in securing an airtight case, the defendant took a plea.
Officer John Buchanan retired from the Miami-Dade County Police Department where he served as a Traffic Homicide Investigator for 17 years. He then began his career with the Homestead Police Department in 2002 as a Reserve Police Officer. In 2003, Officer Buchanan, due to his extensive knowledge and previous experience, helped develop and implement the Homestead Police Department's Traffic Homicide Unit. In 2008, he became a full time police officer with the department and was subsequently assigned to the Traffic Unit as a Traffic Homicide Crash Investigator.
In his spare time, John is an accomplished Motocross Rider and spends time with his family on those endeavors.
