Detective Jose Murillo had a busy and successful month in May with investigations leading to several arrests. Mayor Jeff Porter presented him with the Officer of the Month Award for May 2016 during the Special Council Presentation in July.
“Homestead Police Department is a great team and in order to have an effective team, a leader has to emerge,” said Mayor Porter. “In this case, Detective Murillo stood up, led the cases in the directions they needed to go, and led to successful investigations. Good job and congratulations!"
In May 2016 an organized group of individuals broke into a Walgreens store and stole approximately $20,000 in prescription medication. Detective Murillo, along with a joint task force, investigated an organized crime group targeting Walgreens stores throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. He was able to establish probable cause and arrest the individuals for burglary and trafficking in narcotics.
Just 16 hours later, an armed robbery occurred at Kohl's, with about $33,967 worth of diamond rings stolen at gunpoint. Based upon video and trace evidence, Detective Murillo identified the subject, who was arrested the next day. Through his relentless efforts, Detective Murillo was able to recover about $17,000 worth of diamond rings.
Detective Murillo also investigated the burglary of several laptops stolen from Somerset Academy. Video and other evidence again led to an individual residing in Broward County. The subject was located and subsequently arrested. Four laptops, along with several others stolen from Broward County public schools, were recovered due to Detective Murillo's thorough investigation.
Detective Murillo began his career with the Homestead Police Department in October of 2003 as a Reserve Police Officer. In December 2004, he became a full time police officer with the department. He then became a detective in October of 2006 with the General Investigations Unit (GIU) where he specializes in Burglary investigations.
With a background in construction, Detective Murillo passionately loves working on home improvement projects, while also dedicating time to spend with his wife and two sons.
