Acts of kindness can have a lasting impact, and the city of Boca Raton, Florida, demonstrated this in relation to the number of smaller police departments that are in great need of used vehicles and equipment.

In 2016, the Boca Raton Police Services Department participated in the Florida Law Enforcement Traffic Safety Challenge, an annual event where agencies submit applications showcasing their best safety programs. These applications highlight campaigns such as "Click It or Ticket," "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over," and "Southern Slow Down," in which agencies throughout Florida can participate.

Winning the Grand Prize: A New Vehicle

In 2016, Boca Raton Police Services ranked among the top competitors and earned the chance of winning the grand prize—a brand-new vehicle. The department pulled a key from a fishbowl, and after all the keys were drawn, each participant tried their key in the vehicle's door. Boca Raton Police had the matching key and became the winner of a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe 2WD Police Utility SUV.

Over the past eight years, the department used this vehicle to promote its DUI program, focusing on impaired driving enforcement and DUI enforcement training.

A Donation to Help a Department in Need

When the vehicle met the department's lifecycle criteria for replacement, Boca Raton Fleet Contract Administrator Su Breslow Brown contacted Police Captain Douglas Immler with the idea of donating the vehicle to an agency in need.

With the support of Chief Michele Miuccio, the department approved the donation. The department then contacted Nick Wollschlager of Florida’s Law Enforcement Liaison Program, District 4, to help identify a Florida agency in need of the vehicle.

Wollschlager agreed to assist and connected Boca Raton with the city of Parker, Florida. Breslow Brown reached out to Chief Dennes Hutto of Parker and, through their communications, discovered that Parker had other needs as well.

“We always have extra used lighting, lock boxes, etc. on hand,” Breslow Brown explained. “We do our best to re-use what we can but in time these used items accumulate and we dispose of them when they are no longer of use to us.”

A Second Life with a New Department

Boca Raton’s Fleet Garage was able to donate additional items, including used lightbars, RAM laptop stands, and small lock boxes. These items, which were no longer of use to Boca Raton but still functional, were given a new home, freeing up valuable space in the Parts Department and Garage.

After ensuring all legal requirements were met, the “day of donation” arrived on June 28, 2024.

“The smile on the chief's face, the excitement and gratitude he showed filled us with such pride to know that this vehicle found its new home,” Breslow Brown noted. “It’s so rewarding to be able to help someone else and pay it forward.”