Bal Harbour Police Chief Learned Community Policing On Job

BAL HARBOUR, FL — When Bal Harbour Police Chief Miguel De La Rosa remembered his predecessor and longtime friend in a dedication ceremony a few weeks ago, he spoke about what made Mark Overton a transformational chief. De La Rosa recalled a joint arrest the two made involving a "monster of a guy" during their time together at the Hialeah Police Department. The lesson stayed with De La Rosa and later became a key ingredient in his own recipe for community policing.

"Mark assigns me to put together a reaction team to try to go and apprehend this individual," De La Rosa recalled. "While I’m doing that, he comes out and he says 'hey come on let’s go, we got to go.' . . . So we get in the car. We go. I said, 'where are we going?' He says, 'well, I know where the guy is. You and me are going to go get him.'"

De La Rosa was incredulous.

"For those of you who don’t know me. I don’t look like it, but I’m not a good fighter. He was," the chief conceded to laughter. "This guy must have been 6 foot 7 if he was a foot — big traps, sort of like a basketball player or a football player."

He thought Overton had finally lost it, particularly since the man they were going to arrest had already broken free from another detective.

"Mark looks at him and says, 'you didn’t kill my officer and you had every opportunity to do it.' There’s redemption left in you. You’re not all bad."

With that, the man gave himself up without a struggle.

"This monster of a guy — his eyes welled up. And [Mark] and I took him into custody and brought him back," Del La Rosa explained. "I think that speaks so much of his character. It speaks so much of his faith and I think it speaks so much of the transformational influence that he had over people — not just in law enforcement, but even in communities that we served — and even in the neighborhood here that he loved so much."

Unfortunately, the 49-year-old De La Rosa himself passed away on Saturday. He died little more than a week after he delivered those Jan. 18 remarks at South Pointe Park in Miami Beach following a short battle with cancer.

"We are incredibly and deeply saddened by the loss of such a dedicated public servant who spent his entire life protecting others,” said Bal Harbour Mayor Gabriel Groisman in a statement.

Overton, who was also a former deputy chief in Miami Beach, was being honored there with a series of water elements that light up the South Beach park in a combination of purple and pink hues. De La Rosa was one of the main speakers.

Watch as De La Rosa delivers his remarks at South Pointe Park to honor his friend.

De La Rosa joined the Bal Harbour Police Department in 2014 and was named acting chief in August of 2016. He was named chief in September 2017.

He began his career some 29 years ago with the Hialeah Police Department and gained experience in both command and management with experience in special investigations, support services and the city's uniform patrol.

"Chief De La Rosa has a broad based community-policing philosophy which emphasizes a strong commitment to the needs and expectations of the community," according to Bal Harbor officials.

A Miami native, De La Rosa earned his Master’s Degree from Florida International University in public administration. He was also a graduate of the Command Officer Development Course at the University of Louisville's Southern Police Institute.

Married to his high school sweetheart, De La Rosa is survived by parents, his wife Jenine and daughters Alexis and Sophia. He is also survived by his sister Ibis Heras, his twin brother, Marcos (Ileana) as well as nieces and nephews. His twin is chief of the Coral Gables Fire Department.

De La Rosa was a member of the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police and the Florida Police Chiefs Association.

Here are the funeral arrangements:

• De La Rosa's funeral will take place on Wednesday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Hialeah. The church is located at 4497 West 1st Avenue.
• There will be a public viewing from 9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. followed by a mass until 12:30 p.m.
• The burial will follow at Vista Memorial Gardens Cemetery located at 14200 NW 57 Ave.
• In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that gifts be made to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in memory of “Chief Miguel De La Rosa” for the “GIST” Research Foundation.
  
• Checks should be made payable to Sylvester and mailed to Sylvester Development Office, P.O. Box 016960 (M-867), Miami, FL 33101.
  
• Donations may be made online at miami.edu/giveSylvester.

Even the term "transformational" came to have a different meaning for De La Rosa based on his experience working with his mentor and friend.

"So many associate that transformation with new policies and procedures when in reality the transformation occurred because of who he was — the man, not the policies — his personality," De La Rosa explained. "In fact, he actually transformed people with his words, his character and his genuine spirit. It is with this purity of purposefulness that he went about his life."

The same might now be said of De La Rosa.

Photo and video by Paul Scicchitano