Suffolk County Police Detective William Maldonado will be honored by United States Attorney General William P. Barr at the third annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing on Tuesday, Dec. 3 in Washington D.C.
Maldonado, who lost a three-year battle with colon cancer in April 2018, is one of 19 law enforcement members nationwide to receive this distinction. Each recipient is selected based on criminal investigation efforts and field operations as well as overall innovations in community policing.
Maldonado joined the department in September 1987. He worked in the Fifth Precinct and was promoted to detective in 1994. The majority of his time with the department was spent in the Major Case Unit, where he investigated bank robberies.
Maldonado was subsequently assigned to the FBI Long Island Gang Task Force, where his efforts went toward eliminating gang violence.
In total, officials say Maldonado was involved in the prosecution of more than 40 MS-13 gang members, clearing more than a dozen homicides and 25 robberies.
Maldonado is survived by Christine Tamaro, who is also an SCPD detective, as well as two adult daughters, Nicole and Brooke.
“This recognition encapsulates everything Detective Maldonado was as a person and as a detective,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart. “Detective Maldonado worked tirelessly as a member of the FBI Long Island Gang Task Force where he was instrumental in the fight against MS-13 in Suffolk County. He was proud to be a cop and we were proud to have him as a member of our SCPD family. His absence is felt every day.”
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