MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A 15-year Miami-Dade police veteran killed on the job was honored Thursday with a street renaming ceremony in a part of the county he served and loved.
Officer Jermaine Brown was killed in the winter of 2018 while on an enforcement detail regarding “community concerns involving criminal activity” in the area.
Brown was on patrol along an embankment near a canal in southwest Miami-Dade County when he lost control of his ATV and struck a tree.
“We’re honoring an officer who not only gave his life but gave his all to our community,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez.
His loved ones were joined by local leaders and Miami-Dade police in unveiling the new street sign, naming the stretch of road, near U.S. 1 and Southwest 211th Street “Police Officer Jermaine Brown Way.”,
He was taken by ambulance to Jackson South Medical Center and later died due to his injuries.
Sgt. Jannene Howard-Brown, widow of the fallen officer, told Local 10 News that she always wanted to find a way to keep her late husband’s memory alive.
“I’ve always wanted to keep his legacy alive and now it’s gonna stay alive,” she said. “We live not too far from (here), so everywhere we come we’re gonna see his name.”
Shirley Sanchez, Brown’s mother, said her son always wanted to be an officer.
“Jermaine was a man that always stood for what was right. Since he was a child, he wanted to be a police officer,” she said.
“It’s another message to our young law enforcement community,” said Ramirez. “We never forget (and) we never leave our folks behind.”
Miami-Dade Commissioner Kionne McGhee also pledged to contribute a scholarship in officer Brown’s honor and memory during the ceremony.