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A South Florida elected official is pledging to donate his salary to the family of a fallen police officer who died in a fatal crash this week and left behind a wife and three young children.
Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez told Fox News Digital that he plans to reach out to the family of Miami Beach police officer David Cajuso after giving them time to grieve.
Cajuso, 33, was a 10-year veteran of the police force who served as a motorman “with courage and an unwavering commitment to public service,” the police department said in a Facebook post announcing his death.
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Miami Beach police officer David Cajuso was killed this week in a fatal crash. Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez has pledged to donate his salary to Cajuso’s family. (Miami Beach Police Department)
“You couldn’t find a better officer. He was really a cop’s cop. He was one of the best,” Suarez said. “He leaves behind a widow and three very small children. I’m married. I have three small children and I can’t image what my wife would do without me.
The fallen officer died after being involved in a traffic crash along the northbound lanes of Interstate 75, in the area of NW 138 Street.
Miami Beach commissioners make around $70,000 annually — a combination of their base pay and monthly allowances, Suarez said.
Cajuso was remembered by residents as a good police officer with a warm smile who displayed the utmost professionalism.
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Miami Beach Commissioner Davis Suarez (Miami Beach Commissioner Davis Suarez / Facebook)
“I recently spoke to him about the importance of supporting law enforcement and mutual friends we shared from my time in the FBI and those from Miami Beach Police Department,” Nicole Parker, a former FBI special agent and Fox News contributor who resides in Miami Beach, told Fox News Digital. “He genuinely cared about protecting others and particularly the most vulnerable, children.”
“I was crushed to learn of his passing and even more heartbroken when I saw the photos of his beautiful family – a wife and three young children,” she added. “Having lost my closest friend in the line, the devastating impact it has on the children left behind is beyond words.”
Suarez credited law enforcement with protecting the public, specifically in Miami Beach.
“We stick up for our law enforcement,” he said. “I think it’s important that we support each other.”
A photo of the Miami Beach coastline. (iStock)
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“I wish more politicians really did stick up for law enforcement and support families because it’s a tough job. You have families that are involved with these police officers,” he added. “A lot of people forget that they have spouses, they have a lot of children. A lot of them are young, and I think it’s important that we show the human side to the people who really protect us, because in the last couple years they’ve had a bad rap. They’ve been vilified in the media and that goes with their families too.”