After Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Maj. Jose Gonzalez presented his final crime report to the Miami Lakes council, elected officials and residents gave him a standing ovation.
In the nearly three years he has led the town’s police district, crime has fallen significantly.
Robberies dropped from four in 2024 to two, and those were domestic cases, he said; larcenies fell from 66 last year to 21 in 2025; car thefts were reduced from 73 to 39. There was one commercial burglary and one residential break-in this year. One rape was reported; there were no murders, he said.
Gonzalez’s 35-year career began with patrol in New York City. Three years later with Miami-Dade, he worked Robbery Intervention, SWAT, Crime Suppression (when he was injured and received the department’s Purple Heart); Narcotics and at the Port of Miami, dignitary protection and other duties.
He was a lieutenant when he joined the Miami Lakes District in 2018. He plans to retire April 10.
“I think I’ve had a fairy tale career,” said Gonzalez, 55. He will move to north Florida with his wife to play pickleball and golf, travel and enjoy their four adult children and three grandchildren.
Gonzalez credited the deputies, town staff and residents for his success. Programs he continued or implemented:
Grinch Buster Patrols To prevent thefts in shopping centers and Main Street during the holiday season;
Decoy Vehicles Empty patrol cars parked on busy byways. “… You can tell when they see it when the brake lights come on,” Gonzalez said. “It works, it slows the drivers down, especially in the nighttime.”
Contact Cards Deputies check that homes and businesses are secure and leave their card behind.
Traffic Enforcement Added two deputies so there are two in the morning and two in the afternoon on Northwest 154th Street at the turn lanes and Northwest 79th Court.
License Plate Readers Devices scan tags and alert deputies to stolen cars or suspicious drivers.
Minimum Staffing To ensure a full team of deputies per shift even if someone is absent to maintain fast response times, high visibility and quality service for residents, Gonzalez said.
Traffic Light Synchronization Something Gonzalez has worked on since he arrived seven years ago. A bank of cameras watch troubling intersections, the agency monitors live video streams in the office, on phones and tablets to manage traffic flow.
High Visibility Details Patrol cars with light bars on at night to deter crime.
Explosive Detection Sweeps A sheriff’s bomb-sniffing dog works at major events such as the Mayor’s Gala.
Off-duty Deputies To deter juvenile crime at Main Street, working with The Graham Companies.
Additional Deputies At major town events such as the July 4th celebration and Halloween.
Replaced Aging Patrol Cars Obtained 21 new vehicles over two years and upgraded deputies’ bicycles.
Mayor Josh Dieguez called Gonzalez a “stand-up individual, always transparent about everything…Thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart for keeping the town that I love, that I’ve grown up in, safe. You will be missed.”
Gonzalez told the council that Miami Lakes is where he coached and his kids played sports, the family dined and shopped and went to the movies.
“So this [town] is very dear to me,” he said. “And I never thought when I started my career 32 years ago with the [then] Miami Dade Police Department ... that I would end my career here. And it’s an honor and very humbling to be able to finish it in the town that I love most. With that, I say thank you.”
Effective Jan. 5, Lt. Eddy Ulloa, 44, will be acting commander of the district until Town Manager Edward Pidermann chooses Gonzalez’s replacement.