Under a gray South Florida sky on Thursday, May 7, 2026, the Miami Beach Police Department gathered to honor 11 officers who died in the line of duty. Among those remembered was Sgt. David Cajuso, 33, a 10-year department veteran who died on Oct. 28, 2025, after his patrol motorcycle crashed on the I-75 extension near Hialeah. Families and colleagues stood shoulder to shoulder as badges were lowered, flags were raised and names were read into the quiet.
According to WPLG Local 10, the ceremony was brief and understated, with department leaders and surviving family members listening as each fallen officer was recognized. Organizers said the gathering was meant to link long-standing memorial traditions with the more recent losses that have shaken law enforcement across South Florida.
Remembering Sgt. David Cajuso
Sgt. David Cajuso was remembered as a devoted father and a kind of “kindergarten cop” because of his work with after-school programs, the Miami Herald reported. Cajuso, who joined the department a decade ago, was killed Oct. 28, 2025, when his motorcycle left the northbound lanes of the I-75 extension near Hialeah. Investigators with the Florida Highway Patrol have said the crash remains under review. His public memorial in November at Hard Rock Stadium drew hundreds of officers and relatives from across the region.
City And Departments Pay Respects
The Miami Beach Police Department has kept tributes to fallen officers front and center, including placing a motorcycle and flowers at the department’s Wall of Honor and inviting the public to stop by and pay respects, WSVN reported. The Thursday observance followed other regional remembrances earlier this spring, such as a 270-mile Florida Tour de Force ride that included participants honoring Sgt. Cajuso, an event covered by WPLG Local 10.
“He represented the very best of this profession,” Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne Jones said of Cajuso, calling him a “decorated hero” at a press conference after the crash, as reported by CBS Miami. Department leaders said the May 7 ceremony was intended to make sure those names, and the lives behind them, stay present in the community’s memory rather than fade into the past.
