Police Officers Pose for Prom Pictures With Fallen Officer’s Daughter
Alyssa Somohano was recently escorted to prom by a group of police officers from the Miami-Dade Police Department. The reason? The high school student’s father, Officer Jose Somohano, lost his life in the line of duty in 2007, and his friends and co-workers wanted to be there to support Alyssa on the night of the big dance.
The department posted the photos with Alyssa on its Facebook page — adding, “We are very proud of her.”
The post was met with hundreds of likes and many comments praising the department for its support. “Jose would be so proud! God bless!” one user wrote. “MDPD continues to make us so proud! Great job officers! Alyssa looks beautiful! May God continue to bless and watch over miss Alyssa and her family!” another added.
In a statement to Yahoo Style, Juan J. Perez, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, shared that the Miami-Dade Police Department honors its “fallen heroes and will never forget the sacrifices that they and their families have made for our community. The bond between the MDPD and the Somohano family will never be broken, as witnessed by the gesture of the involved officers. We are all extremely proud of Alyssa and feel privileged to watch her grow into a beautiful young lady.”
The department’s Sgt. Carlos Rosario says the experience was “very special” because “these are the same friends — and some squad members — of Officer Somohano during his tenure here.” Rosario adds that it “really means a lot to us as an agency and as individual officers to always be there for a family of a fallen hero.”
It’s common for police departments to stay in touch with family members of officers who lost their lives while serving. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Marion County Sheriff’s Office escorted Sierra Bradway to prom this year as well.
Bradway lost her father, Rod Bradway, an Indianapolis metro police officer, four years ago when he was killed in a shootout while trying to save a woman and her infant daughter who had been taken hostage. The officers took photos with Bradway at her father’s grave before prom.
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