The West Melbourne Police Department now houses a special memorial to a recently deceased law enforcement officer.
What do you want to know
- A West Melbourne Police Department officer recently died
- Captain Carlos Navedo’s working family joined his family members in honoring his legacy
- A new outdoor seating area is dedicated to Navedo and his career
And it is thanks to the generous work of volunteers that the department can now pay tribute to a man loved by many.
With a $5,000 grant, Team Depot at the West Melbourne Home Depot sweated in the August heat to spruce up the facade of the police department. Among those who helped were the family of Captain Carlos Navedo, who recently died suddenly.
His mother came from Connecticut to see the hard work pay off – she says fellow officers were her “other” family.
“Mom not there, my brothers are not there, my family is not there, declared Gladys Navedo. “But it’s my family, and I have to take care of them as best as I can.
But out back, the team turned a weed-free area into something special to honor Navedo and a place for fellow officers.
“Carlos Navedo was more than just a captain, he was my friend,” said Navedo’s assistant Eddie-Mae Saines Walker, who worked with him for almost two years.
But the hard work done at the police department means his legacy will live on as a new seating area for officers and others to gather and remember a man they believe affected their lives in a way wonderful.
“Always had positive quotes, positive laughs, just two positive minds meeting,” Saines Walker told Spectrum News. “So I always told people that I had met an angel.”
Both picnic tables are adorned with “Back the Blue” flags, showing their support for law enforcement officers – officers like Navedo, who have served and protected his community for decades.
And his mother may know that her son’s office overlooks the new memorial area built in his honor.
“It makes me very proud,” Gladys Navedo said with tears in her eyes.
West Melbourne Police Department officials will soon be installing a plaque in the area honoring Carlos Navedo.
