Detective Awarded Distinguished Honor Posthumously: Watch Live

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A Suffolk County Police detective who spent his life fighting back against deadly gangs and who died last year after a battle with colon cancer will receive the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service in Policing posthumously Tuesday.

Det. Maldonado, the first to be honored with the award posthumously, is one of 19 law enforcement officers and deputies from 12 jurisdictions receiving the award from across the country.

Watch the ceremony live at 1:30 p.m. here.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, Det. Maldonado joined the department in September 1987 and worked several years in the Fifth Precinct before rising to the rank of detective in 1994. He spent much of his career working in Major Case, a unit that investigates bank robberies.

Before he died last year, he was assigned to the FBI's Long Island Gang Task Force where he focused on tackling insidious gang violence — and was involved in the prosecution of more than 40 MS-13 gang members, which cleared more than a dozen homicides and 25 robberies.

Diagnosed with colon cancer in June 2015 after a routine colonoscopy, Det. Maldonado continued serving his community as a member of the force. In April 2018, Detective Maldonado, 53, lost his battle with cancer and is survived by his wife Tamaro and daughters Nicole and Brooke.

On Tuesday, Department of Justice, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. attended by Attorney General William P. Barr and Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Claire McCusker Murray, officials will bestow the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing to those honored for their efforts in criminal investigations, field operations and innovations in community policing.

After his death, Suffolk County mourned Det. Maldonado and remembered his service. "We lost a remarkable detective and a remarkable human being, who served this department with distinction for more than 30 years," Suffolk Acting Commissioner Geraldine Hart said. "He was proud to be a cop and worked tirelessly and selflessly doing what he loved to the end. We extend our sincerest condolences to Detective Maldonado's family."

Maldonado also received numerous awards including 12 department recognitions, two command recognitions and two Meritorious Awards.

He was named Cop of the Year in 1990 and in May 2017 he was given the Police Commissioner's Extraordinary Service Award for his leadership skills while battling a life-threatening disease.
Even during his battle with cancer, Maldonado, continued to work to serve the community, taking limited sick time.

"He loved being the center of attention. He was a great story teller and you would always look forward to his next one," Inspector Robert Waring, who had been friends with Det. Maldonado since 1987 when they met while working at the Fifth Precinct, said. "Willie brought everyone together. In the end, he had friends from every stage of his life supporting him because he would have been there supporting us."

According to his wife, Second Precinct Detective Christine Tamaro, who he has been with for 17 years, being a cop was in Maldonado's blood.

"No matter the detail, Willie gave 1000 percent," she said. "He was always on the side of right and no money or influence could ever make him compromise his integrity."

"In a department of 2,500 members, Detective Maldonado had a standout personality and his good humor and smile will be missed by all," the department wrote in a press release.

According to Tamaro, socializing was his hobby.

"Willie had a larger than life personality, which would command a room," Detective Michael Soto, who has been Maldonado's partner throughout most of his career, said. "People would gravitate toward him to hear his jokes and stories. His motto was 'Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.".

Tamaro loved Willie's positivity and said it was an honor to go on this journey with him. Tamaro hoped his death would be a reminder of the importance of early detection.

"Detective Maldonado truly represented the very finest that our department had to offer," Chief of Department Stuart Cameron said. "He battled cancer with an exceptional dignity and grace that was inspirational and without complaint. His work ethic was extraordinary and his efforts made Suffolk County a safer place. His good humor and smiling face will forever be etched into our memories."