btb-feb2013

Behind the Badge > FeBruary 2013
Detective Ricardo Lopez from page 1
his parents for instilling in him the
virtues of family, integrity, education,
hard work and self-achievement.
ricardo joined the St. Petersburg
Police department as a police cadet
on april 22, 2002 and became a sworn
police officer on June 10, 2002.
he worked as a police officer in
district iii (west district of the City)
and then a Field training Officer
before becoming a Burglary detective
in 2008. he recently returned to the
uniform Services Bureau to serve as an
acting Sergeant on the evening shift.
detective Sergeant tim Montanari nominated ricardo for this award. he described him as a highly
motivated individual with a strong work ethic and as a devout man who volunteers much of his time at
church.
in 2011, ricardo was assigned to investigate a professional burglary ring that was targeting residential
homes throughout the city, stealing firearms, jewelry and expensive electronic equipment. he quickly
developed a pattern sheet and a list of suspects by coordinating his efforts with confidential informants
and other units within the police department. all of this work led to a surveillance of four suspects, who
were arrested while committing a burglary in the north end of the city. ricardo’s interviews with the
suspects led to other crimes the group had committed and also the recovery of stolen goods that were
returned to the victims.
ricardo is on the forefront of criminal investigators who use social media in their investigations. he has
become adept at using social media such as Facebook and twitter to track suspects, locate witnesses and
identify victims of crimes.
detective Lopez also showed his care and compassion after three St. Petersburg Police Officers were killed
in the line of duty in 2011. realizing the families of the three fallen officers had an immediate financial
need, he came up with the idea of
selling memorial t-shirts to raise
funds. his idea mushroomed into
a huge success as he designed the
shirts, made arrangements with
vendors for their manufacture and
coordinated sales events. his idea
produced the sale of 38,000 t-shirts
and generous checks to all three
families of the fallen officers.
Detective Lopez with mother Mary and father Juan.
Page 4
all of ricardo’s achievements -
underscored by his selfless devotion
to his family, his faith and his
department - are now recognized
by his selection for this prestigious
award.