07-14-2010, 12:16 AM
“United we stand, divided we fall”
It has been more than a week since the Sweetwater Police Department suffered the loss of one of our senior and most respected officers. Kiki Parra was more than just a cop; he was a “Super Cop”. He had dedicated more than 35 years of his life to the badge. He gave 22 years to our small yet pride filled agency and was instrumental in solidifying our reputation. He was a kick ass cop who always showed up 20 minutes early to roll call, always had his uniformed ironed and looking sharp and was ready to take on the world. If you ever worked midnights with Kiki or were coming off of the afternoon shift, as soon as you walked into the station, you would smell the distinct odor of Brute cologne. Kiki was always the first one to welcome you to work as he stood by the case log book. He would say “Good Morning Kid”…
I remember my first day on the job. He took one look at me and said, “Ahhh, I take it you’re the new kid”. I responded, “I’m 18 years old, I’m a grown ass man, not a kid”. He took a deep breath as he stared through me, not at me and said, “Alright Kid, you’re a big boy”. I didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry. Looking back I think he was contemplating slapping me and thought twice about it. As time went on, Kiki always found a way to get me into trouble. Let me rephrase that, I always wanted to be around Kiki when he was sitting on a 22 or sand bagging the Blue Lake Trailer Park or doing bar checks at Jimmy’s Lounge and of course, nobody could chase a car better than Kiki. Midnights was an awesome experience with Kiki and rest of the guys. My fondest memories were making $6.00 an hour driving a 1985 Chevy Camaro, getting into all sorts of trouble and having Iggy bail me and Kiki out with the administration. We were a tight group of guys and what happened on Midnights, stayed on Midnights. I remember we would all eat at Denny’s on 97 Ave and Flagler every night at 3:00 a.m. Everyone except for Kiki. He would say, “Real cops work Midnights and Midnight cops don’t eat on duty”. So every night, Frankie Castillo, George Alvarez, Willie Artiles, Eddie Magarino, Danny Morgalo, Iggy Menocal and the reserve officers that only worked midnights with Kiki, like Jimmy Virgil; We would be greeted by about 20 different cops from various agencies. It was my job to monitor Car A because Kiki would rarely go on Doral for anything. It was funny because we would be eating and all of a sudden you would hear Kiki say over Car A, “I got one”, “Balls to the wall, pedal to the medal”. We would all race to our cars with our hair on fire as Kiki called it out over Car A. Kiki would say, “There are 3 steps in a car chase, bad guy runs from police, bad guy goes to DCJ via Ward D.” And of course if someone initiated the chase, he would give you a grade like a school teacher at the end. I was an A- student but I did get a few A+’s.
Its funny how throughout my life, I have run into a lot of the “Old School” City of Miami Guys and they always had a story to tell about “Kel-lite Kiki Parra”. All they would keep saying was “Kiki was a legend”. During the viewing, all I kept hearing were stories about Kiki. The stories were great to hear so if anyone has good Kiki stories, don’t hesitate.
I remember a chase that ended up in the Hammocks district and the county had a few K-9’s on the prowl because the subject bailed out. After about 45 minutes, the county broke down the perimeter. Kiki, Frankie and George stayed behind. Needles to say when they advised that they had the subject in custody, they K-9 guys were pissed. Kiki smiled from ear to ear whenever he would say that story. As if he were proud of the men he helped groom into good cops. Kiki always took the time to teach if you were willing to learn. Every time Kiki would recall a story, it was like watching an Oscar nominated movie for best action film. Funny thing is that we all tried to impress him by attempting to be 1/8th of the cop he was and whenever anyone got an A+, it meant the world.
I think Allen and Willie got the most A+’s but that can be debated at a later time.
For 35 years Kiki worked Midnights and in 35 years, he never called out sick. 35 years without a day off? I remember one night, we were all in Blue Lake trailer Park on an AOA with the county, and Kiki saw a lady walking her kid who couldn’t have been more than 5 years old through the dark streets of Blue Lake. Kiki approached her and after about two minutes he called me over to where they were. He said, “Kid, go over to McDonalds and get them some food and make sure you bring the kid a toy”. The kick ass cop Kiki Parra had a soft spot for kids. He taught me a valuable lesson that day without ever saying a word. I ended up transporting the women and her kid to a homeless shelter that night per Kiki’s orders. Kiki had a good rapport with the homeless and even the 38’s we would call rickets. He never disrespected anyone and always showed that he was a humanitarian.
While at the hospital where I received the news of his death, I broke down like I’ve never broken down before. My heart jumped out of my chest. I was devastated… I could not contain my emotions and I couldn’t bring myself to see the Kiki’s family. Larry Perez and Marcos Amador took me outside and helped me to calm down. Finally, Larry took me to where the family was and we all broke down all over again. Larry never left my side. After about 10 minutes of crying, Jane, “Kiki’s Wife” asked me “What are we going to do”. Larry Perez immediately said, “All you and the family need to worry about is grieving, I will pay for all of the funeral arrangements out of my pocket”. At first I thanked him but it really hadn’t hit me what Larry had just offered. Larry said, “Kiki was my friend and I don’t want anyone to worry about the funeral, that’s my job”. My heart was torn between Kiki’s death and Larry’s act of honor and fidelity. I will forever be grateful for what Larry Perez has done and the kindness and love that he has shown. He is an ANGEL. God forbid, if he is ever in a situation, I will be there for him and I hope the rest of the department follows to be his 15. Larry demonstrated that the “Thin Blue Line” still exists.
Kiki was the first one to back up a cop in need and was the best 15 I’ve ever seen. After it was all said and done, he would go over your paperwork to verify it was all in order. When Kiki died, a big part of all of us died with him. Now, Kiki’s family is left with the heartache and bills that are starting to pile up. Kiki was our teacher, mentor and brother and it’s our job to be his family’s 15. Please find it in your heart to donate as much as you can to help Kiki’s family. Unfortunately, Kiki had to pull money from his retirement and is now left with nothing. I hear rumors that the city is planning on donating to Kiki’s family to assist during these trying times. I hope those rumors are true and would be grateful for their act of kindness and generosity. Wilson Medina and I have been in communication and he is researching several options. Hopefully his efforts are fruitful. I want to also thank George De Larra for getting the POAT to donate $2,500 to the family and for putting together a great tribute to our fallen brother. The funeral, Honor Guard, Motorman, Bugle, bag Pipes and the most heart breaking 09/06 I have ever heard in my life. After Kiki 09/06, for the first time, the department united as one. We held each other and cried. We were there to be each other’s 15. Nobody orchestrated it, it happened because we all strive to be united as one “Thin Blue Line”.
I will miss drinking coffee every night with Kiki at 107 and 2. The city will never be the same. I love you DAD…
No Politics, No Bullshit… “UNITE”…
It has been more than a week since the Sweetwater Police Department suffered the loss of one of our senior and most respected officers. Kiki Parra was more than just a cop; he was a “Super Cop”. He had dedicated more than 35 years of his life to the badge. He gave 22 years to our small yet pride filled agency and was instrumental in solidifying our reputation. He was a kick ass cop who always showed up 20 minutes early to roll call, always had his uniformed ironed and looking sharp and was ready to take on the world. If you ever worked midnights with Kiki or were coming off of the afternoon shift, as soon as you walked into the station, you would smell the distinct odor of Brute cologne. Kiki was always the first one to welcome you to work as he stood by the case log book. He would say “Good Morning Kid”…
I remember my first day on the job. He took one look at me and said, “Ahhh, I take it you’re the new kid”. I responded, “I’m 18 years old, I’m a grown ass man, not a kid”. He took a deep breath as he stared through me, not at me and said, “Alright Kid, you’re a big boy”. I didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry. Looking back I think he was contemplating slapping me and thought twice about it. As time went on, Kiki always found a way to get me into trouble. Let me rephrase that, I always wanted to be around Kiki when he was sitting on a 22 or sand bagging the Blue Lake Trailer Park or doing bar checks at Jimmy’s Lounge and of course, nobody could chase a car better than Kiki. Midnights was an awesome experience with Kiki and rest of the guys. My fondest memories were making $6.00 an hour driving a 1985 Chevy Camaro, getting into all sorts of trouble and having Iggy bail me and Kiki out with the administration. We were a tight group of guys and what happened on Midnights, stayed on Midnights. I remember we would all eat at Denny’s on 97 Ave and Flagler every night at 3:00 a.m. Everyone except for Kiki. He would say, “Real cops work Midnights and Midnight cops don’t eat on duty”. So every night, Frankie Castillo, George Alvarez, Willie Artiles, Eddie Magarino, Danny Morgalo, Iggy Menocal and the reserve officers that only worked midnights with Kiki, like Jimmy Virgil; We would be greeted by about 20 different cops from various agencies. It was my job to monitor Car A because Kiki would rarely go on Doral for anything. It was funny because we would be eating and all of a sudden you would hear Kiki say over Car A, “I got one”, “Balls to the wall, pedal to the medal”. We would all race to our cars with our hair on fire as Kiki called it out over Car A. Kiki would say, “There are 3 steps in a car chase, bad guy runs from police, bad guy goes to DCJ via Ward D.” And of course if someone initiated the chase, he would give you a grade like a school teacher at the end. I was an A- student but I did get a few A+’s.
Its funny how throughout my life, I have run into a lot of the “Old School” City of Miami Guys and they always had a story to tell about “Kel-lite Kiki Parra”. All they would keep saying was “Kiki was a legend”. During the viewing, all I kept hearing were stories about Kiki. The stories were great to hear so if anyone has good Kiki stories, don’t hesitate.
I remember a chase that ended up in the Hammocks district and the county had a few K-9’s on the prowl because the subject bailed out. After about 45 minutes, the county broke down the perimeter. Kiki, Frankie and George stayed behind. Needles to say when they advised that they had the subject in custody, they K-9 guys were pissed. Kiki smiled from ear to ear whenever he would say that story. As if he were proud of the men he helped groom into good cops. Kiki always took the time to teach if you were willing to learn. Every time Kiki would recall a story, it was like watching an Oscar nominated movie for best action film. Funny thing is that we all tried to impress him by attempting to be 1/8th of the cop he was and whenever anyone got an A+, it meant the world.
I think Allen and Willie got the most A+’s but that can be debated at a later time.
For 35 years Kiki worked Midnights and in 35 years, he never called out sick. 35 years without a day off? I remember one night, we were all in Blue Lake trailer Park on an AOA with the county, and Kiki saw a lady walking her kid who couldn’t have been more than 5 years old through the dark streets of Blue Lake. Kiki approached her and after about two minutes he called me over to where they were. He said, “Kid, go over to McDonalds and get them some food and make sure you bring the kid a toy”. The kick ass cop Kiki Parra had a soft spot for kids. He taught me a valuable lesson that day without ever saying a word. I ended up transporting the women and her kid to a homeless shelter that night per Kiki’s orders. Kiki had a good rapport with the homeless and even the 38’s we would call rickets. He never disrespected anyone and always showed that he was a humanitarian.
While at the hospital where I received the news of his death, I broke down like I’ve never broken down before. My heart jumped out of my chest. I was devastated… I could not contain my emotions and I couldn’t bring myself to see the Kiki’s family. Larry Perez and Marcos Amador took me outside and helped me to calm down. Finally, Larry took me to where the family was and we all broke down all over again. Larry never left my side. After about 10 minutes of crying, Jane, “Kiki’s Wife” asked me “What are we going to do”. Larry Perez immediately said, “All you and the family need to worry about is grieving, I will pay for all of the funeral arrangements out of my pocket”. At first I thanked him but it really hadn’t hit me what Larry had just offered. Larry said, “Kiki was my friend and I don’t want anyone to worry about the funeral, that’s my job”. My heart was torn between Kiki’s death and Larry’s act of honor and fidelity. I will forever be grateful for what Larry Perez has done and the kindness and love that he has shown. He is an ANGEL. God forbid, if he is ever in a situation, I will be there for him and I hope the rest of the department follows to be his 15. Larry demonstrated that the “Thin Blue Line” still exists.
Kiki was the first one to back up a cop in need and was the best 15 I’ve ever seen. After it was all said and done, he would go over your paperwork to verify it was all in order. When Kiki died, a big part of all of us died with him. Now, Kiki’s family is left with the heartache and bills that are starting to pile up. Kiki was our teacher, mentor and brother and it’s our job to be his family’s 15. Please find it in your heart to donate as much as you can to help Kiki’s family. Unfortunately, Kiki had to pull money from his retirement and is now left with nothing. I hear rumors that the city is planning on donating to Kiki’s family to assist during these trying times. I hope those rumors are true and would be grateful for their act of kindness and generosity. Wilson Medina and I have been in communication and he is researching several options. Hopefully his efforts are fruitful. I want to also thank George De Larra for getting the POAT to donate $2,500 to the family and for putting together a great tribute to our fallen brother. The funeral, Honor Guard, Motorman, Bugle, bag Pipes and the most heart breaking 09/06 I have ever heard in my life. After Kiki 09/06, for the first time, the department united as one. We held each other and cried. We were there to be each other’s 15. Nobody orchestrated it, it happened because we all strive to be united as one “Thin Blue Line”.
I will miss drinking coffee every night with Kiki at 107 and 2. The city will never be the same. I love you DAD…
No Politics, No Bullshit… “UNITE”…