Attorney General Pam Bondi News Release


April 25, 2012
Media Contact: Jenn Meale
Phone: (850) 245-0150

Attorney General Pam Bondi Hosts National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Ceremony to Honor Law Enforcement and Victim Advocates

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.–Attorney General Pam Bondi honored law enforcement officers and victim advocates for their outstanding support of crime victims and their families. The Attorney General recognized four law enforcement officers and three advocates during a ceremony she hosted to commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Detective Michael Rosa was presented with the first-ever David S. Crawford Award, named after St. Petersburg Police Department Officer Crawford who died last year in the line of duty.

“Over the past three decades, we have made significant progress in promoting victims’ rights,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “The men and women we recognized today have selflessly helped crime victims on their paths to recovery.”

The award recipients honored today were as follows:

Detective Rosa is the first-ever recipient of the David S. Crawford Award, named after St. Petersburg Police Department Officer Crawford who died last year in the line of duty.

Detective Rosa received the award due to his work on a case involving a domestic violence suspect who was making harassing calls from jail to his victim. Legally, there was nothing Detective Rosa could do since an injunction had not been ordered. Because of his persistence, Detective Rosa was able to pursue other charges against the defendant. He also worked with jail officials to create a new policy in which phone numbers of domestic violence victims are now blocked from inmates.

Ms. Woodson has worked for the past decade with local authorities in Monroe County to help crime victims. She often comforts victims of sexual battery, which helps foster an environment of cooperation with the investigating officers. Last year, Ms. Woodson fought for an injunction against a man accused of domestic violence against a woman and her son. Her persistence resulted in a permanent injunction being ordered. The man was accused of violating the injunction four times, and he is now held by federal immigration authorities.

Ms. Bishop worked with area legislators and community leaders to form a Sexual Assault Response Team. She fought for funding to establish “The Butterfly House,” a forensic rape exam site where victims are treated with dignity and compassion. She also led efforts to obtain $1 million from the Department of Justice to support increased arrests and prosecutions in sexual assault and domestic violence cases.

After serving in law enforcement for 25 years, Chaplain Settle has spent the past five years volunteering with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Last year, he responded to 35 calls, including death notifications, serious traffic crashes, fires and other tragedies. On just one day last April, Chaplain Settle responded to four death notifications. One of those involved a multiple car crash on the Florida Turnpike in which three children were killed. He spent four hours providing comfort to the families, bystanders and officers working the crash. He then drove family members to the hospital to be reunited with their loved ones who were injured.

Last May, Detective Spoor began reviewing a cold case from 2006 involving a victim who had been shot and killed in Largo. He obtained a report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement concerning the casing from the weapon used in the murder and connected it to another crime that occurred shortly after the killing. He pieced together information from the two cases. His thorough investigative work led him to a suspect who was already serving a life sentence for a murder he committed in 2007. Detective Spoor’s work resulted in a 2nd degree warrant in the case. It also provided peace of mind to the victim’s family.


Detectives Alois and Kriplean had received reports about an elderly gentleman who is a Vietnam War veteran. The man was poorly clothed, malnourished, and demonstrated unusual behavior when outside his home. The detectives discovered the man had suffered a brain injury during his military service and his caretaker was neglecting to take proper care of him. The two detectives had the victim relocated to an assisted living facility, where he is now receiving proper care and his previous caretaker does not have access to his finances. Thanks to the detectives’ dedication, one of our country’s war veterans is now living a safer and better life.