January 2024

Officer of the Month

Officer Tamara Numa-Richard

The North Miami Police Department’s “Officer of the Month” for January 2024 is Officer Tamara Numa-Richard. Officer Numa-Richard is assigned to the Afternoon Shift Uniform Patrol Section. She is being recognized for her outstanding performance during the following incident:

On January 24th, 2024, at approximately 1639 hours, Officer Numa-Richard was clearing a call for service, when she heard other officers being dispatched to a priority call in reference to a female giving birth, in the backseat of a ride-share vehicle while stopped under the overpass of Interstate 95. Hearing the locations that the officers were responding from, Officer Numa-Richard knew that she was the closest officer to assist and immediately responded to the scene. Once Officer Numa-Richard, arrived, she found a first time mother in the backseat of a vehicle, screaming and holding her newborn baby, while being totally disoriented about what had just occurred. Officer Numa-Richard speaks English and Creole and was able to speak to the mother in Creole and relate to her being the mother of a newborn baby herself. Officer Numa-Richard was the perfect officer to respond to this call. Officer Numa-Richard quickly assessed the situation, developed a plan and moved into action. Officer Numa-Richard observed that the baby was not crying and immediately checked to ensure the baby was breathing and stable. Observing that the mother and baby were uncovered and the umbilical cord was still attached, Officer Numa-Richard retrieved her personal protective equipment bodysuit from her police vehicle and used it as a warming blanket for the mother and baby. As the mother and baby were being treated by Fire Rescue, Officer Numa-Richard realized that the young paramedic was hesitantly working; he stated that he had never delivered a baby. Once again, Officer Numa-Richard took charge and showed the young paramedic each step of the process of clamping and cutting the umbilical cord. Using teamwork and precision, the cord was cut and the mother and baby were safely transported to the hospital via Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Officer Numa-Richard continued to comfort the mother throughout the process, reaching a point where the mother was laughing and experiencing total joy over the birth of her new baby. Officer Numa-Richard followed the Rescue to the hospital to ensure that the mother and baby were declared safe and healthy by hospital doctors and continued to comfort the mother until her family arrived. 

Officer Numa-Richard’s ability to quickly assess the situation, react and improvise, combined with her knowledge and experience and working collaboratively with medical personnel, ensured that mother and child were safe and unharmed during and after the birth. 

I am proud to recognize the Professionalism and Empathy, core Values of the North Miami Police Department, that Officer Numa-Richard exhibited during this incident. Her actions served in “Making a Positive Impact” on this new mother and resident of the City of North Miami.