A Palm Beach police sergeant was recognized by the Palm Beach Civic Association on Monday for his steady leadership under pressure after he led a tactical response team that captured a violent offender who had barricaded himself in a hotel room.
Sgt. Robert Mastrangelo received the Civic Association’s 2026 Raymond J. Kunkel Award before an audience of more than 200 people at the organization’s Annual Meeting at the Flagler Museum.
Kunkel Award recipients are selected by the Civic Association’s six-member Raymond J. Kunkel Committee. Michael Reiter, who recently succeeded William Matthews as chairman of the Kunkel Committee, presented the award to Mastrangelo. Reiter has been a Civic Association director since 2013 and is a member of the non-profit organization’s Executive Committee.
The Kunkel Award was established in 1976 and is named in honor of a former Civic Association chairman. The award recognizes people or organizations whose heroic or meritorious conduct has benefited the local community.
A nine-year veteran of the Palm Beach police force, Mastrangelo was nominated for the award by Police Chief Nicholas Caristo, who cited his leadership, composure and tactical expertise during the high-risk incident at a local hotel on November 5, 2025.
Mastrangelo coordinated the law enforcement response to a combative guest who had threatened hotel staff and first responders. The suspect had barricaded himself inside his room and threatened officers who attempted to establish contact with him, Reiter said.
“Further investigation revealed the suspect had a history of violent behavior, including violent encounters with law enforcement,” Reiter said.
Attempts to defuse the situation – including the use of a crisis negotiator – proved unsuccessful. As matters escalated, Mastrangelo led a tactical response entry team into the barricaded room, where the suspect was subdued and taken into custody.
“While there were minor injuries and property damage, the outcome most importantly was that no one was seriously harmed,” said Reiter, who retired as Palm Beach’s police chief in 2009 after serving nearly 30 years with the department.
In his written nomination of Mastrangelo, Caristo said the situation could have ended violently if not for Sgt. Mastrangelo’s sound decision-making at every stage.
Reiter read from Caristo’s written comments about Mastrangelo on the nomination form:
“Sgt. Mastrangelo’s decisive actions not only ensured the safe apprehension of a dangerous suspect but also prevented the situation from escalating further,” Caristo wrote. “Throughout the operation, Sgt. Mastrangelo demonstrated exceptional leadership, ensuring that his team maintained composure, exercised restraint, and continued deescalation efforts at every opportunity.”
Mastrangelo joined the Palm Beach Police as an officer in 2017. He was appointed to the Burglary Strike Force, Motorcycle Patrol Unit, Tactical Response Team, and was a Department Field Training Officer and Firearms Instructor, Reiter said.
Mastrangelo was transferred to the Detective Bureau in 2022 and promoted to Sergeant in 2023. He has earned more than 35 positive citations and commendations during his nine years with the department, Reiter said.
Kunkel Award recipients are given a financial honorarium along with the public recognition of their deeds.
From 1978 through 2026, the Civic Association honored 134 individuals and organizations with the award.
In addition to Reiter, the Kunkel committee members are Matthews, Joan Eigen, Cathy Flagg, Paul Leone, and Civic Association Chairman Emeritus Bob Wright.
During an interview afterward, Mastrangelo said receiving the Kunkel Award is an honor and a privilege.
“It’s very humbling,” he said. “It’s nice to have the support from the Civic Association.”
He also thanked the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation for its support of the Police Department and thanked Caristo and Major John Scanlan for nominating him.
Monday’s Annual Meeting was sponsored by Palm Beach Island Hospice Foundation. Realtor Linda Olsson, who is a member of the Civic Association’s Executive Committee, was the mailing underwriter.
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