Finker-Frenkel Family Foundation Restores Antique Ford for Bal Harbour Police Department, Dedicated to the Memory of Two Former Police Chiefs

Published by Finker-Frenkel Family Foundation on

Restored Bal Harbour Police Cruiser

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., February 26, 2019 — The Finker-Frenkel Family Foundation has sponsored the restoration of an antique Ford police cruiser, which stood for decades as a monument outside the police department headquarters in the Bal Harbour enclave in Miami Beach. In the years since it was first displayed, the car had fallen into rusty disrepair.

The Bal Harbour police cruiser prior to its restoration.
The weather-beaten car prior to its restoration.

As a family with a great respect for law enforcement, the Finker-Frenkel Family Foundation felt called to restore the cruiser as a way to honor the sacrifices that members of the Bal Harbour police department have made in the past. After a lengthy restoration process, the freshly-shined cruiser has once again taken its place of pride outside the police station – a gleaming tribute to past, present and future officers.

In addition to funding the restoration, the Foundation also made some notable additions to the restored monument.

The names of two beloved former Bal Harbour police chiefs who have passed away in recent years, Mark Overton and Miguel De La Rosa, are emblazoned on opposite sides of the car above the front tires. At the rededication of the antique police car, the families of Police Chiefs Overton and De La Rosa received official plaques on behalf of the Finker-Frenkel Family Foundation commemorating their loved ones’ contributions to the police department and community.

Inside the car, a small plaque above the rearview mirror pays tribute to the memory of Mikhail Frenkel, Eugene’s grandfather and Raissa’s father, who dedicated his life to law enforcement as a federal prosecutor.

Mikhail Frenkel’s lifetime of service instilled within his family a strong belief in the value of law enforcement as a critical component of their community, and of society as a whole. The Finker-Frenkel Family Foundation’s ongoing support for the Bal Harbour Police Department, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Fraternal Order of Police, and Police Officer Assistance Trust is part of his enduring legacy.  


The cruiser after its restoration.
The newly-polished cruiser after the restoration.