Robbery Bureau

The Robbery Investigations Section investigates carjackings, home invasion robberies, strong armed robberies, armed robberies, and domestic robberies for the purpose of apprehending offenders, preparing evidence and providing testimony so as to secure a conviction of the perpetrator.

Robbery Investigations Section is one of the oldest investigative units in the Department. It was established when the Miami-Dade Police Department was known as the Dade County Sheriff's Office. The RIS has a long history of conducting quality investigations, which positively impact the lives of the citizens who live or work in our community.

RIS members work to foster a sense of safety and security by aggressively investigating and swiftly apprehending those who commit violent offenses. The RIS investigates carjacking, home invasion robbery, strong-armed robbery, armed robbery, sudden snatch and domestic robberies occurring in unincorporated Miami-Dade County.

Additionally, Detectives assigned to RIS have initiated investigations associated with federal crimes such as interstate narcotics and Hobbs Act violations. RIS Detectives often participate in multi-agency task forces, which have both state and federal jurisdiction.

Two Lieutenants and eight Sergeants supervise 30 detectives, each of whom is assigned over 75 robbery cases per year. Their investigative tasks associated with each case may include conducting surveillances, collecting and photographing evidence, writing reports, testifying in court, and of course, locating and arresting criminals.

The RIS has received awards from numerous state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Attorney General, Director of the FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service, Division of Florida Highway Patrol, Miami-Dade County State Attorney, Miami-Dade County Commission, and the Police Benevolent Association. RIS has been awarded several unit commendations from the Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Robbery Intervention Detail provides pro-active patrol directed at the suppression of robbery. The RID section identifies locations and subjects based on recent reported crimes and focuses their resources on those subjects and locations so that the opportunity to commit the crime of robbery is reduced.

RID is an inter-agency crime prevention effort and is comprised of six permanent squads augmented by personnel from municipal agencies as well as other departmental entities. They conduct zero-tolerance operations featuring multiple suspect contacts, and the vigorous identification and apprehension of robbery subjects.

RID was initially implemented in October 1991, with the program strategy consisting of four components: identifying individuals and locations that warrant special attention; planning enforcement of investigative operations that focus on identified individuals of location; intervening by executing the planned operation; and tracking arrests through prosecution to achieve maximum sentencing of offenders. RID continued to evolve in April 1995, and is a program that blended successful strategies and tactics from previous programs.

Currently, there are two MDPD Lieutenants, six MDPD Sergeants, 26 MDPD Detectives, and one Municipal Detective (from Miami Police Department and Miami Beach Police Department) assigned to the permanent countywide multi-agency robbery suppression effort. All members enjoy equal arrest authority across jurisdictional lines as a result of a mutual aid agreement. RID concentrates on apprehending individuals or groups known to commit robberies and in areas where robberies are  known to occur.

RID fields robbery disruption initiatives in the three major geographical areas of Miami-Dade County by developing zero-tolerance operations which feature multiple contacts and vigorous pursuit of subjects who work to defeat arrest.

The Robbery Clearinghouse Section collects all relevant information from the tri-county area about the crimes that the Robbery Bureau investigates, performs an analysis of that information, predicts trends, and quickly disseminates that analysis so that investigators and patrol officers can be more effective in their pursuits.

The Robbery Clearinghouse was instituted in 1993 under the auspices of a resolution adopted by the Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police and serves as the Department's and County's robbery intelligence component. The Clearinghouse staff's primary goal is to support investigative, operational, and deployment strategies through the collection, analyzation, and dissemination of county-wide robbery-related intelligence. Analytical and intelligence technological resources employed by the Clearinghouse enables a forum that provides "one-stop shopping" for robbery detectives county-wide. It is through the use of the real-time county-wide robbery intelligence that patterns are identified for immediate attention.

The Clearinghouse collects and analyzes robbery related information throughout Miami-Dade County and provides a variety of investigative services to local, state, and federal agencies which were previously unavailable. This is accomplished through the development and linking of computerized information systems, all designed to be operated within a rapid time frame.

The Clearinghouse also provides a forum for the exchange of information by hosting a monthly clearinghouse meeting and inviting participating agencies to share up-to-the-minute information on criminal offenders to encourage information networking. The Clearinghouse is the primary source intelligence information required to target group and areas for intervention on a day-to-day basis.

The section also supports investigators by conducting research of available data bases and providing investigative analysis in support of specific investigations.

The Miami-Dade Robbery Clearinghouse was the recipient of the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts Professional Service Award for 2000. The award was voted on by an international panel of analytical experts from the United States, Belgium and Australia, and was presented to the Clearinghouse staff on November 15, 2000, in San Diego at the Association's annual conference. The Robbery Clearinghouse was recognized as the organization making the most significant progress utilizing analytical techniques to support law enforcement.

MDPD Victim Advocates assigned to the Robbery Bureau are Victim Practitioner Certified through the Office of the Attorney General of Florida. Our VAs arrange services for victims of robbery such as coordination with Forensic Art Unit, SAO or Public Defender for the purposes of pre-file conferences, depositions, or court appearance. Other duties include but not limited to:

• Assisting with emergency needs, such as shelter, relocation, injunction, emergency funds
• Offer emotional support and crisis counseling telephonically, in person, or at the scene
• Provide transportation to services as needed
• Arrange for interpreters
• Refer counseling and immigration needs