Police Community Programs

On September 10, 2010, the Board of County Commissioners adopted Implementing Order 2-12 creating the Miami-Dade County Diversion Program. The purpose of the Miami-Dade County Diversion Program:

• Seeks compliance with Miami-Dade County Code violations.
• Improves the quality of life in Miami-Dade County through community service hours.
• Reduces the demands on the court system.
• Gives violators options to resolve their ordinance violations.

Learn more about the Diversion Program.

The Miami-Dade Police Department has implemented the use of body-worn cameras to improve police services, increase accountability for individual interactions, enhance public safety and to capture the officer's encounters and interactions with others. Additionally, research has shown that when officers are outfitted with body-worn cameras, citizen complaints decrease, uses of force incidents decrease, subject behavior improves, transparency and public trust is enhanced and cost savings are provided due to decreased litigation.

The body-worn cameras are small, battery-powered camera worn by MDPD police officers on their uniform. The cameras record video and audio, and the files are later stored in a cloud-based service. The footage will be stored for at least the minimum required time by Florida State Statute Chapter 119.071(2)(l)(5) of the Florida State Statutes.

The footage can be used as evidence and document use of force incidents. Find out how to submit a public records request to obtain MDPD body-worn camera footage.

Additional Resources

• Read MDPD's body-worn cameras policy
• Watch the PSA video regarding body-worn cameras

Help get weapons and criminals off the streets and get a $1,000 reward for turning in somebody who has an illegal gun.

If you have information about a person who owns a gun illegally, call Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade & the Florida Keys. Once you have provided detailed information and the offender is arrested along with the recovery of an illegal gun, you will be eligible for the $1,000 reward.

All calls will remain confidential and no one will ever ask your name or phone number. The Miami-Dade Police Department is committed to a quick and thorough ending of any problems involving illegal gun activity.

Since its inception in 2007, the Gun Bounty Program makes it possible for residents to get a $1,000 reward for turning someone in with an illegal gun. The goal is to get weapons and criminals off the streets by reaching out to individuals who know someone with an illegal firearm. Remember for every gun taken off the streets, you save lives!

The D.A.R.E. program is the most widely used substance abuse prevention and safety promotion curriculum in the world. First developed in 1983, and implemented by Miami-Dade Police Department in 1988, it has undergone multiple revisions as research findings increased knowledge of effective substance abuse prevention among school-age youth. There are several components to the D.A.R.E. curriculum, including the "core curriculum" for fifth and sixth grades and visitation for kindergarten through fourth grade.

Beginning with the initial contact, D.A.R.E. officers help students gain self-confidence and a positive outlook for their future. In kindergarten through fourth grade, D.A.R.E. officers visit the classroom and lay the groundwork for lessons that the students will receive in fifth and sixth grades.

The core fifth and sixth grade curriculum, wherein the officer teaches anti-drug, gang, and violence techniques, as well as peer pressure awareness and self-worth, is the foundation of the D.A.R.E. program. This provides students with the skills they will need as young adults to avoid gang violence and to resist the temptations of drug abuse.

There are 10 lessons, which provide information and concentrate on showing students how to manage their feelings of anger and aggression, and how to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence or the use of alcohol and drugs.

D.A.R.E. now operates in 80 percent of all school districts around the country, reaching more than 36 million young people with the most extensive substance abuse prevention delivery system to date.

The institute for Health and Social Policy at the University of Akron has developed the new curriculum based on the latest prevention research. It was funded by a $13.7 million grant from the Robert Wood Foundation.

Working with D.A.R.E. America, the University of Akron implemented and evaluated the effectiveness of the new curriculum. The curriculum is available in Miami-Dade County through D.A.R.E. elementary schools (fifth grade).

The new revamped and modernized D.A.R.E. program, also meets the older students' needs. Students today are very sophisticated, and the program is presented in a manner in which most youth can relate. The program offers skills they can use, and then reinforces those skills. The students start the program in the fifth grade and it consists of 10 lessons, each 30-40 minutes in length. The officers present this intense curriculum in a short amount of time.

One key difference in the new curriculum is that D.A.R.E. officers serve as facilitators of classroom activities. It also focuses on life-like and problem-based activities, active learning by students, and examines the complex reasoning behind decisions and actions. This new program is designed to reduce the use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, as well as prevent violence among youth. The national study shows that the new curriculum is effective.

The Crime Prevention Display Vehicle serves as an extension of the Miami-Dade Police Department's community awareness and education objectives. It is a state-of-the-art community and crime prevention tool, which presents information on the effects of drinking and driving, drug awareness, crime prevention and community based programs, and information offered by the Department. The Crime Prevention Display Vehicle is showcased at hundreds of community functions and is visited by thousands of people of all ages.

Organizations interested in booking the Crime Prevention Display Vehicle should reach out to Sergeant Joseph Bermudez by phone or email. Booking must be done at least two weeks before the event.

The Miami-Dade County Police Department along with the City of Miami Police Department and the Village of Key Biscayne Police Department are working in collaboration to develop a joint enforcement traffic plan for the Rickenbacker Causeway and the laws pertaining to vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

The goal of the Enhanced Traffic Enforcement Initiative is to increase police presence on the Rickenbacker Causeway in order to ensure the safety and security of the public. The initiative will run for 90 days during all shifts, seven days a week.

The Enhanced Traffic Enforcement Initiative will educate the public on the traffic laws on the Rickenbacker Causeway, including Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and prevention, speeding and related bicycle and pedestrian laws. The initiative will also enhance visible and proactive police presence on the Causeway to ensure the safety and security of the public. Multi-agency DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols are also in place.

The YOU is tasked with proactively engaging adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17, who have a sibling or close family member who has been the direct victim of gun violence within our Northside, Intracoastal, and South Districts in Miami-Dade County. In addition to performing best practices strategically geared towards community-oriented policing with a focus on youth crime prevention, the YOU seeks to support four key components: nutrition, mental wellness, education, and employment opportunity. The utilization of existing community-based programs and evidence-based curricula from key community stakeholders is critical to ensure a pivot in a young and growing mind from potential violence and disparity to opportunity and progress.

The TAP program was initiated in 2005, in conjunction with the MDC Juvenile Services Department and MDCPS Administrators/Division of Opportunities & Access. TAP is an intense 11-week program, which offers a structured curriculum designed to instill traditional values and encourage community service. Participants are mandated to attend by the courts at the earliest stages of the juvenile justice process as an intervention method rather than incarceration. TAP offers a cadre of prevention techniques, which discourage continued delinquency. It provides a holistic approach to family, school, and law enforcement intervention. Sworn officers act as teachers and mentors, and routinely conduct home visits.

The YAMI program emphasizes the ideal of positive life choices, education, and involvement in sports, as opposed to destructive decisions and the negative outcomes associated with criminal activity, as well as the perils of “gang life.” As part of this program, MDPD Community Affairs Bureau Community Youth Outreach Section has coordinated several field trips and events to give the participating youth an opportunity to experience Miami-Dade County differently and to build better community relations. These opportunities are used to teach and mentor the participants about teamwork, character building, and self-esteem. Participants attend athletic functions with assigned police officers, forging a stronger bond between the police and the youth of the Community.

CPA offers civilians with civic interests an exposure and insight to the “Police Experience.” It is a 16-week evening program, one night per-week for 3 ½ hours in which students are taught classes on topics such as law, firearms, use for force, stress management, domestic violence, patrol procedures, and more. The Citizen’s Police Academy has proven to be extremely successful in educating citizens and in transforming negative attitudes into appreciation and understanding of law enforcement.