The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), formerly known as the Metro-Dade Police Department (1981–1997), Dade County Public Safety Department (1957–1981), and the Dade County Sheriff's Office (1836–1957), is a county police department serving

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...

. The MDPD has approximately 4,700 employees, making it the largest police department in the southeastern United States and the eighth largest in the country. The department is still often referred by its former name, the ''Metro-Dade Police'' or simply ''Metro''. The MDPD operates out of eight district stations throughout Miami-Dade County and several specialized bureaus. The MDPD is internationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, as well as at the state level by the Florida Commission for Law Enforcement Accreditation. The current director of the department is Alfredo Ramirez III, who succeeded Juan J. Perez. The department's headquarters are located in Doral, Florida. Miami-Dade Police officers wear taupe/brown uniforms. Their vehicles are green and white.

History

The Dade County Sheriff's Office was created in 1836 to serve the newly created County of Dade, which originally consisted of the area comprising the present-day counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin. In the early years, the entire area was policed by as few as three deputies on horseback, and Dade's sheriffs were appointed by the governor. In 1899, the office of the sheriff became an elected position. By 1915, the jurisdiction area had been reduced to its present size of approximately 2,139 square miles. In 1957, the metropolitan form of government was established, and the Dade County Sheriff's Office was subsequently renamed the Public Safety Department. The Public Safety Department's organizational structure, as determined by the metropolitan charter, included responsibility for police and fire protection, the jail and stockade, civil defense, animal control, and motor vehicle inspection. In 1960, the Public Safety Department also assumed responsibility for police operations at the Port of Miami and Miami International Airport. By 1966, the Public Safety Department had approximately 850 sworn officers in its ranks. That year a long-standing controversy over the selection/election procedure for choosing a county sheriff was resolved by voter mandate. Subsequently, non-elected sheriffs were appointed by the county manager as "''Director of the Public Safety Department'' and ''Sheriff of Metropolitan Dade County.''" In August 1968, roughly coincident with the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in Miami Beach, rioting broke out in Liberty City. Unable to control the situation, the

Florida Highway Patrol The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is a division of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. It is Florida's highway patrol and is the primary law enforcement agency charged with investigating traffic crashes and criminal laws ...

and National Guard were brought in. Claiming they were being attacked by snipers, the police killed three people. No one was injured by sniper fire, and no weapons were found. In 1973, the responsibility for running the county's jails was transferred to the newly created Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. By that year, the Public Safety Department had also been divested of all other non-police responsibilities in order to concentrate entirely on law enforcement services. In July 1981, the Public Safety Department was renamed the Metro-Dade Police Department. In September 1997, voters decided to change the county's name to

. As such, the department was renamed the Miami-Dade Police Department the following December. On September 13, 2007, four Miami-Dade Police Department officers were shot by a suspect with an AK-47, resulting in the death of one officer, Jose Somohano. Another officer suffered a serious leg injury. The suspect, Shawn Sherwin Labeet, fled the scene but was found in an apartment complex later that day. He was cornered in a poolhouse bathroom by members of Miami-Dade Police Special Response Team (equivalent to

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

), and was shot and killed when he refused to drop a pistol he was holding. On the morning of Thursday, January 20, 2011, two Miami-Dade Police officers were shot and killed by a homicide suspect, Johnny Sims. According to Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus, the MDPD fugitive warrant team were assisting the

U.S. Marshals Service The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforcem ...

in the city of Miami in apprehending the suspect, for whom a murder warrant had been issued. Police arrived at the suspect's mother's house and made contact with a member of the family, when the suspect surprised police by opening fire. Detective Roger Castillo, a 21-year veteran, was shot in the head and died at the scene, and Detective Amanda Haworth, a 23-year veteran, was shot several times and taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in grave condition. She underwent emergency surgery there, but died shortly thereafter. The suspect, Sims, was shot and killed by another detective at the scene. In December 2019, the Miami-Dade Police Department came under scrutiny after a shootout in

Miramar Miramar is a place name of Spanish and Portuguese origin. It means "sea-view" or "sea sight" from ''mirar'' ("to look at, to watch") and ''mar'' ("sea"). It may refer to: Places Africa * Miramar, Port Elizabeth, see St Dominic's Priory School ...

. MDPD officers, as well as police from other agencies, responded to fleeing robbers who

carjacked Carjacking is a robbery in which the item taken over is a motor vehicle.Michael Cherbonneau, "Carjacking," in ''Encyclopedia of Social Problems'', Vol. 1 (SAGE, 2008: ed. Vincent N. Parrillo), pp. 110-11. In contrast to car theft, carjacking is ...

a United Parcel Service van and took the UPS driver hostage. After a car chase, the MDPD killed the two suspects, the UPS driver, and an innocent bystander. The department received criticism for its officers' behavior, which included firing into open traffic and using civilian vehicles for cover. A total of 19 officers fired guns during the shootout, including 15 MDPD officers, 3 Miramar Police Department officers, and 1 Pembroke Pines Police Department officer.

Organization

MDPD police stations include: # Northwest District Station ( Miami Lakes) # Northside District Station ( West Little River) # Midwest District Station ( Doral) # South District Station ( Cutler Ridge) # Kendall District Station ( Kendall) # Intracoastal District Station (

North Miami Beach North Miami Beach (commonly referred to as NMB) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named "Fulford-by-the-Sea" in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the U.S. Coast Guard, the city was renamed "North Miami Be ...

) # Airport District Station ( Miami International Airport, Florida) # West District Station (

The Hammocks The Hammocks is a historic site in Ormond Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 311 John Anderson Highway John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testame ...

) Contracted municipalities * Town of Miami Lakes (1) * Village of Palmetto Bay (4) * Town of Cutler Bay (4)

Demographics

Breakdown of the makeup of the rank and file of MDPD: * Male: 75.58% * Female: 24.42% * White: 20.02% * Hispanic: 58.11% * African-American/Black: 20.58% * Other: 1.29%

Ranks and insignia

All rank insignia are worn on the collars of the shirt, except for sergeant, which is worn on each sleeve, below the department patch.

Specialized units

* Arson Unit * Auto Theft Unit * Aviation Unit * Bomb Squad * Citizens Volunteer Program * Communications Bureau * Forensic Services Bureau * Crime Stoppers – (305) 471-TIPS * Court Services Bureau *

Drug Abuse Resistance Education Drug Abuse Resistance Education (stylized as D.A.R.E.) is an education program that seeks to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 as a joint initiative of then- LAPD ch ...

* Economic Crimes Bureau * Warrants Bureau (assists US Marshal Service) * General Investigations Unit (G.I.U.) * Homeland Security Bureau * Homicide Bureau * Information Technology Services Bureau (ITSB) * Professional Compliance Bureau * Marine Patrol * Motors Traffic Unit * Public Information and Education Bureau * Narcotics Bureau * Neighborhood Resource Unit (N.R.U.) * Organized Crime Section * Personnel Management Bureau * Police Legal Bureau * Property and Evidence Section * Public Corruption and Criminal Conspiracy Unit * Robbery Bureau * Robbery Intervention Detail (RID) * Cargo Theft Task Force * Street Terror Offender Program (S.T.O.P.) * Special Patrol Bureau (Motorcycle, D.U.I. Certified) * Special Response Team (S.R.T.) * Special Victims Bureau (Sexual Battery & Domestic Crimes) * Strategic Policing Operations Response Team (SPORT) * Miami-Dade Public Safety Training Institute * Underwater Recovery Unit * Southeast Regional Domestic Security Task Force

Popular culture

The department has been depicted in a number of television shows, films, and video games: *'' CSI Miami'' *'' Miami Vice'' *'' Bad Boys'' as Miami Metro Police *''

Dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...

'' as Miami Metro Police *''

Burn Notice ''Burn Notice'' is an American espionage television series created by Matt Nix, which originally aired on the USA Network for a total of seven seasons from June 28, 2007, to September 12, 2013. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, ...

'' *'' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' and '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories''. Video games series, Grand Theft Auto series Government Emergency Police. Law enforcement, County police sheriff parody, as the Vice City Police Department. *'' Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' as South Dade Police *''

Cocaine Cowboys ''Cocaine Cowboys'' is a 2006 documentary film directed by Billy Corben, and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur. The film explores the rise of cocaine dealer Jon Roberts, described by pros ...

'' *''Miami SWAT'' * ''Casino Royale'' *'' Driv3r'' *'' Pain & Gain'' *'' Kung Fury'' *'' Jane the Virgin'' *'' Super Fuzz''

References

External links

* {{Authority control County police departments of Florida Government of Miami-Dade County, Florida Doral, Florida Police aviation units of the United States