Miami-Dade Police Department
Encyclopedia
The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), formerly known as the Metro-Dade County Police Department (1981–1997), Dade County Public Safety Department (1957–1981) and the Dade County Sheriff's Office (1836–1957) is a Limited Service County Police
Department serving Miami-Dade County, Florida
's unincorporated areas, although they have lenient mutual aid agreements with other incorporated
municipalities, most often the City of Miami Police Department
. The MDPD is the largest police department in the Southeastern United States
, with approximately 4,700 employees. The Department is still often referred by its former name, the Metro-Dade Police or simply Metro. Miami-Dade Police officers are easily identified by their taupe/brown colored uniforms. Miami-Dade Police vehicles are identified by their green and white livery. MDPD officers carry silver badges, while officers with the ranks of sergeant and above carry gold badges.
The MDPD operates out of nine 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 James Loftus, who succeeded Robert Parker. The Department's headquarters are located in Doral, Florida
.
The Dade County Sheriff's Office was created in 1836 to serve the newly created County of Dade
, which originally consisted of the area comprised by 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 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 jurisdiction’s name to Miami-Dade County. In December of the same year, the Metro-Dade Police Department was renamed the Miami-Dade Police Department.
On September 13, 2007 four Miami-Dade Police Department officers were shot by a subject 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
), and was shot and killed when he refused to drop a pistol he was holding.
In the early Thursday afternoon of January 20, 2011, two Miami-Dade Police officers were shot and killed by a suspect who opened fire on police. According to Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus, the Miami-Dade police fugitive warrant team were assisting the US Marshals Service in the city of Miami on a man who had a murder warrant. When police arrived they made contact with a member of the family, then there were an exchange of gunshots. 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 critical condition. She underwent surgery there, but she died Thursday afternoon. Witnesses say they heard eight to 12 shots. Streets were blocked off with police tape as United States Marshals Service
walked the streets in riot gear.
Contracted Municipalities
All rank insignia are worn on the collars of the shirt, except for Sergeant and Corporal, which are worn on each sleeve, below the department patch.
County police
County police are the police of a county in the United States, Sweden and England .- Sweden :All of the 21 Counties of Sweden contains a County Police Department of the Swedish Police Service.-United Kingdom:...
Department serving Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
's unincorporated areas, although they have lenient mutual aid agreements with other incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
municipalities, most often the City of Miami Police Department
Miami Police Department
The Miami Police Department or MPD, often referred to as the City of Miami Police, is the chief police department of the U.S. city of Miami, Florida. Their jurisdiction lies within the actual city limits of Miami, but have mutual aid agreements with neighboring police departments. The current...
. The MDPD is the largest police department in the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
, with approximately 4,700 employees. The Department is still often referred by its former name, the Metro-Dade Police or simply Metro. Miami-Dade Police officers are easily identified by their taupe/brown colored uniforms. Miami-Dade Police vehicles are identified by their green and white livery. MDPD officers carry silver badges, while officers with the ranks of sergeant and above carry gold badges.
The MDPD operates out of nine district stations throughout Miami-Dade County and several specialized bureaus. The MDPD is internationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., is a credentialing authority , based in the United States, whose primary mission is to accredited public safety agencies, namely law enforcement agencies, training academies, communications centers, and campus public safety...
, as well as at the state level by the Florida Commission for Law Enforcement Accreditation. The current director of the department is James Loftus, who succeeded Robert Parker. The Department's headquarters are located in Doral, Florida
Doral, Florida
Doral is a city located in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. A suburb of Miami, it lies north-west of Miami International Airport. It takes its name from the famous golf and spa resort located within its municipal boundaries. The Doral Golf Resort & Spa was originally built...
.
History
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
, which originally consisted of the area comprised by the present-day counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach
Palm Beach County, Florida
Palm Beach County is the largest county in the state of Florida in total area, and third in population. As of 2010, the county's estimated population was 1,320,134, making it the twenty-eighth most populous in the United States...
and Martin
Martin County, Florida
Martin County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 126,731. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county is 138,660. Its county seat is Stuart, Florida.- History :...
. 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
Port of Miami
The Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami is a seaport located in Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida, United States. It is connected to Downtown Miami by Port Boulevard, a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. The port is located on Dodge Island, which is the combination of three historic islands that have...
and Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
.
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 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 jurisdiction’s name to Miami-Dade County. In December of the same year, the Metro-Dade Police Department was renamed the Miami-Dade Police Department.
On September 13, 2007 four Miami-Dade Police Department officers were shot by a subject with an AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
, 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
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
), and was shot and killed when he refused to drop a pistol he was holding.
In the early Thursday afternoon of January 20, 2011, two Miami-Dade Police officers were shot and killed by a suspect who opened fire on police. According to Miami-Dade Police Director James Loftus, the Miami-Dade police fugitive warrant team were assisting the US Marshals Service in the city of Miami on a man who had a murder warrant. When police arrived they made contact with a member of the family, then there were an exchange of gunshots. 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 critical condition. She underwent surgery there, but she died Thursday afternoon. Witnesses say they heard eight to 12 shots. Streets were blocked off with police tape as United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
walked the streets in riot gear.
Organization
MDPD provide law enforcement services to eight districts stations throughout Miami Dade County:- Northwest Station (1)
- Northside Station (2)
- Midwest Station (3)
- South District Station (4)
- Kendall Station (5)
- Intracoastal Station (6)
- Airport District Station (7)
- Hammocks Station (8)
- Agricultural Patrol Section
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: 77%
- Female: 23%
- White: 42%
- Hispanic: 17%
- African-American/Black: 41%
Ranks and insignia
| Title | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Director/Sheriff Sheriff A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country.... |
 |
| Assistant Director Assistant director The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew... |
 |
| Division Chief |  |
| Major Major Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ... |
 |
| Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval... |
|
| Captain Police captain - France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant.... |
|
| First Lieutenant First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank... |
 |
| Supervisor Supervisor A supervisor, foreperson, team leader, overseer, cell coach, facilitator, or area coordinator is a manager in a position of trust in business... |
 |
| Lieutenant Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank... |
|
| Master Sergeant Master Sergeant A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in some armed forces.-Israel Defense Forces:Rav samal rishoninsignia IDF... |
|
| Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent.... |
|
| Corporal Corporal Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4.... |
|
| Police Officer Police officer A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force... |
|
All rank insignia are worn on the collars of the shirt, except for Sergeant and Corporal, which are worn on each sleeve, below the department patch.
Specialized units
- Administrative Unit
- Arson Unit
- Auto Theft Unit
- Aviation Unit
- Bomb Squad
- Citizens Volunteer Program
- Civil Process
- Communications Bureau
- Community Affairs Bureau
- Crime Scene Investigation
- Crime Stoppers – (305) 471-TIPS
- Critical Incident Logistics Section
- DAREDrug Abuse Resistance EducationDrug Abuse Resistance Education, better known as DARE, is an international education program that seeks to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. D.A.R.E., which has expanded globally since its founding in 1983, is a demand-side drug control strategy of the U.S....
- Economic Crimes Bureau
- Fugitive Warrant(Assist US Marshal ServiceUnited States Marshals ServiceThe United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
) - General Investigations
- Homeland Security Bureau
- Homicide Bureau
- Internal Affairs
- Intelligence Bureau
- K-9Police dogA police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
- Marine Patrol
- Media Relations Bureau
- Motorcycle Unit
- Narcotics BureauNarcotics Control BureauThe Narcotics Control Bureau is the chief law enforcement and intelligence agency of India responsible for fighting drug trafficking and the abuse of illegal substances.-Formation:...
- ViceViceVice is a practice or a behavior or habit considered immoral, depraved, or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a defect, an infirmity, or merely a bad habit. Synonyms for vice include fault, depravity, sin, iniquity, wickedness, and corruption...
- Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Internal Affairs Bureau
- Organized Crime Section
- Personnel Management Bureau
- Police Legal Bureau
- Public Corruption Investigations Bureau
- Robbery Bureau
- Robbery Intervention Detail (RID)
- Cargo Theft Task Force
- Street Terror Offender Program (STOP)
- Street Gang Section
- Special Patrol Bureau
- Special Response Team (SRT)
- Special Victims Bureau
- Strategic Policing Operations Response Team (SPORT)
- Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT)
- Training Bureau
- Underwater Recovery Unit
- Southeast Regional Domestic Security Task Force
Popular culture
Miami-Dade Police is the law enforcement agency depicted in the television shows, films, and video games:- Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
- Bad BoysBad BoysBad Boys may refer to:In film:*Bad Boys , a 1961 film by Susumu Hani*Bad Boys , a 1983 film starring Sean Penn*Bad Boys , a 1995 film starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence...
Bad Boys 2 depicts Miami PD (City of Miami Police) - CSI: MiamiCSI: MiamiCSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
- DexterDexter (TV series)Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
- Ace Ventura: Pet DetectiveAce Ventura: Pet DetectiveAce Ventura: Pet Detective is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Jim Carrey. It co-stars Courteney Cox, Tone Loc, Sean Young and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino....
- Cocaine CowboysCocaine CowboysCocaine 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 and resulting crime epidemic that swept the American city of Miami, Florida in the 1970s and...
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Florida
- List of U.S. state and local law enforcement agencies
- Sheriff (Florida)
- Miami-Dade County, FloridaMiami-Dade County, FloridaMiami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
- Miami-Dade Fire Rescue DepartmentMiami-Dade Fire Rescue DepartmentMiami-Dade Fire Rescue Department is the combined fire and emergency services department for Miami-Dade County, Florida. Its headquarters are in Doral....