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Miami Police Department

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Not to be confused with Miami-Dade Police Department.

Miami Police Department
Seal
Seal
Badge of an MPD officer
Badge of an MPD officer
Common nameMiami Police
AbbreviationMPD
Agency overview
Formed1896
Employees1,741
Annual budget$266 million (2020)[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionMiami, Florida, U.S.
Map of Miami Police Department's jurisdiction
Size55.27 square miles (143.1 km2)
Population470,911 (2018)
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersMiami, Florida
Police Officers1,371 (2019)
Agency executive
Districts3
Facilities
StationsMiami Police Headquarters (Central Station), South District Station, North District Station
Website
Miami Police

The Miami Police Department (MPD), also known as the City of Miami Police Department, is a full-service municipal law enforcement agency serving Miami, Florida. MPD is the largest municipal police department in Florida. MPD officers are distinguishable from their Miami-Dade Police Department counterparts by their blue uniforms and blue-and-white patrol vehicles.

MPD operates the Miami Police College, which houses three schools: The Police Academy Class (PAC), The School for Professional Development (SPD), and the International Policing Institute (IPI), a program focused on training law enforcement personnel from countries outside of the United States.[2]

History

In its early years, the MPD enacted an oppressive racial system in Miami.[3][4][5] The MPD did not protect the black community from violence, as well as aided in the harassment and terrorization of the black population.[3] The MPD intimidated black voters, pursued blacks on flimsy evidence, and strongly enforced certain laws solely when blacks were in violation of them.[3] The MPD tacitly approved of or failed to investigate instances of white supremacist violence in Miami by terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.[3]

In 1986 reporting on corruption scandals in the MPD, the New York Times wrote of the MPD that "corruption charges are not new" to the department.[6] In 2018, the Miami New Times wrote, "Miami cops have a storied history of getting caught committing the very crimes they are supposed to police."[7]

Jorge Colina became MPD Chief of Police in 2018.[8] In March 2021, Art Acevedo became Miami Police Department chief. Prior to this role, he served as the chief of police in Houston.[9]

Civil rights investigations by U.S. Department of Justice

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigated the Miami Police Department twice, once beginning in 2002 and once from 2011–2013.[10][11]

The investigation by DOJ's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida that was completed in 2013[10] was prompted by a series of incidents over eight months in 2011 in which Miami officers fatally shot seven young black men.[12] The DOJ investigation concluded that the Miami Police Department "engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive use of force through officer-involved shootings in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution."[10] The investigation reached many of the same conclusions as the 2002 investigation.[10] It found that MPD officers had intentionally fired upon individuals on 33 occasions between 2008 and 2011,[10][12] and that the MPD itself found that the shootings were unjustified on three occasions.[10] The DOJ also determined that "a number of MPD practices, including deficient tactics, improper actions by specialized units, as well as egregious delays and substantive deficiencies in deadly force investigations, contributed to the pattern or practice of excessive force."[10] The DOJ found that MPD had failed to "complete thorough, objective and timely investigations of officer-involved shootings" and sometimes failed to reach a conclusion "as to whether or not the officer's firearm discharge was lawful and within policy," which the DOJ cited as a factor that "undermined accountability and exposed MPD officers and the community to unreasonable risks that might have been addressed through prompt corrective action."[10] The DOJ also found that "a small number of officers were involved in a disproportionate number of shootings, while the investigations into their shootings continued to be egregiously delayed."[10]

To address the issues it identified, the city negotiated a judicially overseen agreement with the DOJ.[13][14][12] Former Chief Miguel A. Exposito rejected the DOJ findings, which he called flawed.[15][16]

A comprehensive settlement agreement between the DOJ and the City of Miami was reached in February 2016; under the agreement, the police department was obligated to take specific steps to reduce the number of officer-involved shootings (through enhanced training and supervision) and to "more effectively and quickly investigate officer-involved shootings that do occur" (through improvements to the internal investigation process and tighter rules for when an officer who shoots may return to work).[17] Jane Castor, the former police chief of Tampa, Florida, was appointed as the independent monitor to oversee the city's compliance with the reforms.[17]

Controversy over shooting an unarmed suspect

On December 10, 2013, at approximately 0530 hours, 22 police officers surrounded a suspect from an earlier shooting (police officer shot by suspect) and a second uninvolved person. Police ordered the men to put their hands up and then fired over 50 rounds into the car. Witnesses reported police continued to order the men to raise their hands and when they did fired more rounds into the car. In total 22 police officers fired more than 377 rounds hitting the car, other cars, adjacent buildings, their fellow police officers. The gunfire from the police was sufficient that some officers suffered ruptured eardrums. Witnesses reported that after killing the two men, some of the police were laughing.[18]

Controversy over officer arrest

On October 11, 2011, MPD Officer Fausto Lopez was speeding and driving erratically when he was caught by a Florida state trooper after a 7-minute chase, with the video going viral on YouTube. The state trooper initially believed that the MPD cruiser had been stolen, so Lopez was arrested at gunpoint and handcuffed. This started a feud between the Florida Highway Patrol and the MPD (who regarded the arrest as an overreaction), involving police blog accusations and insults, posters attacking the state trooper who stopped Lopez, and someone smearing feces on another trooper's patrol car.[19] An investigation by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in February 2012 examined SunPass toll records and found that 800 cops from a dozen South Florida agencies drove their cruisers above 90 mph in 2011, mostly while off duty. As a result of the Sun-Sentinel report, 158 state troopers and officers were disciplined, mostly receiving a reprimand and losing their take-home cars for up to six months. Lopez, who was found to have driven 90 mph on more than 80 occasions, was suspended with pay in early July 2012 and terminated from the MPD on September 13, 2012.[20]

Controversy over shooting unarmed motorist

On February 11, 2011, Miami Police killed an unarmed motorist during a traffic stop and wounded another person in the car. Prosecutors declined to prosecute as they did not think they could say it was provable beyond a reasonable doubt that Miami Officer Reynaldo Goyos could have thought the driver was reaching for a weapon.[21]

Retaliation against officers who expose wrongdoing

The Miami Community Police Benevolent Association (MCPBA), the city's Black police officers' union, has criticized the MPD for what it says is a culture of retaliation against police officers who blow the whistle on wrongdoing by fellow MPD officers.[22]

Controversial detention of African American COVID-19 doctor

In April 2020, a Miami Police Sergeant generated controversy by handcuffing and detaining African American doctor Armen Henderson, who was assigned to treat homeless people for COVID-19, outside his home after receiving complaints that people were dumping trash in the area where he was working.[23][24] Allegations soon surfaced that the matter in which Henderson was handcuffed and detained was in fact a case of racial profiling.[25] The Miami Police Department eventually agreed to launch an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the handcuffing and detention of Henderson.[26][24]

Organizational structure

MPD follows a paramilitary organizational structure and is headed by the Chief of Police. The Deputy Chief of Police reports directly to the Chief and oversees the three major operational divisions of the agency, each of which is led by an Assistant Chief: Field Operations Division, Criminal Investigations Division, and Administration Division. The Internal Affairs Section, Professional Compliance Section, and Public Information Office report directly to the Chief of Police.

MPD is composed of more than 70 organizational elements, including a full-time SWAT team, Bomb Squad, Mounted Patrol, Marine Patrol, Aviation Unit, Gang Unit, Police Athletic League Detail, Crime Gun Intelligence Center, and a Real Time Crime Center. With 1371 full-time sworn positions and more than 400 civilian positions.[27]

Districts

Miami is divided into three policing districts, which are in turn divided into thirteen neighborhoods:[28]

North District
Central District
South District

Ranks and insignia

Title Insignia
Chief of Police
Deputy Chief
Assistant Chief
Major
Commander
Executive Officer
Senior Sergeant-At-Arms
Sergeant-At-Arms
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Police Officer

Rank insignias for sergeants are worn on the upper sleeves below the shoulder patch while rank insignias for lieutenant through chief are worn on the shirt collar.

Demographics

The demographics of full-time sworn personnel are:[29]

  • Male: 82%
  • Female: 18%
  • Hispanic (of any race): 54%
  • African-American/Black: 27%
  • non-Hispanic White: 19%

Sidearm

Miami Police Officers are issued the Glock 22. Prior to the Glock 22 officers were armed with the Glock 17, which was in service from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Detectives are issued either the Glock 23 or the more compact Glock 27. Prior to issuing the semi-automatic Glock pistols, MPD officers were issued the Smith and Wesson Model 64 and Smith and Wesson Model 67 while detectives had the Smith & Wesson Model 60 "Chief's Special" revolver also in .38 Special.[30][31][32]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sullivan, Carl; Baranauckas, Carla (June 26, 2020). "Here's how much money goes to police departments in largest cities across the U.S." USA Today. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020.
  2. ^ "Miami Police College Brochure" (PDF). Miami Police Department. April 10, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d George, Paul S. (1979). "Policing Miami's Black Community, 1896-1930". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 57 (4): 434–450. ISSN 0015-4113. JSTOR 30151006.
  4. ^ Jackson, David H.; Elliott, Kimberlyn M. (2016). "African Americans in Florida, 1870-1920: A Historiographical Essay". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 95 (2): 152–193. ISSN 0015-4113. JSTOR 44955672.
  5. ^ Mohl, Raymond A. (1990). "On the Edge: Blacks and Hispanics in Metropolitan Miami since 1959". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 69 (1): 37–56. ISSN 0015-4113. JSTOR 30148998.
  6. ^ Nordheimer, Jon; Times, Special To the New York (January 9, 1986). "MIAMI POLICE SCANDAL RAISING QUESTIONS ON MINORITY RECRUITS". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  7. ^ O'Connor, Meg (October 24, 2018). "Miami Cops Getting Busted on Federal Drug Charges Isn't New". Miami New Times. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  8. ^ Rabin, Charles (January 17, 2018). "Miami's next police chief is a veteran with a goal to reduce gun violence". Miami Herald. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  9. ^ Napoli, Tierra Smith, Daniela Sternitzky-Di (March 15, 2021). "Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo leaving post for new job as Miami Police Chief". KPRC. Retrieved March 15, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Justice Department Releases Investigative Findings on the City of Miami Police Department and Officer-involved Shootings". U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs. July 9, 2013.
  11. ^ Findings Letter re: Investigation of City of Miami Police Department, U.S. Department of Justice (July 9, 2013).
  12. ^ a b c Goode, Erica (July 10, 2013). "Miami Police Department Is Accused of Pattern of Excessive Force". The New York Times. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  13. ^ "Fallout Begins From DOJ Investigation Of Miami Police". CBS Miami. July 9, 2013.
  14. ^ Weaver, Jay; McGrory, Kathleen; Ovalle, David (July 9, 2013). "Justice Department finds Miami Police used excessive force in shootings". Miami Herald. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  15. ^ "Letter facsimile" (PDF). media.miamiherald.com. August 8, 2013.
  16. ^ "Exposito Wants Senate Investigation of DOJ Report on MPD Shootings". CBS Miami. August 13, 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Justice Department Reaches Agreement with the City of Miami and the Miami Police Department to Implement Reforms on Officer-Involved Shootings". U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs. February 25, 2016.
  18. ^ Friedersdorf, Conor (May 8, 2014). "23 Police Officers Fire 377 Bullets at Two Men With Zero Guns". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  19. ^ Hardigree, Matt (November 3, 2011). "Cops in Florida ready to fight each other over traffic stop". Jalopnik - Drive Free or Die. Gawker Media. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  20. ^ Kestin, Sally (September 14, 2012). "Speeding cop Fausto Lopez fired". Sun-Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  21. ^ https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state--regional/prosecutors-clear-miami-officer-shooting-unarmed-motorist/f7vnRSnESWLt2Rj5GOVRRO/ [bare URL]
  22. ^ Cardona, Joshua Ceballos, Alexi C. (November 12, 2020). "Fired Detective Alleges Widespread Corruption at Miami Police Department". Miami New Times. Retrieved April 6, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "Miami police investigating detainment [sic] of doctor at his home | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on April 13, 2020.
  24. ^ a b "Police chief orders probe in handcuffing of black Miami doctor on front lines of coronavirus fight". ABC News. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  25. ^ "Who Is Dr. Henderson? Black Doctor Testing Homeless For Coronavirus Is Latest To Be Racially Profiled". NewsOne. April 14, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  26. ^ Diaz, Johnny (April 14, 2020). "Police Handcuff Black Doctor Who Tests Homeless for Coronavirus". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  27. ^ "Miami Fiscal Year 2020 Operating Budget" (PDF). April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  28. ^ "Miami Police Department". www.miami-police.org. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  29. ^ Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers
  30. ^ "Gun Review: The Timeless Smith & Wesson M&P Revolver". October 14, 2014.
  31. ^ "Report Raises Concern About Glock Handguns « CBS Miami". Miami.cbslocal.com. May 13, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  32. ^ Fritsch, Jane (May 31, 1992). "Gun of Choice for Police Officers Runs Into Fierce Opposition". The New York Times.

Sources

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