Miami Police Department


The Miami Police Department, also known as the City of Miami Police Department, is a full-service municipal law enforcement agency serving Miami, Florida. 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, it 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, The School for Professional Development, and the International Policing Institute, a program focused on training law enforcement personnel from countries outside of the United States. Jorge Colina is MPD’s 41st Chief of Police and was sworn in on January 26, 2018.

History

In 2010, the Miami Police Department was recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police with a special award for its community policing initiatives aimed at improving homeland security. The department was singled out for this distinction from a list of over 18,000 police agencies nationwide.

Organizational Structure

MPD follows a paramilitary organizational structure 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.

Districts

Miami is divided into three policing districts, which are in turn divided into thirteen neighborhoods:
;North District
;Central District
;South District
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:
Since the establishment of the Miami Police Department, 37 officers have died in the line of duty.
OfficerDate of DeathDetails
Wednesday, June 2, 1915
Gunfire
Sunday, May 22, 1921
Vehicular assault
Monday, November 28, 1921
Gunfire
Sunday, March 15, 1925
Gunfire
Tuesday, February 16, 1926
Struck by vehicle
Monday, January 10, 1927
Vehicle pursuit
Friday, July 8, 1927
Gunfire
Sunday, September 25, 1927
Gunfire
Friday, February 3, 1928
Gunfire
Wednesday, September 26, 1928
Vehicle pursuit
Friday, April 26, 1929
Gunfire
Friday, March 31, 1933
Automobile accident
Saturday, November 18, 1933
Gunfire
Sunday, August 9, 1936
Vehicular assault
Friday, March 29, 1940
Automobile accident
Thursday, September 18, 1941
Vehicle pursuit
Friday, November 1, 1946
Gunfire
Saturday, March 8, 1947
Gunfire
Friday, September 24, 1948
Accidental
Friday, February 16, 1951
Gunfire
Wednesday, February 28, 1951
Automobile accident
Saturday, March 8, 1958
Vehicular assault
Wednesday, November 7, 1962
Gunfire
Thursday, May 8, 1969
Gunfire
Saturday, May 23, 1970
Gunfire
Saturday, February 20, 1971
Gunfire
Sunday, May 18, 1980
Heart attack
Wednesday, September 2, 1981
Gunfire
Friday, December 21, 1984
Motorcycle accident
Wednesday, September 3, 1986
Duty related illness
Thursday, March 31, 1988
Gunfire
Tuesday, June 21, 1988
Vehicular assault
Tuesday, October 13, 1992
Automobile accident
Tuesday, May 30, 1995
Fall
Monday, July 3, 2000
Motorcycle accident
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Gunfire
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Motorcycle accident

Sidearm

Miami Police Officers are issued the Glock Model 22.40 S&W, prior to the Glock Model 22 officers were armed with the Glock Model 17 9mm which was in service from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Detectives are issued either the Glock Model 23.40 or the more compact Glock Model 27.40. Prior to issuing the semi-automatic Glock pistols MPD officers were issued.38 Special Smith and Wesson Model 64 and Smith and Wesson Model 67 while detectives had the Smith & Wesson Model 60 "Chiefs Special" revolver also in.38 Special.

Controversy

Civil rights investigations by U.S. Department of Justice

The U.S. Department of Justice investigated the Miami Police Department twice, once beginning in 2002 and once from 2011-2013.
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 was prompted by a series of incidents over eight months in 2011 in which Miami officers fatally shot seven young black men. 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." The investigation reached many of the same conclusions as the 2002 investigation. It found that MPD officers had intentionally fired upon individuals on 33 occasions btween 2008 and 2011, and that the MPD itself found that the shootings were unjustified on three occasions. 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." 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." 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."
To address the issues it identified, the city negotiated a judicially overseen agreement with the DOJ. Former Chief Miguel A. Exposito rejected the DOJ findings, which he called flawed.
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 and to "more effectively and quickly investigate officer-involved shootings that do occur". Jane Castor, the former police chief of Tampa, Florida, was appointed as the independent monitor to oversee the city's compliance with the reforms.

Controversy over shooting an unarmed suspect

On 10 December 2010 nearly two dozen police surrounded a suspect from an earlier shooting 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 23 police 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.

Controversy over speeding

On October 11, 2011, MPD Officer Fausto Lopez was speeding to a moonlighting job at up to 120 mph when he was caught by a 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, involving police blog accusations and insults, posters attacking the state trooper who stopped Lopez, and someone smearing feces on another trooper's patrol car. 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 Miami Police on September 13, 2012.

Controversy over shooting unarmed motorist

On 11 February 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.

Controversy over shooting unarmed therapist

On 18 July 2016 Miami police officers shot Charles Kinsey as he attempted to address the needs of a autistic client holding a toy truck.

Controversial detainment of African American COVID-19 doctor

In April 2020, Miami Police officers 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. Allegations soon surfaced that the matter in which Henderson was handcuffed and detained was in fact a case of racial profiling. The Miami Police Department eventually agreed to launch an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the handcuffing and detainment of Henderson.