MIAMI-DADE POLICE DEPARTMENT

The 'Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD)' (formerly known as the 'Metro-Dade Police Department' (1981–1994) and the 'Dade County Sheriff's Office' (1836–1981)) is a full service metropolitan police department serving Miami-Dade County'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 4,500 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 (CALEA), as well as at the state level by the Florida Commission for Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA). The current director of the department is Robert Parker,[1] who succeeded Carlos Alvarez, the current mayor of Miami-Dade County. The Department's headquarters are located in Doral, Florida.

Contents

History

In Popular Culture

See Also

References

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 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 1950, the jurisdiction area had been reduced to its present size of approximately 2,139 square miles.^[1]
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.^[1]
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'.^[1]

In Popular Culture

Miami-Dade Police is the law enforcement agency depicted in the television shows ''Miami Vice'', ''Dexter'', ''Nip/Tuck,'' and ''. In , the police wear uniforms and drive police cars similar to those of the Miami-Dade Police.

See Also

★ Miami-Dade County, Florida

★ Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department

References

1. Analysis of Potential Merger of the Miami-Dade Police Department and the Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation
2. Analysis of Potential Merger of the Miami-Dade Police Department and the Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation
3. Analysis of Potential Merger of the Miami-Dade Police Department and the Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation