Following an extensive study and research process to determine if Miami Lakes is ready to start its own police department from scratch, the town’s Police Review Committee recommended the city should stay with Miami-Dade County for patrol and specialized services for the time being.
The committee released its report at the October 8 regular Town Council meeting, where councilmembers unanimously supported the recommendation. The group included chairman Miguel Anchia, Councilmembers Ceasar Mestre, Tony Lama and Frank Mingo, former Councilmember Nelson Hernandez, Medley Mayor Robert Martell, and citizens Michael Alvarez, Phillip Bidart, Sergio Diez, Jorge Llanes, Rafael Nazario, John Rodriguez and Tony Sanchez.
Earlier this year, the committee conducted an independent, unbiased and objective review of the town’s police contract with Miami Lakes, identifying the best scenario for the town, which encompasses 6.5 square miles with about 31,000 residents.
The committee members have a background in law enforcement, both as administrators and patrol officers, attorneys and police union representative. In addition, Town Manager Alex Rey, former Miami Lakes police commander Major Richard Amion and Lieutenant Gene Dieppa also gave their input during the study.
The group compared the town’s police budget to other small cities that have their own police departments and discovered it would cost Miami Lakes a lot of money to start its own law enforcement unit. Miami Lakes’ police budget for the previous year was estimated at $6.3 million and increased to $6.8 million for 2013-2014. In the police contract, the town owns 28 vehicles, two motorcycles, six bikes, 10 cameras, 12 desktop computers, six laser radars, two radars and six fixed radars.
The agreement also includes the salaries and fringe benefits of the 49-member-detached unit, which include a town commander, a lieutenant and four sergeants. If Miami Lakes created its own police department, the town’s resources would be limited, which are needed to run a law enforcement unit 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.
The committee said it’s not feasible for Miami Lakes to run its own police department and instead recommended that town staff negotiate a new contract and increase the staffing numbers of patrol officers. Miami Lakes has been using Miami-Dade for police services since incorporation in 2000 and flirted with the idea of starting its own on two occasions by conducting studies to determine if it’s possible.
Town has a low crime rate In a related development, the South Florida Business Journal, on September 27, published a study at Esri in which they ranked 79 ZIP codes in Miami-Dade County based on a total crime index, with total crime indexes ranging from 515 to 29. The average index across the county is 100, meaning that areas that index higher than 100 are more likely than average to have crime.
Miami Lakes ZIP codes 33014, 33016 and 33018 ranked among the lowest in the county with total crime indexes of 68, 78, and 81 respectively.