Lock your car doors and if you see something, say something to law enforcement, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz reminded residents during a community meeting at Country Club of Miami.
“One of the biggest complaints that we get [is about people] leaving their cars open, please remember that,” Cordero-Stutz said to about 60 people who gave her a warm welcome on June 10.
Residents should also store their key fobs away from their front doors, she said. Criminals can use devices to access fob signals and open and start cars.
“Safety is a shared responsibility for all of us,” she said.
Cordero-Stutz’s appearance was part of the “Share with Sheriff Rosie” tour of Miami-Dade County.
Cordero-Stutz won office in November. She is the first Hispanic woman elected sheriff in Florida’s history and the first woman elected sheriff in county history, according to her county biography.
At Country Club of Miami, she took questions over two hours. Cordero-Stutz was joined by members of her command staff, including Miami Lakes District Maj. Jose Gonzalez and Northwest District Maj. William Gonzalez.
About car burglaries in Palm Springs North, Maj. William Gonzalez said, “We’ve increased patrols, we know where the area is, the PSN area had a small uptick and we’ve addressed it. As a matter of fact, we made a big arrest and cleared a whole bunch of cases. … These people came from Broward County. They walk the neighborhood and try doors.”
Cordero-Stutz discussed her concerns about safety for the general public.
People who disrupt large events of 5,000 people or more will be charged with a felony-level offense under a new state law, she said.
The tougher penalty may deter incidents like what happened at Hard Rock Stadium last year during a Copa America soccer game.
On a smaller scale, the agency’s Operation Safe Summer will patrol in parks, do outreach efforts and have bike patrols to help keep idle or bored teenagers from getting into trouble, she said.
“Please let us know if you see something suspicious in your community [or] in your neighborhood … give us a call,” Cordero-Stutz said.
As for public corruption, the agency is working on “some pretty big cases” and the legislature provided funding for more investigations, she said.
Anne Marie Little, vice president of the Zonta Club of Miami Lakes, asked how the agency is working to stop the sex trafficking of women and men.
“Unfortunately, South Florida is one of the highest in human trafficking offenses in the United States,” Cordero-Stutz said.
The sheriff’s office educates residents and businesses about the crime, has proactive enforcement during international events such as the Super Bowl and opened a safe space for victims, she said.
“We want to provide the support they need to bring them out of that cycle,” Cordero-Stutz said. “The second portion is a very aggressive enforcement for those who are committing those crimes.”
One of her goals is to hire patrol deputies.
“We currently have 180 vacancies, that has a lot to do with some of the [police academy] classes being canceled last year,” Cordero-Stutz said.
She said she is focusing on her agency’s budget. It is provided by the county commission and she manages it. She said she will soon be releasing her funding requests to the county, which will be about $95 million more than the existing budget. Proposed expenses include filling jobs and replacing and updating deputies’ equipment.
“I think it’s important our community understands what we are asking for,” Cordero-Stutz said.
Miami Lakes Public Safety Committee Member Geancarlo Rodriguez uses a wheelchair and said he has noticed more cars without permits are using disabled parking spaces in the northwest areas of the county.
“So, we just had a campaign … Operation Blue Zone,” Cordero-Stutz said.
Maj. William Gonzalez said deputies across the county are targeting unauthorized users of the designated parking spaces and pledged to go to places where Rodriguez has noticed it happening.
Residents with questions can contact Cordero-Stutz by using the “Ask Sheriff Rosie” form, at http://bit.ly/4e5anxm.
In the second photo: Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, at left, stands with her command staff. From left: Tiffany S. Wesley, North Operations Division Chief; Assistant Sheriff Brian Rafky; Undersheriff Christopher Carothers; Maj. William Gonzalez, who leads the Northwest District; and Maj. Jose Gonzalez, who leads the Miami Lakes District. They answered questions from the public during a June 10 forum held at the Country Club of Miami. Photo: Alexandra Herrera.