Miami-Dade County swears in new class of police officers

DORAL, Fla. – A new class of 43 Miami-Dade County police officers were sworn in at the Fire Tower Miami in Doral Thursday morning.

According to the Miami-Dade Police Department, the new recruits successfully completed 39 weeks of intense academic, physical and practical training in areas such as patrol procedures, criminal law, firearms training and crisis intervention training to get the job.

“We expect them to treat every person that they come in contact with fairly, equally and with compassion,” said MDPD Interim Director Stephanie V. Daniels.

Local 10 News was at the graduation ceremony where friends and family gathered as the new officers were sworn into the force that will soon be led by an elected sheriff and not an appointed director.

“What it’s doing is showing that we’re putting more officers on the street to protect the community, and not just for safety purposes, but also to engage them as well,” said Daniels.

With the raising of the right hand, the men and women have now taken an important oath to protect and serve the community.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava spoke at the ceremony and had high praise for the department and the future of the county’s public safety.

“I can assure you that with the additions of the 43 officers, the state of Miami-Dade’s public safety is strong,” she said.

Some of the officers were given individual awards for their achievements throughout the training.

Daniels also told Local 10 News that the MDPD’s mission is to continue to add officers with character to the force to better service the community.