Operation Broken Fences
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated emergency orders continue to have an unprecedented impact on the multiple factors that affect crime trends throughout the city. The overall trend continues to show a lower level of overall crime when compared to previous years in part due to limited travel and business activities as well as the curfews in place. The change in residents’ daily activities has affected certain crimes more than others and shifted the focus of the Department’s daily operations to address them accordingly.
Among the multiple competing priorities undertaken, one area of identified concern became the increase in auto thefts and burglaries targeting primarily high-end vehicles within the middle district. To address the trend, the Department launched Operation Broken Fences with the goal of reducing criminal activity and burglaries in the Mid-Beach area through apprehension and crime prevention activities.
The operation was launched on October 15, 2020.
Personnel and Deployment Scheme:
- 8 Detectives
- Officers in constant rotation
Results:
The Operation has proven highly effective with a significant decrease in the amount of auto related crimes attributed to the continual saturation and high visibility of officers in the area. The results are as follows:
- 10 felony arrests
- 1 misdemeanor arrest
- several citations
The Operation continued throughout October and into November with high visibility deployment coupled with a public education campaign via social media and community meetings to remind residents of the importance of locking their car doors and taking valuables with them into their homes.
Operation ADCD-Safe
Additionally, because the City of Miami Beach continues to be a destination “hot spot” for people from all over the United States, an unfortunate perception among tourists that our city is a place where “anything goes” exists, resulting in a myriad of incidents reflecting misbehavior and the commission of major crimes.
To combat this phenomenon, the Miami Beach Police Department is standing up via a “Strike Team” with a specific focus of enforcing all types of criminal behavior to include; Narcotics, Theft, Disorderly Conduct, Disorderly Intoxication, Robberies, and Assaults in the Art Deco Cultural District. Additionally, the team includes a dedicated group of Traffic Enforcement Officers whose sole purpose is to enforce scooter violations, careless and reckless driving and any other applicable violations of traffic law. This mission differs from the day to day deployment schemes because personnel assigned do not answer typical calls for service in the ADCD. This responsibility falls under other patrol officers assigned to the area.
Back on September 14th, we implemented a new staffing plan with a purpose of assigning additional police personnel to the ADCD. As we are constantly evaluating results of operational changes, we have determined the need to implement a “Strike Team” at this current time. Along with the upcoming holidays and recent unruly behavior, the MBPD has determined that this is required in order to impact the area in a positive manner. The daily goal of the Strike Team will be to seek out and detect criminal activity and remove any level of comfort associated with an atmosphere of “anything goes”. The team will deploy to specific “hot spots” in the ADCD and locations where criminal activity is known to occur. Operation ADCD-Safe will commence the week of Monday, November 30th, 2020, and continue for at least 60 days, at which time an assessment will be conducted. The team will work Wednesday through Saturday from 5pm-3a. This schedule will remain flexible in order to adapt to the changing needs of the ADCD.
Personnel and Deployment Scheme:
- Police Captain
- Team Leader Acting Lieutenant
- Team Sergeant
- Team Sergeant Robbery Squad
- Team Sergeant Traffic Enforcement
- Team Sergeant SIS
- Crime Suppression Team
- Detached Proactive Uniformed Patrol Officers and K9
- Prisoner Transport Vehicle
- Traffic Enforcement Squad
- Robbery Squad
- SIS
Total number of personnel assigned to the Strike Team – approximately 29
High Visibility and Post Assignments:
- Ocean Drive - Fixed Posts from 8-11 streets
- Staffed by Officers from Area 1 and 4 Midnight Shift (Overlap period)
- Other Officers will be mobile along street
- Collins Avenue – Fixed Posts from 7-11 streets
- Staffed by Officers from Area 1 and 4 Afternoon Shift (Overlap period)
- Other Officers will be mobile along street
- Washington Avenue – Mobile police patrol from Area 1
Total number of personnel assigned to high visibility and post assignments during the overlap period is approximately 20. This is dependent on higher priority calls for service active at the time of deployment.
*Homeless Outreach Team:
The HRO’s will focus all outreach in the ADCD at various times during the day. Enforcement of Quality of Life violations and appropriate placement of those in need will be the focus of the HRO Team.
Public Messaging:
- The Public Information Officer is proactively formulating messaging that advises the general public of “stepped-up” enforcement efforts at certain times during the operation. The PIO will deploy to the ADCD during operations to capture police activity related to Operation ADCD-Safe.
The goal of the Miami Beach Police Department is to curb misbehavior and deter all types of criminal activity through proactive enforcement measures, thus changing the perception of a City where “anything goes”.
The results of Operation ADCD-Safe Week 1 beginning on December 02, 2020 were as follows:
- 34 arrests (9 felonies/25 misdemeanors)
- 92 traffic citations issued
Firearms and narcotics were also impounded and will be further investigated by our detective bureau. A fugitive wanted for a homicide in Georgia was also located and arrested.