MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There isn’t a single day that goes by that Miami Dade’s incoming police director, George Perez, doesn’t walk past a wall honoring officers killed in the line of duty.
On March 1st, walking past that wall will take on even greater weight, as he becomes director for the police force of more than 4,000.
Perez’s approach to policing, he says, “We can never have too much police, but we have to have equitable and constitutional policing.”
Perez, a 22-year veteran of the department takes over for Alfredo ‘Freddy’ Ramirez III, who was promoted to a larger public safety role.
The transition comes at a critical period for the county.
While crime is down 79 percent from the heights of 2021, random violence remains rampant.
Perez said crimes we’ve seen lately have reached a new level. “At the end of the day,” he said, “I really do feel like this pandemic has contributed to mental health. That is something we have seen come to fruition during this pandemic.”
He plans to make mental health treatment a major focus of his policing.
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Also, a target will be the sort of rap music, New York’s new mayor called for a ban from social media and YouTube.
Perez contends he has nothing against rap music as a whole, but he says this particular genre glorifies violence.
“A lot of YouTube videos that are often monetizing by publicizing the killing of people, and rival groups. This is what’s driving that senseless violence” he says.
His plan is to identify young children long before they start making YouTube videos and have social media beefs.
Perez said however his law enforcement beef with hip hop, isn’t personal. He says he was a huge fan of rap music in the 80s with Run DMC as his favorite group.
Prior to joining the police department, he was an entrepreneur and worked as a DJ at local radio station Power 96.
The next top cop in Miami-Dade is a rap-loving, former DJ, and ex-local explorer.
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March 1st, he will be in charge of the country’s seventh-largest police force.
