Miami police are expanding their presence in Downtown, Brickell and Edgewater through the creation of a new district and the addition of hundreds of new officers.
For residents like Jairo Riveros, who moved to Brickell in 2021, the change reflects how much the city has grown in just a few years.
“I don’t feel unsafe. But I don’t feel as it was. Which means we need more presence,” Riveros said.
He believes more officers on the streets could improve quality of life. “Having their presence will invite more of us to be out and about,” he said.
East District will cover Brickell, Downtown and Edgewater
Miami Police Chief Manny Morales said the department is combining the Edgewater, Downtown and Brickell areas into one new East District, which averages about 120,000 calls for service a year.
“Miami is beginning to blossom. We just wanna make sure we take the lessons learned in other cities, as they had that metropolitan explosion of population, business, entertainment, and keep pace with it,” Morales said.
He added that the goal is to increase visibility by deploying more officers on foot, scooters and bikes.
More officers, more tools
On top of the new district, Morales said the department will add 300 new officers over the next three years, with some assigned to the East District.
“Having more bodies here, it gives you the ability to do more stuff. Do more initiatives, more crime fighting, police visibility,” Morales said.
The push for more resources comes after recent violent incidents, including a fatal stabbing at the Icon Towers in June and a deadly shooting near Brickell City Centre in April. Morales said the city’s population-to-police ratio needs to be adjusted to keep pace with growth.
He expects the East District to be operational by the end of the year.
Technology and support from Downtown Development Authority
In addition to staffing increases, the Miami Downtown Development Authority is providing more surveillance cameras, funding for police overtime and even a new drone to bolster public safety efforts.
