Doral, Fla. unveils its first police department whose officers are hitting the streets with a mission to cut down traffic violations.
By Jennifer Mooney Piedra, Miami Herald
If drivers think they can speed through Doral with little chance of getting a ticket, they’d better think again.
As of early Monday, officers in the city’s newly established police department took to the streets for the first time, focused on combating speeding and other driving violations.
“Don’t come into this city to speed or run a red light because we’ll be here,” warned Cmdr. Ricardo Gomez, chief of the department.
Many Doral residents got a chance to meet Gomez, a 23-year veteran of the Miami-Dade force, and the city’s new police officers Friday at a barbecue in Doral Park.
The department, an enhanced service provided under contract with Miami-Dade County, is staffed with 45 uniformed officers for road duties, six neighborhood resource specialists, six detectives and several sergeants and lieutenants. For now, Doral police will work out of the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Doral District Station at 9101 NW 25th St.
Doral officers will continue wearing the two-tone brown Miami-Dade Police uniforms, but there will be one distinct difference: a patch, worn on the left shoulder, of a sun setting, palm trees, a golf course, a white bird and a blue lake, surrounded by the words “City of Doral.” Their cars have the same green, white and gold design as Miami-Dade vehicles, except the name “City of Doral” is emblazoned on the doors.
Since Doral incorporated last year, residents such as Jose Tavarez have been waiting for a city police force.
“It makes me feel safer,” Tavarez said at the event.
Residents say traffic enforcement is long overdue in the area, which is heavily traveled during morning and afternoon rush hours.
"`The traffic here is horrible,” said resident Linda Scott. “I see four to five people run red lights every morning. I look forward to seeing [the police] catch a few.”
Because violent crimes are not a problem in Doral and traffic is, police say they will be “saturating” the community to cut down on car crashes and excessive speeding.
Incorporation advocates say having an independent, or even semi-independent, police department is one of the greatest benefits of becoming a city. Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez agrees.
“This is the first clear sign that shows we are a city -- and we are real excited about it,” Bermudez said.
As music echoed throughout the park Friday, children ran around with friends, while others played hide-and-seek behind the line of squad cars. A few dozen police officers mingled with city officials and residents.
“I think time will tell how well this will work,” said resident Joan Aldinger, who expressed concern about trucks regularly passing through “no truck” zones.
By forging relationships with residents, Doral officers say, they will be successful.
“This will be a different style of policing,” said Officer Darren Handy. “We’ll get out there and play an educational role, be more involved and more accessible.”
Handy, like his colleagues, volunteered for assignment in Doral because he was ready for a change. Previously a Miami-Dade officer in Cutler Ridge, where violent crimes happened regularly, Handy said he looks forward to spending more time with Doral residents.
To familiarize officers with Doral, the city required they take part in a week-long orientation in which they worked on report-writing, crime labs, commercial motor vehicle enforcement and legal issues, said Officer Luis Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, an officer for five years who worked in the Liberty City area, was also thrilled when he was assigned to Doral.
“It’s a great change,” Rodriguez said. “People like this area because it’s a community with open arms that supports you.”
And the new department, he said, is not too shabby.
“You’ve got the best of the county here,” he said.