The Alert Newsletter Online

Officer Damian Colon Returns to Miami to Begin Rehabilitation

Officer Damian Colon was discharged on April 19, 2023, from the Shepard Center, in Atlanta, GA, where heunderwent recovery for several months after being shot in the head by a stalker in November 2022. The facility is one of the best in the country for such injuries. He has a long road ahead of him and is now focused on his rehabilitation.
After he was discharged, he was put on a flight that brought him back home to Miami, and was then drivento the place where his rehabilitation will be ongoing, the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center inside Jackson Memorial Hospital. Due to the severity of his injury, Officer Colon has not regained the ability to walk yet, but it is the hope of the staff at the facility, as well as his family and friends, that the 17-year veteran from Hialeah will continue to make progress. The homecoming was attended by his family, friends,and many members of his extended family at the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD). His family wore black t-shirts with the phrase “HIS FIGHT IS MY FIGHT” on the front, and an illustration of a brainon the back with the phrase “#DAMIANSTRONG.” Officer Colon, wearing a baseball-style MDPD cap, andsunglasses, was taken inside the rehabilitation center by stretcher. He thanked his supporters on the way in.Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III was by his side, and later spoke with the media in front of the center.“We thought we were going to lose him, and now you see him talking and such tremendous progress,” Director Ramirez said. “I ask that the community keeps praying for him. He’s got a big heart, a good work ethic, and like I told him, a lot more work to do, and he’s ready.”
As a member of the Department’s Crime Suppression Team years ago, Officer Colon responded to domesticviolence cases, and was instrumental in protecting citizens from harm. He was headed to work, when the stalker, an ex-girlfriend who used a tracking device to locate him, shot him, leaving him in critical condition.She fled the scene, but was arrested the same night and is being held in jail pending trial on a charge of attempted murder. Officer Colon was rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center where he underwent surgery to save his life. Director Ramirez offered advice to domestic abuse victims. “Domestic violence affects everyone, you could be a police officer, you could be a doctor, a government official, it knows no boundaries and this is what happens, that’s why if you’re going through that, if you knowsomeone who is going through that, you need to report it.”
If you’re the victim of domestic violence, call the Department’s Special Victims Bureau’s Domestic Crimes Investigations Unit at 305-418-7200. You may also ask the State Attorney to press charges by calling305-547-0150. 

New Unit Created to Respond to Calls Involving Persons in Mental Distress or Crisis

Every week, the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Communications Bureau is inundated with 911 callsregarding people in crisis or with mental health concerns. The calls are highest in the South District and the Northside District, with over 5,600 logged annually, combined, an average of over 15 calls daily.
Calls that involve mentally ill subjects or people in emotional distress have circumstances that demand adifferent type of response from police than other calls, and that is why many law enforcement agencies in the U.S. have specialized units trained for such scenarios. The Miami-Dade Police Department recently launched its own Crisis Response Unit (CRU), a team of 19 officers and 2 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department paramedics. “Now is the time, we know that our community is more than ever suffering from great anxiety, great depression, a huge amount of mental illness, and that plays out unfortunately in crime, in safety issues, people who are at risk in their homes, in their neighborhoods, people who pose risks to others because of their instability, emotional crisis . . .” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, during the graduation ceremony of the first CRU class, on Monday, May 1, 2023. Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III said, “The mental health crisis is a crisis that knows no socioeconomicboundaries, it affects everybody.”
The applicants were selected based on their interpersonal skills, such as their ability to empathize with others, develop rapport, and communicate effectively. Some of the members hold college degrees in psychology, and some have children with autism or other neural disorders,or have lost loved ones to suicide. “Those lived experiences help them to relate,” said Major Melissa Barosela, Commander of the Department’s Mental Health & Wellness Bureau, which oversees the Unit. The team went through four weeks of crisis intervention training that focused on recognizing behavioral indicators of crisis, mitigating crisis situations with minimal use-offorce, and basic negotiating techniques.
Their performances during the training scenarios were video recorded and assessed. The Unit is now responding to calls in the South District and Northside District. The Department is hoping to add more officers to the Unit and expand into the Intracoastal District and the Hammocks District,Major Barosela said. The Unit works in teams of three, with two officers and a clinician from the Department’s Mental Health & Wellness Bureau. Officer safety and the safety of innocent personsremains tantamount, and only after scenes are deemed secure and safe by the officers, will the clinicians proceed to offer its specialized response. “The overall goal of the Unit is to de-escalate, assess, and divert those in crisis to behavioral health services in a safe and compassionate manner.”

Reentry Program launched by the Department, Intended to Reduce Recidivism

The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) has formed a unique Reentry Program, in collaboration with the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department, to connect inmates with a variety of socialservices after their release.
The Reentry Program represents a continuum of outreach initiatives by the Department that focuses onindividuals ranging from high-risk youth to felons. With the Youth Outreach Unit, for example, officers serve as mentors to high risk youth within the Northside, South, and Intracoastal Districts. And the Department’s Group Violence Intervention initiative focuses on teens who have been impacted by gun violence, have been charged with gun-related offenses, or are known to be affiliated with gangs. The intervention component includes a bevy of social services that will help them achieve a more productive life.
The Reentry Program seeks to reduce recidivism through similar methods, by connecting individuals who have served 364 days or less, with resources that can help them become productive citizens, and counseling services that can help them shed negative behavior. The Program will be run by a newly-created Reentry Specialist Unit, comprised of a supervisor, two reentry advocates, and a victim advocate, all professional staff members.
Prior to the creation of the Unit, Miami-Dade County did not have a reentry plan for individuals returning tothe community from its jails. In fact, the County’s efforts to develop a reentry program dates back to 2008, when a Blue-Ribbon Advisory Committee produced the report, “Breaking the Cycle: Rehabilitation and Job Training in County Jails.” The report came with 22 recommendations.
Seven years later, in 2015, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners created the Miami-Dade Reentry Council Committee, consisting of ten law enforcement and governmental agencies, including MDPD. The committee studied numerous existing reentry programs and services available to inmates. The committee concluded that there was a need for a new model that would go beyond connecting inmates to housing, job training, and educational benefit. The committee determined that a holistic component was needed as well, that would include substance abuse treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy, health and wellness, mentoring and peer learning, and spiritual guidance, among other services geared towardsself-improvement.
The assistance will not be a one-size-fits-all approach, but tailored to the specific needs of each individual. A Reentry Advocate will meet with an inmate prior to his or her release to determine what types of social services would be most suitable for them.
Approximately one-fifth of prison inmates from Miami-Dade County return to prison within 36 months of their release, according to the “Florida Prison Recidivism Report: Releases from 2008 to 2020,” by the Florida Department of Corrections.
Crime, particularly violent crime, is inextricably linked to recidivism rates, so by offering counseling and other self-help assistance to individuals after their release, the Reentry Program is essentially an anti-crime initiative.
On October 5, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the awarding of almost $100 million in grants to “jurisdictions, non-profit organizations, research institutions and other agencies to advance its goal of addressing the needs of people in correctional facilities and to empower those who have been incarcerated to return home as productive and thriving members of their communities.”
In January 2021, the Thrive305 Action Plan was launched, the largest public engagement initiative inMiami-Dade County’s government history. The plan was developed by the Division of Innovation and Performance, within the Office of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, after a process that included input from close to 27,000 residents from throughout the County, who shared their priorities and concerns through a resident survey. Additionally, over 500 residents joined in community discussions with County staff to develop a collective vision for Miami-Dade County. One of the priorities of the Action Plan is to “Improve correctional services and prepare incarcerated people for successful reentry to prevent recidivism.” A portion of the “Issue Statement” from that priority is:“We know that our County is safer when people exiting our correctional facilities can re-enter their communities and rebuild their futures. But re-entry needs are complex. And though programs exist that serve the re-entry community – on matters of education, employment, housing, health,and accessing childcare and other benefits – there are still far too many people that are falling through the cracks of this system. Services need to be targeted earlier and be more tailored. As a whole, the system of social supports available to this population requires significant growth and transformation.”

Department Unveils ”Law Enforcement Appreciation Vehicle,” Paying Tribute to Those Who Died in the Line of Duty, and Officers Who Carry on Legacy of Service

From the roof to the wheels, the Miami-Dade Police Department’s new Law Enforcement Appreciation Vehicle pays homage to the 168 officers who have died in the line of duty in Miami-Dade County, and to current officers who carry on their legacy.
The 2020 Dodge Durango Pursuit SUV is wrapped in matte black, with blue and white accents. There are several prominent design features. On the hatchback window, there are 168 stars, representing each officer who made the ultimate sacrifice, and on the rear bumper are 28 seals, of each law enforcement agency of a fallen officer. There is a concealed message that runs along the center of the roof, a vow to fallen officers, “WE HAVE IT FROM HERE 09 06.” The numbers symbolize the code that officers use daily to sign off at the end of their shift.
On the hood, there is a circular display, the image of a lion superimposed on the Stars and Stripes. Two phrases form the circumference, “IN VALOR THERE IS HOPE,” and “REMEMBER THE FALLEN.”
Both rear quarter panel windows feature the first stanza of the “Policeman’s Poem” by author John Barber, superimposed over a photograph of the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial site at Tropical Park. The stanza is “I have been where you fear to be, I have seen what you fear to see, I have done what you fear to do, All these things I have done for you.”
There are blue lights throughout the exterior of the vehicle, including lights embedded in the push bumper and on the underside. The license plate is black, with blue lettering and numerals, and there is a small sticker of an officer on bended knee affixed to the plate. The Department seal is on the driver’s door and the front passenger door, and a silhouette of an officer saluting is on both back doors. The Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police seal is on the driver’s side rear quarter, and the Police Officer Assistance Trust (POAT) seal is on the right rear quarter. POAT was founded in 1989 as a support organization of the Miami-Dade County law enforcement community, as a way to assist officers and their families in times of need. Prior to the formation of POAT, there was no entity or resource in place to provide financial support to families of fallen officers.
The silhouette on the right rear passenger door is that of Sergeant William A. Lopez, a 21-year veteran of the Department, who is assigned to the Miami-Dade Public Safety Training Institute & Research Center. “I am very humbled by it, and this vehicle is a fitting tribute to all those officers who died in the line of duty, their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” he said after the unveiling ceremony on Friday, April 28, 2023, at the Fred Taylor Headquarters Building.
The vehicle took months to create, from the lengthy planning phase, to the design phase. A committee of 20 Department personnel pored over the details. The SUV was unveiled by Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III just in time for Law Enforcement Appreciation Month, which is May.
Director Ramirez said the car represents “The perfect product that not only honors our fallen officers but honors the families and honors our officers right now who are putting their lives on the line each and every day.”
May 12, 2023 was designated as holiday for county employees, in recognition of Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. On April 5, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution recognizing the holiday, on the Friday before National Police Week, from Sunday, May 14 through Saturday, May 20, 2023. The holiday is in recognition of officers for putting their lives on the line in service to the community, and for continuing to promote a safer environment and maintain order.
On Monday, May 1, 2023, through POAT’s Project HERO (Honoring Every Resting Officer), officers with the Department placed an American/Eternal Thin Blue Line flag at the final resting places of 36 law enforcement officers and agents who died in the line of duty in the County. Director Ramirez spoke with his officers before they traveled to those sites.
“This is the beginning of a tough month, we’re going to get through it together, with honor, dignity and respect, we are going to honor the families of those that we lost, 168 here in Miami-Dade County,” Director Ramirez told his officers in front of the Fred Taylor Headquarters Building. He added, “We know you’ll be out there at each grave, placing the flag and giving your love and respect from this community and this Department, because we don’t forget here, that’s one thing here in Miami-Dade County that we do not do, we are here forever.”