Exclusive: MDPD Director Unveils Northside District Gun Violence Plan
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – CBS4's Natalia Zea asked several people who live or work in a neighborhood served by the Northside District of Miami-Dade Police, and they all said the same thing – they consistently see crime scenes close by.
Some have been so close, they won't put their names or faces on TV.
"Kids robbing nowadays, I see that a lot," said one 20-year-old man, who asked to remain unidentified.
"It's been somebody dying just about every day, every week," added a woman who also wanted to remain anonymous.
It's a disturbing reality that led the Police Maj. Ricky Carter of the Northside District to come up with a new plan to tackle gun violence in that part of town.
"The major following suit, following what my vision was for the department, he created a three-tier plan," Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez told Zea.
Perez said the plan first focuses on community policing, by walking the beat and attending neighborhood meetings. The plan is to get everyone from street cops to top brass involved in the neighborhoods they police.
"So now when the community member deals with officer Perez, they know officer Perez solved his problem," said Director Perez.
The goal is to gain the trust of the public, to in turn gain their help in weeding out and cracking down on the bad guys.
"Stand with the good people of those communities so we can combat crime, fight crime together," Perez said.
Trust in these areas might be tough to come by.
"Keep it real, people don't even trust their own friends, they're not going to trust the police," said Northside resident Antonio Davis, though he commended the police for their efforts.
"Let's get together and talk. I think that's a real good idea," said the unidentified 20-year-old.
The second tier of the plan involves working with specialized police units as well as federal agencies to seize drugs and guns, and make arrests, like they did in a bust last month.
The third tier employs the use of technology like street cameras, license plate readers and shot detection systems to help police respond to troubled areas more quickly.
"I think that'll help, it'll put fear in some of their hearts," the unidentified woman told Zea.
Still some, like Davis, believe simply seeing officers on the streets is the best deterrent.
"If the police is just standing in a certain area they won't shoot. Half of the people doing the shootings are cowards," Davis explained.
It's a multi-step plan with one goal – to make the neighborhoods in this area safer for those who speak out, and those too afraid to step out of the shadows.
