Community Programs

About the Program

If you've been given a Civil Violation Notice or a Complaint/Arrest Affidavit for certain Miami-Dade County Code violations, you may be eligible and choose to participate in the Miami-Dade County Diversion Program.

The D.A.R.E. program is the most widely used substance abuse prevention and safety promotion curriculum in the world.

The safety of our elderly community is important to us due to the rise in elderly pedestrian fatalities and falling victim to identity theft.

How to Participate

Gun Bounty Program

Help get weapons and criminals off the streets and get a $1,000 reward for turning in somebody who has an illegal gun.

If you have information about a person who owns a gun illegally, call Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade & The Florida Keys at 305-471-8477. Once you have provided detailed information and the offender is arrested along with the recovery of an illegal gun, you will be eligible for the $1,000 reward.

All calls will remain confidential and no one will ever ask your name or phone number. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office is committed to a quick and thorough ending of any problems involving illegal gun activity.

Since its inception in 2007, the Gun Bounty Program makes it possible for residents to get a $1,000 reward for turning someone in with an illegal gun. The goal is to get weapons and criminals off the streets by reaching out to individuals who know someone with an illegal firearm. Remember for every gun taken off the streets, you save lives!

Citizen's Police Academy (CPA)

CPA offers civilians with civic interests an exposure and insight to the "Police Experience." It is a 16-week evening program, one night per-week for 3 1/2 hours in which students are taught classes on topics such as law, firearms, use for force, stress management, domestic violence, patrol procedures and more. The CPA has proven to be extremely successful in educating citizens and in transforming negative attitudes into appreciation and understanding of law enforcement.

Youth Athletic Mentoring Initiative (YAMI)

The YAMI program emphasizes the ideal of positive life choices, education, and involvement in sports, as opposed to destructive decisions and the negative outcomes associated with criminal activity, as well as the perils of "gang life." As part of this program, MDSO Community Affairs Bureau Community Youth Outreach Section has coordinated several field trips and events to give the participating youth an opportunity to experience Miami-Dade County differently and to build better community relations. These opportunities are used to teach and mentor the participants about teamwork, character building, and self-esteem. Participants attend athletic functions with assigned police officers, forging a stronger bond between the police and the youth of the Community.

Turnaround Police Academy (TAP)

The TAP program was initiated in 2005, in conjunction with the MDC Juvenile Services Department and MDCPS Administrators/Division of Opportunities & Access. TAP is an intense 11-week program, which offers a structured curriculum designed to instill traditional values and encourage community service. Participants are mandated to attend by the courts at the earliest stages of the juvenile justice process as an intervention method rather than incarceration. TAP offers a cadre of prevention techniques, which discourage continued delinquency. It provides a holistic approach to family, school, and law enforcement intervention. Sworn officers act as teachers and mentors, and routinely conduct home visits.

Youth Outreach Unit (YOU)

The YOU is tasked with proactively engaging adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17, who have a sibling or close family member who has been the direct victim of gun violence within our Northside, Intracoastal, and South Districts in Miami-Dade County. In addition to performing best practices strategically geared towards community-oriented policing with a focus on youth crime prevention, the YOU seeks to support four key components: nutrition, mental wellness, education and employment opportunity. The utilization of existing community-based programs and evidence-based curricula from key community stakeholders is critical to ensure a pivot in a young and growing mind from potential violence and disparity to opportunity and progress.

Enhanced Traffic Enforcement Initiative

The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Department along with the City of Miami Police Department and the Village of Key Biscayne Police Department are working in collaboration to develop a joint enforcement traffic plan for the Rickenbacker Causeway and the laws pertaining to vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

The goal of the Enhanced Traffic Enforcement Initiative is to increase police presence on the Rickenbacker Causeway in order to ensure the safety and security of the public. The initiative will run for 90 days during all shifts, seven days a week.

The Enhanced Traffic Enforcement Initiative will educate the public on the traffic laws on the Rickenbacker Causeway, including Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and prevention, speeding and related bicycle and pedestrian laws. The initiative will also enhance visible and proactive police presence on the Causeway to ensure the safety and security of the public. Multi-agency DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols are also in place.

Crime Prevention Display Vehicle

The Crime Prevention Display Vehicle serves as an extension of the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office's community awareness and education objectives. It is a state-of-the-art community and crime prevention tool, which presents information on the effects of drinking and driving, drug awareness, crime prevention and community-based programs and information offered by the Department. The Crime Prevention Display Vehicle is showcased at hundreds of community functions and is visited by thousands of people of all ages.

Organizations interested in booking the Crime Prevention Display Vehicle should email [email protected]. Booking must be done at least two weeks before the event.