The City of Miami Florida has programs for community policing, that like many other departments involve both citizens and officers working together. The programs allow the two parties to come together are as follows.
Citizens Volunteer Program
Coffee with a cop
COPPS program
Community Service Squad
Crime Prevention Display Vehicle
Citizens Volunteer Program
The Citizens Volunteer Program or CVP was initiated to gain citizens interest in a program that allows them to do work for different entities and departments within the Miami Police. Duties include
- filing
- answering calls
- distributing mail
- other duties
With the exposure to police activities everyday, the participants get a real life depiction of what it is like to work as a police officer and at a police department. They hope to give the volunteers a
realistic perspective of the law enforcement system and a positive regard for the police agency and its personnel
Coffee with a Cop
Everyone knows cops love donuts and coffee! Right !? What better experience than to get to share that special time where your local police officer makes his daily trip to the donut shop. This program is actually a monthly meet and greet amongst the District Police Major and respective residents and business owners in said district. It is an informal meeting where both parties can feel comfortable.
The results have been good. An enhanced sense of relationships have been established.
COPPS Program
The COPPS Program which stands for:
Community-Oriented Policing, Practices & Strategies has specially trained officers that conduct community-oriented policing strategies to serve the many communities. They officers use bicycle or foot patrols in order to lessen the gap between citizens and police. Having the officers out of patrol cars give the sense there are no barricades between them.
Goals include
- Increasing community cooperation
- address community concerns
- specialized techniques such as truancy sweeps and school zone radar enforcement
