By Suzie Ziegler
DORAL, Fla. — Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are working together this summer as part of a new strategy to fight violent crime in the greater Miami area.
Operation Summer Heat began on June 3 and will run for 12 weeks to help combat an uptick in violence, according to WSVN.
“I’ve never had to mobilize the entire county,” Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez said in an interview. “Our other crime initiatives were always for a specific area that was experiencing a trend, a hot spot.”
Under the new operation, officers will maintain an increased physical presence and online. The county will also send out 17 strike teams with the power to shut down illegally run businesses, according to WSVN.
“This is your law enforcement community right here standing shoulder to shoulder. Our federal partners, U.S. Attorneys, state attorney, FBI, DEA,” Ramirez said. “You’re going to have strategic enforcement, high visibility, community engagement. All four corners of this county know that the law enforcement community is unified together.”
City of Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo is also involved.
“We are working together. We’re leveraging our resources. We’re leveraging our intelligence, and most importantly, we’re leveraging the heart of the people of Miami-Dade,” Acevedo told WSVN.
The State Attorney’s Office plans to send their own staff to crime scenes as well, according to the report.
“People want us to get the killers and guns off the street,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said. “People want to be safe and feel safe right now. To the people of Miami-Dade County, your message is clear. We hear you.”