In 2022, the Training and Personnel Development Section (TPDS) has worked diligently to not only achieve but surpass the goals that were set. Training goals were set for health and wellness programs, community-based programs, and active attacker scenarios for the in-service detail. Our Academy detail has worked tirelessly to provide training to 3 Police Academy Classes (PAC) while maintaining its reputation as one of the most prestigious academies within the state of Florida. The Training and Personnel Development Section has worked to improve its relationship with various units in the City of Miami to facilitate impactful and efficient training.

The Training Administration Section has teamed up with the Staffing Unit to ensure a more efficient and effective way to schedule personnel for training. As such, the attendance in ADAPT has increased exponentially. To ensure that our training benefits all sections of the agency, we’ve met with other internal units to identify training needs and have since added those topics to the core curriculum.

ADAPT training was geared to enhance annual training with new reality-based scenarios, case studies, and research-based iterations. The Skills Development Detail researched safety training topics, national police deadly force encounters, and recommended enforcement practices. The detail created training goals and performance objectives for designed scenarios so officers could demonstrate proficiency during ADAPT 2022. The new curriculum included the topics of Duty to Intervene, Officer Ambush, Domestic Violence enforcement, Vehicle Close Quarter Battle, Vehicle Felony Stop movements, Contact and Cover techniques, handcuffing iterations, Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) training, enhanced de-escalation, and autism awareness methods. The lessons included detailed lesson plans, interactive PowerPoint presentations, multiple scenarios, and exercises.

To ensure we put officer health and wellness at the forefront, the TPDS introduced the Struggle Well training program, and Peer Support based trainings. This program focuses on mental wellness and dealing with stressors that officers face daily. It provides a foundation that encourages officers to confront their daily stressors and cope with them in a healthy manner. Reviews from the course have been encouraging and explain the positive impact that it is having on attendees with many asking for more advanced programs provided by the Boulder Crest Foundation.

To ensure that as an agency we continue bridging the gap between law enforcement and the community, the Training and Personnel Development Section has continued its community-based programs and provided training to members through a course titled “Serving in the 21st Century: Dedication 2 Community (D2C).” These sessions involve members of the community and police personnel that get personalized time to share their experiences to facilitate an understanding of why police perform their tasks in the manner they do. It also provides members of the community the opportunity to enlighten police on the perception received by the community and how impactful one member’s actions can be in any given encounter.

While seeing the need for additional active killer training, the Training and Personnel Development Section hosted a complex coordinated terrorist attack exercise at the Miami Riverside Center. The exercise components included a full-scale exercise, a tabletop exercise for command staff, and the implementation of a Family Reunification Center. This exercise was completed with Miami Fire Rescue to test our capabilities, policies, and identify any gaps we may have, and to establish best practices when responding to an active killer incident. Also, an online video was produced to reinforce the policy, procedure, and best practices when responding to an active killer attack.

Additionally, the International Policing Institute Program (IPI) has been restored. We have had several foreign students attend the program in 2022 and we already have interest for 2023 from many foreign agencies in sending their recruits to learn from our agency policy, tactics, and expertise.

Lastly, The Miami Police Academy continues its reputation of being the one of best training academy in Florida. As such, the Miami Police Academy instructed officers from Bay Harbor Island PD, Coral Gables PD, Hallandale Beach PD, Hialeah PD, Miami Springs PD, and North Miami PD.