LTC 248-2020 MBPD Policing Plan for the MXE and Enforcement of Emergency OrdersMA IA MK/BF ACH
OF FICE OF THE CITY MAN AGER
248-2020
NO. LTC# LETTER O COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members
FROM:. Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager ==.,_/
DATE: July 13, 2020
SUBJECT: MBPD Policing Plan for the MX and Enforcement of Emergency Orders
This Letter to the Mayor and City Commission is to provide information on the MBPD's plan to
address the unsafe behavior of recent visitors to the MXE and the wide-spread disregard towards
the COVID-19 Emergency Orders instituted to help prevent the spread of this dangerous disease.
The MBPD is working hard to meet the challenges of enforcing the mandates of the Emergency
Orders in place due to the spread of COVID-19. The enforcement of these mandates is, to say
the least, challenging when combined with MBPD's continuous mission of addressing crime and
other community concerns. Despite the impact of the COVID-19, and the related quarantining of
police personnel due to their own exposure, MBPD is determined to meet these challenges. Our
plan, as indicated below, is to enhance our abilities by providing additional proactive police
measures throughout the City and also finding additional ways to enforce the requirements of the
Emergency Orders for wearing masks, social distancing, complying with restaurant restrictions,
and enforcing the curfew. To address this challenge, the MBPD will be initiating several new
directives to include the following:
• MBPD Command Staff will be working into the midnight shift, and on a nightly basis, to
provide additional leadership and guidance;
• We will have enhanced staffing in the MXE for this weekend supplementing our numbers
with additional personnel from the Miami-Dade Police Department;
• Beginning on Monday, July 20, we will also be modifying the staffing plan of the
Department to a staffing plan that resembles the COVID-19 staffing plan utilized in March;
• MBPD will again emphasize addressing the homeless population in locations where they
are known to congregate, and offer services while also dealing with quality of life issues;
• MBPD will return to regular, and consistent, park and walk details and patrols in the area
of 41 st Street, the Washington Avenue corridor, Lincoln Road and SOFNA;
• MBPD will continue to work closely with Code Enforcement to enforce the emergency
orders as they pertain to area restaurants;
• MBPD will continue to dedicate personnel to the enforcement of the City-wide curfew.
Reverting to the previous COVID-19 modified staffing plan will enhance our abilities to keep our
officers from spreading the virus amongst themselves until the numbers of infected start to decline.
Moreover, the plan will provide for additional officers on the street thus enabling MBPD to have the
much-needed extra personnel to manage the frequently uncooperative and unruly crowds that are
completely ignoring all reopening guidelines in the Entertainment District. Moving forward, our
intent is to ensure that we make every effort to enforce the Emergency Orders, restrictions and
safety measures mandated by both Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami Beach.
JLM:RMC:tr