Alfredo Ramírez III, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, announced the beginning of Operation Summer Heat, aimed at combating violence with firearms.
During the press conference, the authorities of Florida, the most populous county in the state of Florida, representatives of local, state and federal police forces, as well as relatives of victims of gun violence attended.
The Summer Heat containment program will be in place for the next 12 weeks to strengthen communication between law enforcement agencies to curb the wave of violence that has gained intensity in the wake of Memorial Day.
“We have to act to prevent crime before it happens,” said Daniella Levine Cava, Mayor of Miami-Dade.
“We will continue working on the Peace and Prosperity plan to invest in our youth, but we will support the police to prevent crime now.”
For her part, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle spoke about the importance of retaking the streets and restoring peace.
“We are going to focus on the gangs that operate in the most violent areas, which attack each other and endanger the community,” he stressed.
“We will work with community members to obtain the information necessary to stop the violence. We know that there is fear to speak out, but we will use all the means to protect the witnesses ”, he stressed.
And then he added: “The people want us to take the weapons and gangs out of the street. The message is clear, but we need the community to step up to help us end this. “
According to the prosecutor, every day 100 people are killed by firearms in the country. “We have to say enough is enough,” he concluded.
For his part, the county police chief, Ramirez III, expressed that he will act together with the community.
“Operation Summer Heat is a call to action. During 12 weeks we will have a strategic reinforcement, greater visibility of the police forces and we will seek a greater community commitment ”, he declared.
“We want to know of any person who has an illegal weapon. We will take it away and bring it to justice. There will be zero tolerance ”, indicated Ramírez.
During the summer, 17 police teams will be deployed to increase surveillance in the most violent areas of the county and new security cameras will be placed.
“The exchange of information between all police departments is key. We will rely on the homicide task force that works in all municipalities. Every time we receive information from social platforms about a homicide case in which we are working or a possible violent act, we will be able to send our agents to the place, ”said Ramírez.
There will also be no tolerance for nightlife venues that lack the proper licenses to work. “Those who do not have a license will be closed,” warned Mayor Levine Cava.
They all agreed that citizen aid is key to ending this spiral of violence.
