DORAL, Fla. (WSVN) — The Miami-Dade Police Department is taking a major step in combating crime across the county by trying to reach at-risk youth.
The department announced it has selected 25 officers to join its Youth Outreach Unit, Wednesday. Those officers will be responsible for mentoring at-risk youth with the goal of steering them away from lives of crime and violence.
"These youth are acting out on whatever negativity is going on in their life. They’re acting out with violence, and it’s a problem that you can’t arrest yourself out of," said Miami-Dade Police Assistant Director Alfredo Ramirez. "Arresting is not the solution for this. What we have to do is an intervention."
The unit targets both the kids and their families. It also provides several services, including family counseling, job placement and substance abuse treatment.