MIAMI (WSVN) - The Miami-Dade Schools Police Department gained 31 new officers who were sworn in to serve Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Edwin Lopez swore the new officers in Tuesday.
The new additions to the police department are part of Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High Public Safety Act. The bill requires one school safety officer at every school.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho addressed the progress that has been made since the shooting.
“Since Parkland, we have increased the number of sworn officers in our school system by 120. That’s 120 new officers in just a little over a year,” said Carvalho.
Kareem Brown, a former University of Miami Hurricanes football player, was among the new officers sworn in.
Brown was previously drafted in the NFL and played for the New England Patriots and the New York Jets.
7News spoke to Brown when he was a recruit in training.
Six months later, the Miami Norland Senior High School graduate is ready to serve the community he grew up in.
“I’m definitely ready. It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to and I’ve been training for, so I’m ready,” said Brown. “This is a platform where I can be able to use what I’ve already done on the field and be able to help the kids off the field. I’ve walked the steps that they want to walk, so I can be a mentor for them and just help guide them in the right direction.”
Like Brown, many of the new officers were born in South Florida.
Some of the new officers were even born in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
However, they all call South Florida their home, which is where they’ve sworn to serve proudly and honorably.
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