MIAMI (WSVN) - A group of Miami-Dade Police officers are traveling to Washington D.C. to protect Donald Trump during the upcoming presidential inauguration.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the department was seen packing their gear and boarding a bus, headed to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

A total of 40 officers will be traveling to the nation’s capital for the historic event.

Friday, the department will be securing specific areas. Officials said they have been training for at least a year.

“It’s all year long,” said MDP officer Ricardo Lewis Alvarez. “We have quarterly training. Basically, we work hand in hand with our special operations unit that gives us the training to do building searches, rapid deployment, dignitary protection details that we do as well. A lot of times dignitaries that come into town, we provide security for them when they’re here.”

The Miami-Dade Police Department has participated in the security detail of the last three presidential inaugurations.

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