MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Days before the presidential inauguration, some officers from South Florida have been assigned to help with security at the event in the nation’s capital.

Dozens of officers from local law enforcement agencies will be heading to Washington, D.C., this weekend and traveling back next Tuesday.

Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne Jones spoke with 7News on Thursday.

“We’ve been doing this for decades now,” he said.

This year, Jones, said, the department will be sending five dozen officers to the inauguration.

“We’re sending 52 police officers to D.C. to support our local police officers there, support our federal partners there, provide safety and security for the inauguration,” he said.

Tens of thousands of officers from law enforcement agencies across the country will be heading to help D.C. Police officers tapped to secure this historic event.

For the first time, the inauguration will include officers from North Bay Village Police.

“Not every agency gets to do something like this,” said North Bay Village Police Chief Carlos Noriega. “It’s great exposure. I’ve called our police department a small agency with a large footprint.”

For this department, Noriega said, it is an honor to be slated to be part of a monumental day.

“It provides a lot of notoriety for our police department, and certainly, it’s something that everybody should be proud of,” he said.

Ten members of the North Bay Village Police were selected to go.

As for Miami Beach Police, several of their officers have received special training that makes them specially qualified.

“Thirteen of those police officers are specially trained to deal with folks in crowd control,” said Jones.

Jones said his officers will be assigned to help secure the parade route.

“To deal with, mitigate issues that may arise from any incident that may occur,” he said.

If protests become violent or other threats arise, these officers said they will be ready.

“There’s a sense of pride involved in that; there’s a sense of civil responsibility, public safety, and to be involved in that, it means a lot,” said Noriega.

About 25,000 members of the police and military will be on hand to provide security on Monday.

Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox