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Special Operations Bureau
from Annual Report

Major James Dunkelberger


The Special Operations Bureau, managed by Major James Dunkelberger, supports the department’s mission and goals through specialized support to the uniformed services of the department’s Community Oriented Policing Bureau. The Special Operations Bureau consists of the Criminal Investigations Division and Special Operations. This includes Youth Services, Police Explorers, Traffic Unit, Hostage Negotiations Team, Property and Evidence, Victims Services, Burglary Task Force, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), P.R.I.M.E. Unit, Dive Team, Training Unit, Crime Scene Unit and the Criminal Investigations Division.
THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION UNIT
The Criminal Investigation Unit is composed of 14 detectives that are assigned to the General Investigative Unit, Special Victims Unit and Homicide Unit. There are also three detectives that are assigned to the U.S Marshalls Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force, FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and FBI Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force.
GENERAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
The General Investigative Unit is composed four detectives who investigate all burglaries, thefts, arson and criminal mischief cases.

SPECIAL VICTIMS’ UNIT
The Special Victims Units is composed of five detectives responsible for investigating child abuse/ neglect, sex crimes and missing juveniles. The detectives are also members of Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that investigate any type of on-line child exploitation.
HOMICIDE UNIT
The Homicide Unit is composed of five detectives that are responsible for investigating homicides, suicides, unattended deaths, robberies, assaults, domestic violence, and missing adults.
The Homicide Unit investigated eleven homicides this year and successfully cleared seven by arrest. The unit also arrested an offender responsible for a cold case homicide that occurred in 2002, where a fifteen-year-old female was stabbed to death in her home. This year the unit also successfully identified a male who was found dead in 1988 and was never identified.
YOUTH SERVICES / STUDENT RESOURCE OFFICER UNIT
In 2021 the Youth Services Unit faced new challenges as Broward County Schools returned to in-person learning. Traffic complaints around the city increased tremendously due to renewed drop off and dismissal vehicular congestion and diminished use of school bus transport. In addition, school administration experienced an increase in behavioral issues and inappropriate social media posts due to the long absence from in person learning. Even in challenging times, the school resource officers continue to provide a safe and secure environment for students, faculty and the citizens of Miramar.
TRAFFIC SAFETY UNIT
The primary goal of the Traffic Safety Unit is to promote the safe and expeditious flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic within the city. This is accomplished by fair and consistent enforcement of state and local traffic laws, educating the public and traffic engineering. This year, the traffic unit implemented and supported the traffic plan for the covid vaccination sites, as well as the implementation and operation of the COVID-19 testing facility throughout the year.



POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE (PAL)
The Miramar Police Athletic League’s (PAL) mission is to build character and self-esteem in the community’s youth. PAL has been developing youth leaders through community partnerships that foster effective mentoring, tutoring and coaching since 1989. Some of the ways in which this is accomplished is through team building and athletic opportunities. In JanuaryMarch, 250 children participated in the basketball League at two locations, Youth Enrichment Center and Sunset Lakes Community Center. The leagues pride themselves in being more than just athletics, but also an opportunity to offer positive physical and mental wellness activities for the city’s youth. In a time when so many kids were struggling in various ways, the PAL mentoring program was an ongoing success. This invaluable program boasts approximately 20 kids and mentors actively participating in virtual monthly meetings. Miramar PAL also offers outdoor soccer programs at Regional Park for ages from 3 – 17 yrs old. When the days heat up, Miramar PAL offers an Indoor Soccer program held at Sunset Lakes community center for children 4-12 yrs old. The Miramar Police Department partnered with the Miramar Police Athletic League (PAL) to raise funds for PAL’s programs. The 2021 Charity Golf Tournament was a huge success, as more than $27,000 was raised to help families with limited ability to afford the costs related to youth sports

VICTIMS SERVICES UNIT
In 2021, the Victim Services Unit served 1,183 victims, providing intervention and preventative services. Additionally, the unit raised awareness on crime victimization in the community. This was accomplished through participation in programs such as Citizens’ Police Academy and countywide task forces related to crime victimization. The unit engaged in various mentorship projects, as well as social media outreach related to National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Additionally, the unit assisted with training new detectives. Also, the unit was awarded the Victims of Crime Act grant for fiscal year 2021-2022. Student interns volunteered in the Victim Services Unit, providing 622 service hours to the City of Miramar for the year.
SWAT TEAM
In all critical situations, the protection of human life is the Miramar Police Department’s top priority. Whenever possible, the Department will attempt to resolve critical situations through communication and negotiation. However, the department recognizes that the protection of human life also requires operational development, readiness and ability to respond to critical situations accordingly.
The mission of our SWAT Team is to provide a highly trained and skilled special weapons and tactical team as an additional resource for responding to and handling critical situations (i.e. barricaded subjects, hostage situations, snipers, terrorist acts, suicide resolutions, highrisk searches, arrest warrants, dignitary protection, and any other unusual crisis situation). This year the Miramar SWAT Team conducted 18 training sessions.
PRIME UNIT
Preventing Repeat Incarceration through Monitoring and Enforcement (PRIME) Unit focuses its resources on juveniles and adults who are identified as repeat offenders. The PRIME Unit is comprised of four detectives and one sergeant. The unit works in conjunction with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Florida Department of Probation and Parole, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office and the judiciaries. This highly successful program has been recognized by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation and other


PRIME PROGRAM 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICS
P.R.I.M.E JUVENILES MONITORED Average No. of Juveniles Monitored per Month Total No. of Juveniles Monitored for the Year
Total Number of Juvenile Checks Conducted
PRIME UNIT 2021 ANNUAL STATISTICS
12
26
103
P.R.I.M.E UNIT ARRESTS Felony Misdemeanor
Total Unit Arrests
P.R.I.M.E UNIT SEIZURES AND RECOVERIES Narcotics Seized Marijuana Crack/Cocaine Total Seized
Firearms
Stolen Vehicles Recovered
OPERATIONS/PROBATION SWEEPS Crime Suppression Operations Probation Sweeps Total Operations/Probation Sweeps
47
17
64
1580g
0
1580g
12
6
97
2
99
entities as an exemplary program. PRIME Unit functions include analyzing, tracking and apprehending habitual offenders who reside in Miramar. The detectives in the unit conduct home visits on offenders in Miramar who are on probationary status. They attend and provide input at judicial proceedings for both juveniles and adults as well as facilitate weekly meetings with the parents/guardians of juvenile offenders to monitor their progress and behavior in school and at home. The PRIME detectives conduct warrant and probationary sweeps on Miramar offenders, and provide assistance to the Criminal Investigations Division and Strategic Investigations Unit with regards to violent crimes and gang related activities, as well as provide support to the Community Oriented Policing Bureau to address crime trends as they develop. The PRIME Unit also conducts a robbery prevention operation, known as Operation Silent Nights, on a yearly basis during the month of December. This operation covers the main shopping plazas and thoroughfares within the City of Miramar. During the 2021 robbery prevention operation, there were no robberies reported. In 2021, the PRIME Unit monitored 26 juvenile offenders and conducted 103 home checks. The PRIME Unit also monitored the re-arrest rates of these juvenile offenders. As a result of the unit’s hard work and dedication, juvenile re-arrest rates decreased by 8% from the previous year, coming in at an all-time low of 12%. Other notable highlights of the unit’s success were its proactive street crime investigations. In 2021, the PRIME Unit arrested 64 offenders, seized 1,580 GM of Marijuana, recovered 12 firearms and 6 stolen vehicles, and conducted 2 adult probation sweeps.



DIVE TEAM
During 2021, the Miramar Police Dive Team conducted seven training sessions. Training sessions involved underwater crime scene preservation, search patterns, emergency drills, blacked-out exercises, general safety skills and diver emergency rescue.
Through the course of the year the Dive Team was utilized in the recovery of one deceased person who was recovered reference a Miami Dade missing persons incident. Two article searches for evidence involved in homicides were conducted and three motor vehicles were recovered
TRAINING UNIT
The Miramar Police Department is committed to having the most professional law enforcement professionals in the industry and prioritizes training throughout an individual’s career. The Miramar Training Unit is dedicated to developing the skills, knowledge, and service delivery of sworn officers and professional staff. The Department delivers comprehensive training to ensure our citizens are provided quality public safety services while being treated with professionalism, dignity, and respect.
In 2021, the Training Unit processed 289 training requests. Those class registrations translate into approximately 10,525 hours of career development training, received by personnel in 2021. The Training Unit kept very busy with in-house training both in class and on the department’s own firing range.
In 2021 the Training Unit conducted:
The Training Unit conducted, hosted or otherwise facilitated approximately 9,302 personnel hours of training, broken down as follows:
In Service Training New Hire Training New Sergeant Training Specialized Training 5,070 3,180 160 32
Annual in-service training blocks 28 Sworn and professional staff were trained 507 Total hours of training provided 5,070
New hire in-service training blocks Sworn new hires Professional new hires
Total hours of training
8 26 2
3,180
New sergeant training sessions Sergeants trained
Total hours of sergeant training
3 4
160
Training on the Range:
HR 218 Qualifications Outside agency usage Annual agency qualification session SWAT range sessions PD Open range session 14 9 1 3 1
Specialized Training Courses:
Citizen’s Police Academy sessions- 8hrs 5 Operating in High Liability Events sessions- 18hrs 6 Bodycam/Signal Sidearm Swap-outs- 6hrs 3
During the year 2021, a total of 4,318 items were entered into the Evidence Management System. The Evidence Technicians returned 479 items to their rightful owner and/or next of kin and 175 items were physically destroyed in a purge of general property and evidence. This year, the unit had the unique opportunity to move into a brand new, state of the art building designed for their needs. In this process, the Unit successfully moved 37,968 items into the long awaited Historic Public Safety Complex. Over the course of this year, 26 items, to include jewelry, baseball & basketball cards, Coach purses, podcaster microphones, Hi Speed fishing reels and a Vizio television were sent to PropertyRoom.com for auction. The total payment the Department received from PropertyRoom. com was $2,497.16. A total of $52,469.09 was deposited into the Sale of Seized Assets account. The Property and Evidence Unit continues to maintain the highest training standards in the industry, for both seasoned and new employees.
CRIME SCENE UNIT
Miramar Crime Scene Unit processed 486 crime scenes, achieved nine AFIS latent fingerprint hits, and 22 CODIS DNA hits. The Unit obtained one National Integrated Ballistic Information Network firearm hit. This hit was from a firearm recovery in Miramar and used in a homicide in Miami. The Crime Scene Unit presented crime scene classes for the Citizens Police Academy. The unit assisted the property & evidence move into the new facility. Thousands of items of evidence were inventoried and physically moved by the Crime Scene Unit from the old facility to the new Historic Public Safety Complex. The unit participated with this year’s various gun buy-back events. The Crime Scene Unit welcomed a new Crime Scene Technician, who completed ten weeks of in-house training.

The Crime Scene Unit further supported the department by photographing various events and activities such as the new police officer graduation ceremony, swearingin ceremony the memorial monument ribbon cutting, the Citizens Police Academy graduation, the Polar Express and the photographs with Santa. Additionally, they are responsible for official photos of all new hires and newly promoted individuals. The crime scene supervisor assisted the Property & Evidence Unit with the gun destruction from the year’s gun buy-back events. Fingerprinting services for the public also were facilitated by the Crime Scene Unit.
Crime Scene Technicians obtained their International Association for Identification Crime Scene Investigator certification. This distinction allows them to be titled Crime Scene Investigator and was an accomplishment for all three who had this opportunity. Miramar Police Department’s Crime Scene Supervisor obtained his FAA Drone recurrent pilot license. Finally, the Unit assisted the Criminal Investigations Division with test firing firearms for the BrassTRAX examination of spent casings to be examined by the Broward Sheriff’s Office Crime laboratory.

