City of Miami PD

[dcpolice]

Anybody know anything about working for Miami PD? All the usual questions salary vs cost of living, OT, advancement, benefits? I would like to be a detective. How long would it take? Where are some good (safe & affordable) places to live?

I am already Fl. certified.

Thanks

[Nole795]

I never worked with the City of Miami PD, but I was on a multi agency task force with members from MPD. I have always thought of the MPD as a great agency. They deal with a lot of political issues since everything happens in Miami. The detectives I worked with had approximately 5 years on before being promoted to Detective. I dont know all the details of the department but if I recall it is the second largest department in Dade County. There are a lot of different units/task force that you can be assigned to. I will say that morale was low when I was there in 2003, due to the federal indictments on several officers for bad shoots and planting of weapons on suspects.

The housing market in Dade county is outrageous and there is no PD that pays you enough to afford the housing there. A 1600 square foot home will probably run you around $275,000 to $400,000 in a modest neighborhood. If you want to live in Dade, I would recommend Kendall, or Miami Lakes Area. If you can afford the $500,000 range, then Coral Gables will also be a nice location.

If you are not spanish speaking, then I would recommend moving to South Broward County, such as Davie, Pembroke Pines, and Miramar area. The houses are slightly cheaper, but not by much. The traffic is just as bad as in Miami. I lived in a 30 year old condo in Davie while down in South Florida.

I won't even mention about the high cost of Homeowners Insurance and auto insurance. But hey it is Miami, for all the expensive issues, it is still one of the best cities I have ever worked in. You will get more experience there than in any other city in Florida.

Hope this helps.