The Miami Heat has teamed up with the Miami Police Department to help bridge the gap between people of color and police officers.
The Miami Heat has brought on new members of the team to help the community.
They have expanded their 2020 groundbreaking partnership with Miami Police and dedication to community and came together to facilitate the law enforcement training for the entire Miami Police Department.
They joined forces in Miami to make the announcement.
“The Miami Heat, the city of Miami Police Department, and Dedication to Community, which we refer to also as ‘D2C’ have expanded their unique and ground breaking partnership with the goal of training the entirety of the Miami Police Department including approximately 900 uniformed officers,” said Michael Baiamonte, Miami Heat Announcer.
The Miami Heat organization wants to change the relationship between the police and the community they serve.
“The Miami Heat made a pledge that we were going to use our very unique position in this community and the platform that we have too affect change,” said Michael McCullough, Executive VP and CMO of the Miami Heat. “But what we wanted to do as The Heat is use our unique position in this community to be a bridge between law enforcement and the community.”
On top of the training program, basketball manufacturer Wilson has given 900 Miami Police Officers balls to keep in their cars, so they can play pick-up games with the South Florida youth.
Members of the police department said they are committed to the program and excited to get out and play.
“So our commitment is there, and I look forward to getting the basketballs out there,” said City of Miami Police Chief Manny Morales.
After the announcement, officers joined the kids in the crowd for hopefully the first pick-up game of many.
When the program started, only 75 officers were trained. Now the number has increased to more than 500.