Miami-Dade Police Department gives back to the community

For everyone at the Miami-Dade Police Department, giving back to the community is a source of pride. There are many stories about the extraordinary efforts made by department members who go above and beyond to help those who in need, while on and off the job.

Here are some of those stories.

Midwest District Officer Leo Cantave, met Maria Garcia in May 2023 during his rounds as a member of the Neighborhood Resource Unit. When he saw her again a week before Christmas, he learned that she was living in her van. While telling Police Dispatcher Nicole Sears about Garcia, they started a GoFundMe Page and raised enough funds to help her get groceries, gas, clothes and renew her van registration. She also secured a P.O. Box so she could apply for jobs and eventually afford a place to live.

“I just love helping people, that’s my nature," said Cantave. "God blessed me. I have a good job that allows me to provide and if I can help somebody out, then I’ll do it.”

Sears said she is now looking for a way to establish a non-profit businessthat can help other people in similar situations. She even has a tentative name for the organization: Blue Hearts of South Florida.

Learn more about their efforts to help Garcia and others.

Since 2015, Officer Citia Easterling of the South District Neighborhood Resource Unit has been mentoring young girls. She gives them advice to help them focus on their education, families, and future, as well as to help them avoid some of the things that she experienced at their age while growing up in South Miami.

“I went through a lot of things as an innocent child," said Easterling. "But, it also led me to a path of mentoring to help young vulnerable girls."

Polished Gems is a mentoring group for girls ages six to 18. Members are divided into several age groups named after precious gems such as rubies, emeralds, diamonds and sapphires.

“We are helping these girls one at a time become better people so that they can grow up and be highly successful,” Easterling said.

Learn more about Easterling's volunteer work.

Homicide Bureau Detective Danny Morales and Northside Sergeant Brandon Espinosa are brothers who founded a nonprofit called Bleeding Blue Inc. in 2022. Since then, they have donated $130,000 to 22 law enforcement families through fundraisers such as 5k runs, sports tournaments, prayer vigils and t-shirt sales.

The expenses to organize the events are covered through donations and the rest of the donations go directly to the families. The brothers and their team do not receive any money. The Police Officer Assistance Trust (POAT) was founded in 1989 as a support organization for the law enforcement community of Miami-Dade County. It is a federally recognized charity that has raised millions in assistance for hundreds of officers and their families to help offset financial burdens associated with illness, injury, disability and death.

Bleeding Blue is independent of POAT. The brothers shared that POAT does tremendous work that has benefitted hundreds of families and is a much larger organization than theirs. They ensure that their fundraisers do not conflict with POAT or any other organization.

“We come from a family of law enforcement. Our stepdad, who raised us, was an officer in Hialeah for 30-plus years,” Espinosa said. "So now that we are here on this side and we see the gaps that maybe some people don’t see from the outside, we say, 'Hey, how can we fix this.'”

Learn more about Morales' and Espinosa's efforts.

Hats off to these individuals and many others at the MDPD who are passionate and dedicated to serving others.