MIAMI – Miami police are getting active shooter kits after two police shooting in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a threat on Friday that someone was looking to target law enforcement officers in the South Florida area.
The Miami Police Department will get about 700 kits, costing about $300,000.
Commissioner Francis Suarez, who proposed the idea, said police officers need and deserve the protection more than ever.
"(There are) citizens that need protecting and you have officers who are willing to put themselves on the line to do it, and I think we owe it to them to give them the best equipment possible," Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes said.
Llanes was at a community relations board meeting on Monday, where police-involved shootings were the main topic of conversation.
"The threat is getting more severe," Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said.
Gimenez said he saw the violent trend months ago and decided officers should have more protection.
"If we're going to ask them to protect us, we have to protect them," he said.
Many Miami-Dade police officers have new protective vests and high-powered rifles, which cost the county $1.5 million.
Other departments are taking a different approach to reduce anxieties in the community.
The Sunrise police chief released a video, reminding the public that his department is there to "serve, protect, and unite the community."