MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The idea is to have officers dedicated to being ready for a tragedy if it were to occur.
It started with the push to provide even more protection for all schools, but these teams will be doing much more than preparing for active shooters.
The attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has become a catalyst for change, and yet, attacks just like it continue to happen across the country.
"Over and over and over, you continue to see it. Everybody is well aware of what the problem is, what the concerns are," Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said.
In response to growing doubts over public safety, the Miami-Dade Police Department is trying to adapt to the times, creating new teams of highly trained officers specifically aimed at taking down potential threats.
"We know that eventually, one may get through, and what we want to do is create teams that do not only enhance our response in schools but anywhere in this community," Perez said.
Perez said the new priority response teams will not be replacing SWAT officers, but they will serve as a primary line of defense whenever a situation requires their help.
"Their main focus, their main priority is to stop an active shooter. The first thing is to stop the killing, the second thing is stopping the dying," Perez said.
The idea came about when discussing how to provide protection for all schools under new laws. The county realized a significant number of students still wouldn't be covered by school resource officers.
"Parents that have kids that are in private schools or in charter schools are asking, like I would be asking if I had a kid in a charter school, 'What about my kids? What are we doing to protect my kids from a similar situation?'" Perez said.
Nine teams of officers will be created -- seven during school hours to watch over schools and two that will roam the county during afternoon and evening hours.
The idea is to prevent a tragedy from happening, and if something does happen, putting a stop to it quickly.
"Whether it's a homeland security threat or some domestic threat or just somebody that's having a bad day at work and decides to take it out on their coworkers," Perez said.
These teams will begin to take shape in October of this year when the new fiscal year begins.
The teams will be made up of current Miami-Dade County police officers whose current positions will be filled by new hires.