Diversion Program

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) Police Legal Bureau created, implemented, and still administers the Miami-Dade County (MDC) Diversion Program using software developed by MDPD Information Technology Services Bureau (ITSB) personnel. The Diversion Program was created to seek compliance with the MDC Code (MDCC), educate the community, provide community service hours, reduce the demands and associated costs on the criminal justice system, recuperate some of MDC’s costs, and provide violators with options to resolve their ordinance violations. Prior to the Diversion Program, violators of certain sections of the MDCC were arrested and the cases processed through the local criminal justice system. This involved numerous steps and personnel from different entities and resulted in a criminal record for the violator. The process was inefficient, costly, and ineffective as it had little impact on code compliance by violators. The technology solution tracked all aspects of the Diversion Program cases, including registration, violator tracking, and program compliance. The first year results included 1,328 citizens being spared an arrest record and $94,590 in collected fines.