The Miami Heat are partnering with the Miami Police Department and Dedication to Community (D2C) to help administer specialized training to Miami’s police force to positively impact its interactions with the community.
The goal of the programs is to build trust and address implicit bias and racism within society. The program will be aimed at Miami’s entire community with a strong focus on the African-American community in light of recent events.
“The Miami HEAT feels very fortunate to have earned the trust and respect of the South Florida community. We recognize both the opportunity and the obligation to utilize our platform to serve as a bridge between law enforcement and the community,” Nick Arison, CEO of The HEAT Group said in a press release. “We believe the key to making progress in the fight for social justice requires honest and ongoing difficult conversations leading to action. This law enforcement training is one form of that action. Partnering with the Miami Police Department and D2C is a step in the right direction. Our hope is that this becomes a model for other police departments and sports teams across the country, and that they may want to grow together the way that we’re growing together here.”
The Miami Police Department has partnered with the Heat in the past and is looking to continue to keep building trust in the community.
“We’re excited to work with the HEAT as we have in the past,” Jorge Colina, Chief of the Miami Police said. “Any training that allows us to grow further in the community is something that we’ll always be interested in. We have a great relationship with the community that we serve and we want to show them that we’re committed to keeping that trust.”
Dedication to Community also commented on the groundbreaking partnership it will have with the Heat.
“Dedication to Community (D2C) is excited about this first-of-its-kind partnership with the Miami HEAT and the Miami Police Department,” M. Quentin Williams, Founder and CEO of D2C said “Communities across the globe are calling for action, and this collaboration offers new and creative ways to evolve society beyond just rhetoric. This is what action looks like.”
As the Heat organization continues to try and better the community, the team is looking to take down the Milwaukee Bucks on the court in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
