CBS4 Investigates: The impact of South Florida's specialized police units

MIAMI - After five officers in Memphis, Tennessee, were charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols, CBS News took a deeper look at specialized police units.

In Memphis there was the SCORPION Unit, which was disbanded after Nichols death. In South Florida, there are many different specialized units and CBS4's Chelsea Jones examined what they are and what the missions of these groups really are.

Several police agencies tell CBS Miami that the specialized teams are designed for crime suppression and are created to fight crime and keep the streets safe. However, some who live in the neighborhoods where these agencies work, say the teams do more harm than good. Our investigation found that while these groups can be beneficial, they can also be dangerous. In Miami, they have an ugly past.

In 2000, CBS Miami highlighted TNT, the Miami-Dade Police Department's Tactical Narcotics Team, also known as the "jump out boys." Officers assigned to this unit say they worked in the most volatile neighborhoods with the most dangerous and unpredictable people.

In Goulds, resident Christopher Wilbon, says a modern-day jump out boys is what he and his friends deal with on a weekly basis.

"They pull up on you at a high rate of speed, slam on breaks, put the car in park and literally jump out at you. Maybe sometimes guns are drawn," he said.

Wilbon says, these officers, aren't in uniform and they're not in marked police cruisers.

"These cars are your average cars. Maybe a Toyota Camry or a Nissan Altima, and they're tinted darkly," Wilbon said.

Goulds is in Southwest Miami Dade and to Wilbon, it's your average neighborhood. When Wilbon was 16, he says his experience changed and he began getting stopped by police frequently.

"Stop, don't move. Where's your ID, what do you have on you? Let me search you," he recounted.

CBS Miami analyzed Wilbon's record and found that over the last few years, he's been pulled over many times by Miami-Dade Police for traffic infractions. There is also a single weapon charge of which he was not convicted but was given probation. As a Black man, he says having that charge on his record makes things even harder for him.

CBS4 asked Miami-Dade Police multiple times for an interview about the operations and results of their specialized units. They declined the interview but did share with us that their department is home to over 50 specialized police units that have been created to address specific community concerns voiced to their officers, community advocates, local leaders, county commissioners, and the mayor.

They say these units were established to address the crimes that have affected residents and visitors including but not limited to homicides, robberies, narcotics, domestic violence, environmental crimes, illegal dumping, weapons violations, and active shooters.

The Miami Police Department also declined an interview but sent us their list of 12 specialized units. They tell us, their teams are used to address various issues their officers see day to day, focusing on certain crimes and/or problem areas in order to create valuable solutions to tackle these situations at hand.

Daniel Griffiths, another resident of Goulds, says he's had his share of run-ins with the police too.

"Next thing you know, we see a police car and then we see a jump out," Griffiths said.

The term 'jump out' was coined back in the 1990s after the Miami Police Department's Street Narcotics Unit. The group was riddled with controversy after four officers were found guilty of misconduct and questions about the unit's effectiveness emerged. It was disbanded in 1997.

Former Police Chief Jorge Colina was a part of the department when 'jump out boys' was in operation. He says the officers in that unit were admired but the issue was that these kinds of groups are dangerous and it's not a good policing technique. Back in the day, Colina says, the people chosen to work in these units were measured by standards that don't work today.

"Back in the 90s when you looked at someone to go into a unit like that, you typically just looked at, is this a person that makes a lot of arrests? Oh okay, we should get that person. You were looking for the officer that was naturally aggressive and wanted to work. Nowadays you need to look at what is their disciplinary background, their profile. What skill sets do they bring other than just aggressive policing," the former chief said.

When CBS4's Chelsea Jones asked Colina if specialized police units were necessary. He answered with "I think it depends. I really do. There are many circumstances where it is not necessary."

The other side to specialized police units are the officers themselves. They're face to face with danger, every day, every shift.

In January, Pompano Beach deputies were faced with a suspected bank robber they say flashed a gun at them. Deputies opened fire and the man died. One of the deputies involved was a part of the Broward Sheriff's Office Viper team, the department's street crime unit. This incident remains under investigation by Florida's Department of Law enforcement, but it's another example of the dangers on the streets and why some say deputies need plenty of training and oversight.

"The problem is that if you don't manage it properly, it turns into something very ugly. There needs to be supervision, there need to be audits, there needs to be training, all these things cost money. Budgets are limited. So, if you can't do it right then you shouldn't do it," said Colina.

In 2015, over five months, CBS4 investigates dug into what was called the crime suppression team of Miami-Dade Police who wear plain clothes and are known to jump out at people and make arrests. We found that the team arrested hundreds of mostly black men for petty crimes. Wilbon and Griffiths say it's still happening, and they feel targeted.

CBS4 contacted every law enforcement agency included in this report: Miami-Dade, City of Miami, and the Broward Sheriff's Office. We wanted to hear from them about the purpose of specialized units, the dangers they face, and learn how effective they were. Again, they all declined to go on camera to discuss the purpose of their specialized groups, how they work, and what their results are.