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Homicide Bureau

Phone: 305-471-2400
Fax: 305-471-2311  
Email: [email protected]
Major: Fernand Charles Jr.


The Homicide Bureau is responsible for conducting thorough and objective investigations of all deaths that occur in unincorporated Miami-Dade County and 27 of the County’s 35 municipalities. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is responsible for investigating in-custody deaths involving Miami-Dade Police Department personnel.

A team approach is used in all homicide investigations. Each squad is led by a sergeant and consists of a lead investigator and additional investigators who are assigned to one specific aspect of the investigation. This team approach ensures meticulous attention to detail as well as rapid development and investigation of leads during the critical first hours of the investigation. Witnesses, potential suspects, and evidence are quickly identified and categorized, which enables the investigation to proceed on several fronts simultaneously.

The Bureau also includes five specialized squads: The Traffic Homicide Unit investigates all fatal and critical-injury motor vehicle crashes to include hit and run crashes involving life threatening injuries and fatalities. The Cold Case Squad probes into unsolved murder cases regardless of how long ago the murder occurred. The Homicide Street Violence Task Force’s mission is to reduce violent crimes by employing a comprehensive strategic approach to identifying, arresting, and prosecuting violent criminals. The Task Force has forged communication links between various Department units and all local, state, and federal agencies. As a result of the Community Outreach component of the Task Force, trust and cooperation has been improved within our diverse community.

As a direct conduit to the community, Task Force detectives have been successful in locating homicide and shooting witnesses that assist with the investigation and prosecution of the case. The Street Terror Offender Program (STOP) targets individuals involved in the illicit drug industry, who have demonstrated a propensity for committing violent crimes, are currently criminally active, have past convictions for violent crimes, and are in possession of firearms. The STOP program is staffed by members of the Department’s Homicide Bureau, and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. STOP continues to address the community’s needs by providing a concentrated multi-agency approach to dealing with violent crimes. The Firearms Interdiction Reduction Enforcement is a joint effort between the Miami-Dade Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the United States Attorney’s Office. This task force addresses complex cases concentrating on armed violent groups or gangs, firearms traffickers, armed career criminals, and convicted felons.