Coconut Grove residents have until Saturday, Aug. 8, to comment on how the City of Miami Police Department plans to spend $243,381 in federal funding to upgrade technology for patrol officers and detectives.

The department opened a 30-day public comment period Wednesday, July 8, for its application to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, the U.S. Department of Justice's primary source of federal criminal justice funding for state and local agencies. Federal regulations require a public comment period before the grant can be awarded.

Grant would fund new laptops for patrol officers and detectives

According to the grant application posted on miami.gov, the department plans to use the funding for a project titled "Technology Modernization for Investigations and Patrol Operations."

The proposal includes the purchase of 66 ruggedized laptops at $3,300 each for patrol officers assigned to the Field Operations Division, along with nine Microsoft Surface Pro laptops, docking stations and extended warranties for detectives in the Criminal Investigations Division.

The application states that about 12% of the department's computer inventory no longer meets operating system and cybersecurity requirements because older devices cannot support Windows 11. Detectives and patrol officers often share laptops due to equipment shortages, resulting in delays in report writing, case documentation and access to law enforcement databases.

Application cites crime data and aging equipment

The City of Miami Police Department serves a 36-square-mile jurisdiction with more than 487,000 residents, including Coconut Grove.

For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2025, the department recorded 6,635 incidents citywide, including 2,941 violent crimes, 2,510 domestic violence incidents and 1,184 property crimes, according to the grant application. The application does not include a neighborhood-level crime breakdown for Coconut Grove.

If approved, the grant would run from October 2026 through September 2027. Equipment purchases are scheduled to begin in February 2027, with installation expected to be completed by September 2027.

Residents have until Aug. 8 to submit comments

Assistant Chief Armando Aguilar is the designated contact for public comments. Residents and community organizations may submit comments by calling (305) 603-6130.

The complete grant application is available on the City of Miami Police Department's notices page at miami.gov. The public comment period closes Saturday, Aug. 8.