NBC 6’s Jamie Guirola has more on the Miami Police Department’s Bike Response Team, a specialized unit trained to handle protests and large crowds.
Sunday night on live TV, South Florida watched as police moved back a crowd after a scuffle at CVS on Biscayne Boulevard.
At the front of the line was the Miami Police Department's Bike Response Team, or BRT -- comprised of 41 men and women.
"These officers are the elite of the elite," said police Cmdr. Freddie Cruz.
The BRT was also spotted Saturday, on the first night when some protesters got violent.
"They practice for these types of events, these tactics, and they were beneficial in the last few days as they will be in the future," Cruz said.
NBC 6 got an exclusive demo of this specialized team as they waited to be activated for any demonstrations or protests.
Their strategy is to set up a scrimmage line to create a barrier between protesters.
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Officers also use their bikes to create a mobile fence to push a crowd back.
Training for the BRT is no easy task. It includes learning superior riding skills with extraneous training to ride in crowds, arrest/rescue techniques, gas mask operations and mounts and dismounts.
But like all cops, they are also trained on how to show restraint and handle pressure.
"We know emotions can get in the way at times," Cruz said. "We are human, however, our officers are trained only to be professional at all times, they have to defend themselves the community as we did that day at CVS."
