MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Under the August sun, a team of Miami-Dade police officers got to work Wednesday on how to respond to some of the more remote parts of the county.
Wednesday's training took part in Key Biscayne, where officers got a feel for what it's like to respond to calls on a beach.
Each cone in the sand represented someone at the beach.
"That's what our whole main goal is: safety, safety, safety. That's why we are out here today," Sgt. George Wilhelm said. "We are starting them out with just the basics -- a very slow course and then tried to speed them up a little bit to make it more challenging for them."
For the past several months, an increasing number of officers have become certified to drive ATVs.
The program, while not new, has seen more of a focus with officers responding to ATV accidents down south, plane crashes out west and big sporting and cultural events at parks and beaches.
"Here on Key Biscayne, we have officers that patrol the beach on ATVs, so this way, we have more officers that are certified to patrol this area on the weekends," Wilhelm said. "We've been having this course every Wednesday for already three months and we're going to continue it through December."
The annual Bikes Up, Guns Down ride-out on Martin Luther King Jr. Day has presented an issue for officers wary of using a patrol car to catch riders pulling dangerous stunts on busy streets.
The use of a police ATV could change their approach.
Officers train on a number of terrains including the beach, grass and the street. Each environment presents its own obstacles.
"What surprised me is the amount of effort and energy to turn these ATVs in the sand," Sgt. Greg Franco said. "It's not like a straightaway or a grass where you can just turn the wheel. They dig into the sand and it’s a lot harder to turn."
Interest in the program has grown in recent months, with the department buying a new fleet of ATVs to be used across the county.