The MDSO is the largest sheriff’s office in the southeastern United States and operates out of eight district stations throughout Miami-Dade County.

[3] In 1957, the metropolitan form of government was established, and the Dade County Sheriff's Office was subsequently renamed the Public Safety Department.

The Public Safety Department's organizational structure, as determined by the metropolitan charter, included responsibility for police and fire protection, the jail and stockade, civil defense, animal control, and motor vehicle inspection.

By that year, the Public Safety Department had also been divested of all other non-police responsibilities in order to concentrate entirely on law enforcement services.

[4] On November 6, 2024, MDPD Assistant Director Rosie Cordero-Stutz became sheriff-elect after defeating Miami-Dade's Chief of Public Safety James Reyes.

[5] In August 1968, roughly coinciding with the Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, rioting broke out in Liberty City.

He was cornered in a poolhouse bathroom by members of Miami-Dade Police Special Response Team (equivalent to SWAT), and was shot and killed when he refused to drop a pistol he was holding.

MDPD officers, as well as police from other agencies, responded to fleeing robbers who carjacked a United Parcel Service van and took the UPS driver hostage.

The department received criticism for its officers' behavior, which included firing into open traffic and using civilian vehicles for cover.