Miami PD Approved to Hire 100 Officers

Miami's elected leaders granted approval for the hiring of 100 new police officers Thursday following an emotional appeal by current officers to restore lost benefits.

Mayor Tomas Regalado won approval for its $524 million operating budget for 2014—the first budget since his election in 2009 that doesn't cut services, freeze of slash salaries, or require renegotiation of union contracts, reports the Miami Herald .

The budget includes a federal grant to hire 25 new Miami Police Department officers. A vocal group of current officers and their families showed up at the City Council chambers calling for the restoration of cuts before the city hires any new officers.