Miami-Dade Cops Get Tough Questions With Spot Of Tea

DORAL, FL — It takes more than a Sherlock Holmes-like sense of deduction to become a Miami-Dade police officer. Sometimes, officers must also know when to raise a pinky — or not — as the case may be. Miami-Dade's finest recently hosted a group of young ladies at a community princess tea that included a wide-ranging discussion on everything from what happens when police officers break the rules to how they handle the day-to-day stresses of the job.

For officers, it was a chance to bond with some of the youngest members of the community. For the girls, it was an opportunity to ask questions about how police do their jobs and even pick up some life advice from the men and women who are charged with keeping them safe.

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Ten-year-old Shamari Johns of Miami-Dade wanted to know what happens when officers run afoul of the rules.

"They get punished, reprimanded or even could be fired," Johns explained of the response she got.

Zaria Guerrier, also 10, said the girls did their homework before sitting down to tea.

"We got a packet on them and then we underlined specific parts that we were curious about," she told Patch.

The soon-to-be fifth grader said she learned that officers like to exercise and that they try to have fun at work to lighten the mood.

She also asked officers for some life tips geared to girls her age.

"Don't put anybody else in power of you. Always be yourself. Be competent, brave and do what you want to do, not what anybody else tells you to do," Guerrier said of the advice she received.

The princess tea was arranged by The Embrace Girls Foundation, which aims to foster the social, communication and etiquette skills of elementary and middle school girls.

"They live in an inner city community so there is some crime there," explained the organizer of the event. "I just really am always wanting them to know that there is good, bad in everything and everywhere. Just because you saw one person doing something that wasn't right, that doesn't mean that all of the people are wrong — whether it be law enforcement, whether it be teachers, whether it be doctors, whether it be whatever profession."

Similar teas have been held with former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, Reverend Al Sharpton, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

On occasion, the girls have been known to ask some tough questions, much to the surprise of their guests. That was the case when they served up an unexpected question to Sharpton along with his tea.

"Did he have any regrets as it related to his support of Tawana Brawley?" recalled the organizer with a smile. "He was looking like 'what the heck.'"

The Miami-Dade police tea featured a number of delicious cakes and cookies, including a strawberry shortcake and other colorful confections.

One question that got a laugh was whether boys commit more crimes than girls.

"Statistically boys do, but you don't want to catch up," cautioned one of the officers. "We don't know why."

As for the pinky question: No outstretched pinkies when drinking tea, according to the Cream Tea Society of the United Kingdom.

"Always hold the cup between your thumb and forefinger. Contrary to popular opinion, sticking your little finger out does not a lady/gentleman make," the society warned.

Watch highlights of the girls' visit to Miami-Dade police headquarters below:

Photo gallery by Paul Scicchitano