Tampa police chief shares public safety plan as violent crime concerns grow

TAMPA - Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw went to city council on Thursday to present a public safety master plan amidst a series of recent high-profile shootings throughout the city.

The chief's presentation, which was planned weeks ago, focused on evidence-based and community-focused ways to further reduce violent crime, which Bercaw said has been on the decline.

This comes a day after the chief, along with Mayor Jane Castor, held a town hall to discuss the recent shooting in the South Howard area that killed two people and injured a third.

RELATED: Tampa police hold town hall after deadly shooting in SoHo

"Our officers were always out there, and actually I'm adding more officers out there because it's important to me that everybody feels safe and, again, is working with the businesses there private lots and giving us the ability to trespass people," the chief said after his presentation. "One of the things that was difficult for us with that lot is there are two businesses that are open past 3 a.m. and there were places there that keep people in those lots. So if they are a customer and they're waiting in line for food, it creates a challenge for us to determine who's there for the right reasons and who's there for the wrong reasons."

The SoHo shooting was the second in two weeks. Since the beginning of April, shootings in downtown Tampa and near Armature Works left several injured. Those followed a mass shooting in Ybor City in October that killed two people and injured 16 others.

Bercaw told council members, although violent crime and homicides declined in 2023, officers removed more than 2,000 guns from the streets. He said that's a troubling number that likely contributed to recent shootings.

"Responsible gun ownership [is important] and keeping the guns out of the hands of people that shouldn't have guns," he said, adding community involvement is another key. "I'm seeing more people get involved in neighborhood watches, and we want to continue that. That's how we prevent crime from happening. There are a thousand police officers. There are 400,000 residents, not to count the people that visit the city that don't live in the city, and we need everybody to work together."

The chief told council he'll also likely need at least 80 additional officers within the next four years to keep up with the growing population.

Meanwhile, police continue to ask for help identifying the shooters in the deadly shooting over the weekend.

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