GPD makes domestic violence a priority; Mayor Ward recommends a “public health approach”
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – During the morning session of the May 21 Gainesville City Commission meeting, Gainesville Police Department (GPD) presented quarterly data and announced that the agency intends to prioritize reducing domestic violence in 2026.
GPD Chief Nelson Moya led off the quarterly update by noting that he had added a new priority to GPD’s 2026 mission: domestic/dating violence. The previous priorities were violent crime, traffic safety, homeless outreach efforts, and recruiting police officers.
Crime data
Between calendar years 2024 and 2025, violent crime incidents dropped by 9.98% and property crimes dropped by 17.64%, for an overall decrease of 16.22%.
However, the January-March quarter of 2026 included three homicides (two in connection with the Imeca incident and one domestic violence incident), for a 200% increase in homicides. Compared to the same quarter in 2025, rapes increased by 2.78%, robberies increased by 14.29%, and aggravated assaults increased by 3.6%, for an overall increase of 5.37% in violent incidents. Property crimes dropped by 14.08%, for an overall decrease of 10.48% from the same quarter last year.
Click here for the full presentation.
Moya also spoke about the May 1 homicide in the Phoenix community and the shooting and stabbing homicides on Mother’s Day (May 10). The shooting victim was 17 years old, and Moya said GPD has identified a suspect; he said, “It was certainly not a random act of violence… More to come as we continue to discuss this with the State Attorney’s Office and what the ultimate resolution will be, but we have someone identified, for sure.” A suspect was recently arrested for the stabbing homicide.
Domestic violence: “an ongoing steady flow”
Moya said that even before the Mother’s Day shooting, GPD had “highlighted domestic violence as something that we needed to continue to look at now, more deeply.” He said GPD sees “an ongoing steady flow of familial violence, also known as domestic or dating violence,… [and] repeat acts of domestic violence by the same offender.”
Moya said he is putting three detectives back on the Special Victims squad, and one of them will be earmarked for domestic violence to look for any gaps in service between law enforcement, the State Attorney’s Office, Peaceful Paths, domestic violence advocates, and any other organizations involved in responding to domestic violence. He said all the organizations are doing what they’re supposed to, but he wanted to see “what we can do when we focus as a group on all lanes.”
The presentation showed that while domestic violence incidents and arrests have decreased since 2023, the first quarter numbers are on track for an increase in 2026. For example, 252 arrests in the first quarter could indicate that there will be over 1,000 arrests in 2026.
Moya said domestic violence is difficult to prevent because it happens “in one’s most private place,” and victims need to trust that the system will protect them. He said his top goal is to ensure that the victims receive services, then “there may be opportunities for offenders also to receive services, so that they don’t repeat violence.” He said he plans to bring “all of our stakeholders” together for a meeting within the next week.
New emphasis on arresting domestic violence offenders within 12-24 hours
One thing officers can do, Moya said, is make more of an effort to apprehend the offender within 12 to 24 hours after the incident instead of filing a sworn complaint. He said, “I see that as low-hanging fruit, not because I want to arrest people, but because we know if we don’t intervene with an offender who’s already victimized someone in the home, there’s a likelihood that they will return to the home and victimize again and offend again.”
Mayor Harvey Ward: “By putting everything we had to the crisis of gun violence, we had an impact. I believe that we can then take that public health approach and apply it to other issues like domestic violence.”
Mayor Harvey Ward said, “I’m encouraged by the success that we had with calling out gun violence and saying this is a crisis in our community, as it was in nearly every community, by engaging everyone, by not saying this is just a law enforcement issue, but this is a community issue, and we’re all going to work on it. We drove down gun violence numbers, and they continue to be down. Doesn’t mean that all violence is down, but by putting everything we had to the crisis of gun violence, we had an impact. I believe that we can then take that public health approach and apply it to other issues like domestic violence… We have to do whatever we can to reduce violence, and what I hope anyone watching this will hear is that we’re trying to let people know that help is available if you find yourself in this situation, and that abuse will not be ignored.”
Ward said Gainesville should not “take our foot off the gas on [gun violence], but we as a community, every level of the community, need to lean in on domestic violence.” He also said that “half or more” of the homicides over the past two years have involved “some level of domestic violence.”
Ward said, “Thank you for this. It’s tremendous. I’m very hopeful we’ll be able to make real progress here.”
Firearm statistics
Moya said stolen firearms, firearms seized, and shots fired decreased from the last quarter, but the number of persons shot, homicides, and suicides all increased.
Ward said that of the seven people shot, two were accidentally shot in the hands and several were police officers, “so other than those, which are anomalies, we’re kind of in the same territory.”
Commissioner Ed Book: “I hope we’re not seeing [violent offenders] in our community. These are amongst a very small percentage of people who don’t get the benefit of getting a second and third and fourth chance, where most offenders do.”
Commissioner Ed Book said he wanted to see “aggressive prosecution and very few options afforded to the violent offenders… We want to take them out of the community so they can’t victimize others… I know this may sound controversial, but I hope we’re not seeing them in our community. These are amongst a very small percentage of people who don’t get the benefit of getting a second and third and fourth chance, where most offenders do.”
Book added, “We’ve had a really high percentage of domestic violence amongst the houseless community,” and he said he was interested in hearing what “partners that deal with transitional housing and halfway housing and emergency housing” could bring to the table to reduce the incidents.
Traffic fatalities
Sergeant Valdez with the Traffic Unit said there have been four traffic fatalities to date (including April) in 2026, which is “kind of on par,” but she was concerned that hit-and-run crashes have increased: “It seems to be a growing trend of people not stopping after they are in a crash, whether it’s kind of scared or their driver’s license status or the insurance status on the vehicle.”
Recruiting
GPD currently has 27 vacancies for sworn officer positions, and 23 applicants are being actively investigated to be hired. Fifteen conditional job offers have been extended to non-certified officers who will enter the police academy.
Public awareness campaign
In a press release, the City said GPD is also launching a public awareness campaign focused on building healthy relationships, recognizing warning signs, finding local resources and knowing when to seek help.
The press release concluded, “If you suspect someone is being abused, report it. Incidents can be referred to law enforcement by calling GPD’s nonemergency number, (352) 955-1818. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.”
Public health is a euphemism for more government.
Look at the photo with this article…they can’t even get their name tags right where they’re sitting and they’re doing the taxpayers’ business? I guess it’s musical 🎵 chairs 🪑 day…
🎶“Put your left foot forward, put your right foot out, do the bunny 🐇 hop…hop hop hop! 🎶
This bunch is a disaster..DeSantis needs to come in and replace them and the ACSB!
I don’t like this commission either, but you’re incorrect. The nameplates are in the right place, it’s the angle of the camera that makes them look misplaced.
True, domestic violence does not follow a known pattern for proactive enforcement.
Given the current vacancies at GPD (not likely to be trained and filled in our lifetime.) More calls for service, fewer officers, a State Attorney who chooses not to lock up repeat violent offenders, domestic violence in G’ville will not get any better.
Maybe more federal dollars will solve the problem. City hall certainly wont.
Everyone conveniently forgets that former mayor, Lauren Poe and company, including our current idiot in charge Harvey Ward, deleted50 sworn officer positions around 2020 or so. They have never been reauthorized. This was also when the crime stats started climbing. Ward has NEVER been an anti crime sort of person.
Why do they never mention bum crime? It’s like we’re supposed to just accept the broken windows, threats, and traffic danger. And a 15-year-old girl was recently molested at a bus stop.
Just like Democrats hate mentions of the murders caused by the open-border illegals, they also hate mentions of dangerous bums. It makes no sense and it’s disgusting. I’m glad Alachua Chronicle posts these crimes so we know where to stay the hell away from.
Agreed. Just because two people shack up in a tent doesn’t make them domestic partners.
You are correct is CITY will be better off in reducing crime if they would go after the homeless but we both know these left-wing idiots who run Gainesville and the same idiots who vote these idiots in office don’t want that
Because their relatives who run Dem NGOs have to pay off their BMWs.
We’ve heard these problems for years. Same old tired solutions. LOCK THE CRIMINALS UP.
The City of Gainesville regular election is on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, for the Mayor At-Large seat, City Commissioner District 2, City Commissioner District 3, and City Commissioner District 4 seats. The voter registration and party affiliation change deadline for the 2026 Regular Election is Monday, July 20, 2026.
The COG August 18th election is the Primary election.
If a seat has more than two candidates running, then the top two candidates will move to the General election November 3rd unless one of those candidates get 51% of the vote which will automatically elect that candidate with no runoff needed in November.
If a candidate is unopposed (Eastman, right now) he will auto the primary and not have to run in the General election November 3rd.
I recommend James Gardner for District 3 with 51% of the vote!
OK. I’m biased.
Check out my campaign at http://www.imforjamesgardneringnv.com or click on the AC ad on their website.
Regardless of who you choose, we really need a record turnout in this election cycle if we want to get away from party politics and make a real difference in our government. We need a change, and if you don’t vote, don’t complain.
If I lived in the city Gainesville, I would definitely vote for you, but unfortunately, you make too much common sense for the damn idiots that actually voting in Gainesville but i do hope you can pull it off
Thank you G. You may not be able to vote but you can recommend your friends and neighbors in the city to take a look at my campaign. I need help to get the word out that there is another choice to replace the same old tired-out national political agenda.
Not a mention of the SCUMMY judges and public lawyers, nor of the repeat offenders they groom?
No wonder recruitment is so difficult… quote “ Recruiting: GPD currently has 27 vacancies for sworn officer positions, and 23 applicants are being actively investigated to be hired. Fifteen conditional job offers have been extended to non-certified officers who will enter the police academy. ”
ACLUSPLCDNC Party approved this message 👹🤡👺💩👿
Blah, blah, blah…” public awareness campaign”… we are aware!
hey Moya & city comm, can you do something about the panhandlers in the intersection at 39th & Waldo road? Let’s see that number go down!
Having an “unhoused crime emergency” should not require NGO’s,
Sociologists, buying motels, feeding them, and housing them… Grace and your 10 year plan to end homelessness and all the taxpayers money you wasted on it backfired…
Do you know there is a “unhoused neighbor” 100 feet south of the police station ( you can’t get any closer!) with all his crap in the street parking place where the pizza & beer place is ? where the old Ricardo George BBQ was…where’s your awareness now?
I expect him & his 10 bikes and shopping carts to be transferred to Grace Marketplace…why isn’t he at Grace? Are you blind to this? It’s right there! He’s been there over a week!
You don’t have a motel vacancy anywhere? It’s gonna be a hot summer and where’s your 🥵 days program like how you buy rooms when it’s cold 🥶 days out?
Incarceration works and it’s a no brainer that the “unhoused crime emergency” numbers will go down if you put them on the hound outta town 🚎 to where they came from…
Wonder why Ward & Book didn’t mention this controversial idea? …
The only thing the city did about 39th & Waldo is decide to allow traffic cameras there to catch people running red lights who probably do so because they don’t want to get stuck waiting next to panhandlers.
Inflation + Unemployment Together
A study using US data from the 1950s through 2019 found that an increase in the “Misery Index” — which combines unemployment and inflation rates — causes a statistically significant increase in domestic violence. This is one of the clearest direct links between inflation specifically and DV rates.
An important caveat
Researchers are careful to note that domestic violence is not caused by poverty, unemployment, or recession — but these factors act as amplifiers. The underlying dynamic is about power and control: if an abuser loses control over one part of his life, he may try harder to assert control at home.
The pattern across multiple economic crises is consistent and well-documented. Economic stress doesn’t create abusers, but it reliably escalates abuse in households where it already exists.
what else would he say time to fill the jail
“GPD Chief Nelson Moya led off the quarterly update by noting that he had added a new priority to GPD’s 2026 mission: domestic/dating violence. The previous priorities were violent crime, traffic safety, homeless outreach efforts, and recruiting police officers.”
Anyone else notice what is last on their list of priorities? Probably the only thing that would make a difference IF….they will punish them in the courts and jail the violent repeat offenders.
I saw a dangerous situation a week ago. A convertible with the top down stopped at a long red light. Unwashed homeless guy went to the car, leaned on the car and kept leaning into the women in the car. It was disturbing. He did not seem to be invited,
When I lived in Georgia, the police helped me leave a violent marriage. The mayor and commissions did not just babble about it. They sent me help. I am safe and have been for decades. But then, that city does not invite dangerous people so they can profit from their ‘charities’. So sad. Sitting and just talking puts people in danger.
FYI, when the government declares an issue like gun violence or domestic violence a “public health” concern, they do so because a public health concern (even a fake one) allows them to break the rules put in place to stop corruption.
They get to bypass competitive bidding, for example, and give contracts directly to their friends and donors, or to groups run by their political party.
They also get wide discretion to decide what qualifies as a valid expense.
Like “National Security” to build White House Ballrooms?
more than half of the ballroom’s donors were facing or had recently faced federal enforcement actions, and that ballroom donors had received over $279 billion in federal contracts in the prior five years. Two-thirds of corporate funders were also reportedly represented by just three lobbying firms coordinating the fundraising.
A federal judge described the ballroom’s funding structure as a “Rube Goldberg contraption,” raising concerns it may have been designed to evade judicial review. Democrats also alleged the National Park Service may be violating its own donation rules prohibiting implied commitments and donor influence.
A federal judge described the ballroom’s funding structure as a “Rube Goldberg contraption,” raising concerns it may have been designed to evade judicial review. Democrats also alleged the National Park Service may be violating its own donation rules prohibiting implied commitments and donor influence.
Public health issue brings back the haunts of the over zealous Covid restrictions attempted by King Biden and his Jester Fauci. Stop trying to counsel criminals.
“Once again you hijack a local story and try and turn into Trump’s fault. You need serious counseling and meds.“
Maybe the advice you give is advice you fail to follow because our world is larger than the articles appearing here.
MAGA contortions are amazingly to watch.
Too bad a “weaponization” of public health fund hasn’t been established, like the IRS “settlement” for you’ll to pilfer our tax dollars to the tune of billions as the current administration has done
Gainesville is little Los Angeles!