HomeCrimeGPD officer arrested for burglary, domestic battery, grand theft, and property damage

GPD officer arrested for burglary, domestic battery, grand theft, and property damage

October 28, 2023

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Christopher John Bivins, Jr., 29, a Gainesville Police Department officer, was arrested this afternoon and charged with burglary, domestic battery by strangulation, grand theft, and property damage after allegedly breaking into a woman’s apartment, then attacking her when she got home.

The woman told an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that she and Bivins went to a club with other people on Friday night and left separately. As the woman was on her way home, she received multiple calls from the front gate of her apartment complex, indicating that someone was trying to enter the complex. When she got to her apartment complex, she said she saw Bivins’ truck parked across the street. As she approached her apartment, she could see that the door frame was damaged and the door was open, and she said Bivins was standing in her living room, which was in disarray.

The victim said Bivins knocked her to the ground and strangled her until she saw stars and feared that she would die. When he let go, she fled to a relative’s home.

When the victim returned to her apartment the next morning, she reportedly found that her iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods were all missing. Some of her personal possessions had also been thrown over the balcony and were lying on the ground.

Deputies searched for Bivins from before noon until he was arrested around 4 p.m. near SW 34th Street and SW 24th Avenue.

Post Miranda, Bivins reportedly said he had gone to a club with the victim and that they had an argument; he said he was heavily intoxicated and remembered parking his truck across the street from the woman’s apartment complex but didn’t remember going inside the victim’s apartment.

Bivins attended the Reichert House program and played cornerback on the Gainesville High School football team; he has been a police officer for five years and was GPD’s Officer of the Month for August 2023. He has no criminal history.

Bail information is unavailable at this time.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

  • It’s time to do some much-needed reevaluation of all personnel and positions. The actions of a few can seriously erode the entire department. Delay is not an acceptable option.

    • Reevaluate for what? How do you determine if someone will break the law years down the road? All an agency can do is a thorough background check, psychological evaluation, polygraph test, etc. This dude should be locked up but acting like GPD knew it was gonna happen is so ignorant lol

      • Well..they did know cause he was a problem in the academy and they had to transfer him to another one to finish. Plus he was stopped for a DUI after he was hired and swept under the rug…and there was other incidents …. so yeah they knew he was a problem but kept him anyway.

        • Erroneous information. The WHOLE STORY is quite different and quite telling about the SILENT HISTORY of GPD.

        • How do you know he was stopped for a DUI and swept under the rug? He gave me a ticket when I wasn’t speeding, and I have videos of him lying while he was on duty to me and trying to run me off the road. I couldn’t tell you how many people I have sent this to, but it goes all the way to the governor.

    • It is what happens when one hires based upon something else other than competency (see Chief, city manager, et al).

    • If they did “thorough” evaluation on cops. There would be a lot less white cops on the force then you would really be on here having an issue!

    • Perhaps it should have been a clue when he was dropping women off in his patrol car on TikTok. He was one of Tony’s chosen though, so noting was done.

    • How many bodies have you seen or recovered. How many life situations have you put your life on the line. Before you know the full story , get your facts straight. She broke into his home numerous times as well. Documentation from many neighbors.

      • Bruh a lot of officers have gone through trauma on a daily basis. Yes it’s terrible but they don’t turn around and commit multiple felonies, dude should be locked up. If she did it to him, he should have filed a report, he knows the drill. He played with fire and got burned, time to face consequences

      • Which proves he’s a poor judge of character in dating that woman. Cops should be better at that.

      • Well just like the police will tell us……… You should have called the police!!!!! Too damn bad

      • Well then he should have stopped seeing her instead he supposedly got drunk and got his self arrested!! Stupidity makes whole department look bad

      • Why are police officers allowed to discriminate? I can tell you from personal experience that this person even had discriminatory comments on his Facebook page. They are now on YouTube as he took his Facebook page down.

    • You Like these kind of SUCCESS Stories don’t you? Out of Hundreds of Young Men that attended the Reichert House and are doing quite well in every aspect of life in varying professions you (and people like you) only focus and publicize the negative story’s. WHY IS THAT???

    • The city of Gainesville will cut loose the Reichert House Youth Academy, its flagship youth intervention program, after more than three decades of management by the police department.

      City Manager Cynthia Curry said the program will end on May 31 to coincide with the end of the school year, and the full-time employee positions will remain until Sept. 30 when the fiscal year ends. She said the city is working to internally relocate the employees for the 15 filled positions that will end.

      “It has not been driven by a lack of funding,” Curry said at a city budget workshop. “It has just simply been driven by a lack of ability to, quite frankly, get past audit findings.”

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      The city will save $1.25 million by eliminating the Reichert House. In total, Gainesville is set to save around $2.3 million by stopping Juvenile Justice and Community Support Programs under the police department.

  • This officer have done many good things for this community. Both of these individuals were drunk and she had just had a fight at the club because a woman came up to him. She have broken into his place numerous times and assaulted him . The facts going to come out . Yes he made a mistake for whatever happened, but how quickly some of society can condemn him when others can have all the facts against them like trump, but everyone has many reasons to believe his innocent. But we know why , he is not one of you. How many murders, suicides and heartless crimes have you seen. Life takes a toll , let’s wait til the facts come out.

    • “This officer have done many good things for this community”

      “She have broken into his place numerous times and assaulted him”

      “The facts going to come out”

      “Yes he made a mistake for whatever happened, but how quickly some of society can condemn him when others can have all the facts against them like trump”

      but everyone has many reasons to believe his innocent. But we know why , he is not one of you

      🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • That gives him the right to choke her out, huh? U must be his fam. She was too hot for dude n didn’t want him anymore. Got tired of him beating on her obviously.

    • Tony Johnson, you are saying Bivens was drunk? If this is the case, this means he was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. So based on your statement let me ask, why is a law enforcement officer driving while he is intoxicated? Isn’t this against the law? Or is it okay because as you say, “This officer have done many good things for this community”? Of course in your limited mind the actions he was arrested for are okay because she did the same to him prior to his actions for which he was arrested. So “Tit for Tat” makes everything even in your mind. The guy did wrong and he should do the time based on his crime. Finally, let me ask, what if Bivens would have killed someone while driving drunk? Is this okay in your mind as well, because as you say “he have done many good things for this community”? I think not. And just a FYI, Trump has nothing to do with this guy and his actions.

      • Badge will get you a lotta pu$$y – but it only takes one pu$$y to get your badge!

    • Tony Johnson, it’s clear that you are either a family member or a friend. I do commend you for standing up for someone you care about and not turning your back on him. That’s what family is supposed to do.

      That said, based on the article and your post, Officer Bivens made a lot of bad decisions that evening:

      1-He went to the club and got drunk. While not illegal, as a working adult, becoming intoxicated is pointless. It causes us to make mad decisions.

      2-He drove drunk. By your admission/post. This is ILLEGAL and a cop should know better. People die at the hands of DUI.

      3-He broke into her apartment. Yes, she may have done it to him but she’s not a cop. He committed a felony. Cops can’t do that.

      4-He chocked her until she saw stars. In a civilized society, it is frowned upon to be violent towards others. Let alone a drunk male cop, off duty, committing burglary to an occupied dwelling to choke a girl out.

      5- According to your post, she did it to him numerous times. Big red flag. If this is an on going issue, perhaps a police officer, who understands and responds to domestic violence calls, should’ve had better insight as to what could happen when you introduce ALCOHOL AND DRUNKENNESS in a toxic relationship.

      6-He damaged a gate to get into the complex.

      Tony, your post brought some facts to light that were previously unknown- thank you. When we talk about waiting for the facts to come out, the facts you divulged made things worse.

      Bivens made some bad choices that night. Choices that were violent. Choices that could have hurt others on the road. When you sign up for the Job of a police officer, you have to change your lifestyle. If you choose not to…this scenario is a very real consequence.

      • That was very well written. I do not think people understand that in certain professions, you have to change your lifestyle if you want to continue in that profession.

    • Just let it go lol. We don’t care what he’s done in the past. We looking at the RIGHT NOW!

  • You seriously cannot make this stuff up 🤣🤣🤣, what in the hell has happened to this city? What a shame!

    • So all of a sudden , this incident that you don’t know what happened for sure, made Gainesville a terrible place. Can’t make that up.

  • It’s always the same ppl that makes assumptions on other’s but haven’t done anything for society or another human being. This officer has many accomplishments and achievements under his short career. Also putting his life on the line daily , being a Swat member and seeing so many deaths on duty. I’m going to wait to pass judgment until all the facts comes out. But of course there’s some that life is so upstanding that would pass a immediate judgement. The courts will decide what’s the truth.
    .

    • Hey bivins, quit drinking and get off the computer, we DON’T believe you buddy. Mcdonalds is hiring!

      and for the record i put my life on the line daily too, I also don’t beat women.

      • He did find a good woman. But he didn’t know how to be in a healthy relationship. And He couldn’t stop messing with his BM. He liked that toxic sh**. He made his choice and now he has to live with the consequences

        • What good woman did he find bec it seems like he found a lot and just couldn’t leave the bm alone

          • He’d been dating my Bestfriend for almost 2 months! They had plans to meet the day he got arrested. Was textin her that morning like everything was cool. She ain’t even know anything happened til I sent her the news article, and she broke down and was thanking God cause that coulda been her one day getting strangled in her own home smh.

          • He just had a new baby born on 9 11, 2023. he has three kids and should’ve been home taking care of them instead of out drinking and strangling women

    • So, by your standards, as long as cops put their lives on the line, join SWAT, and complete great accomplishments, they can do whatever they want with impunity? If that’s the case, sign me up. I’ll do great things, then go out and Rob some dope dealers. You BETTER have my back!

      • How do you apply that as a standard? He stated NONE of that!! WOW! You guys are RIDICULOUS!

    • After having to deal with this rude, self absorbed obnoxious acting as he was, God policeman, I knew that he would fall. And fall hard. He basically broke the law in front of me and gave me a ticket. The only thing that he didn’t count on was I told him I was recording this and I had a dash cam. You can listen to the whole conversation in two parts and also see the footage of the dash cam on YouTube. You can also see his smug attitude as he says I am the police. and I have no supervisor. If you listen carefully, you will see he gave me a ticket because I wouldn’t let him in.. He also admits to pulling ahead of me at 54 miles an hour which if you know you have to be 10 to 15 miles an hour faster to pass somewhat thus putting me down in the low 40 range when the speed was 45.. It is under dash cam 1122–2
      Dash cam 1122–3 and dash cam 1122–4 you see I am old and have not had a ticket for over 20 years. I am handicapped and use cruise control and set it for whatever the speed is at at that time. Thank you.

  • Let’s just get rid of everyone that’s been accused of a crime. First pick would be our finest who has charges in four jurisdictions. Also with the senate who lies to this entire nation. O no we can’t do that because it’s lies of course and he’s our last great white hope. Can’t make this up how people judge and convict a man without any facts .

  • He’s not a Reichert house graduate, but a Gainesville high graduate. Another lie and misrepresentation of information. They do anything to create bias prosecution.

    • Hey Justice… have trouble reading? Said he played for GHS and also attended Reichert. Both are true. Save the drama for your mama.

  • Who wishes to start a group called: Citizens for a better GPD. Let us try and share what is taking place in this city run by soooo much corruption.

  • Wow, the only thing that is being addressed is “Race”. And that alleged victims are to blame.

    • Cite your facts and statistics. There are 650,000 cops across the country. Your term, “Too many” would mean, by most standards that the majority of them are “psychotic “. Is that a clinical diagnosis or your diagnosis? If we are to believe your statement, show me the stats that prove your statement.

  • It’s crazy reading all the “He was entitled to do that” comments. He should have arrested her if she committed crimes against him. Not busted in, stole her things, and choked her half to death. Yeah, he’s a real hero.

  • Very interested to see how this plays out. We all know the stories about him. Not to cross him because he’s protected by (and related to) the command staff. How he gets away with everything. How those who tried to step in ended up being investigated and pushed out of the agency instead.

  • It is clear that Officer Bivens’ family members and/or friends are sticking up for him on AC and I do commend them for standing up for someone they care about and not turning their backs on him. That’s what family is supposed to do.

    That said, based on the article and some of the posts, including Tony Johnson’s post, Officer Bivens made a lot of bad decisions that evening:

    1-He went to the club and got drunk. While not illegal, as a working adult, becoming intoxicated is pointless. It causes us to make mad decisions.

    2-He drove drunk. By your admission/post. This is ILLEGAL and a cop should know better. People die at the hands of DUI.

    3-He broke into her apartment. Yes, she may have done it to him but she’s not a cop. He committed a felony. Cops can’t do that.

    4-He chocked her until she saw stars. In a civilized society, it is frowned upon to be violent towards others. Let alone a drunk male cop, off duty, committing burglary to an occupied dwelling to choke a girl out.

    5- According to Tony Johnson’s post, she did it to him numerous times. Big red flag. If this is an on going issue, perhaps a police officer, who understands and responds to domestic violence calls, should’ve had better insight as to what could happen when you introduce ALCOHOL AND DRUNKENNESS in a toxic relationship.

    6-He damaged a gate to get into the complex.

    Some of Tony Johnson’s post brought some facts to light that were previously unknown- thank you. When we talk about waiting for the facts to come out, the facts divulged by his friends made things worse.

    Bivens made some bad choices that night. Choices that were violent. Choices that could have hurt others on the road. When you sign up for the Job of a police officer, you have to change your lifestyle. If you choose not to…this scenario is a very real consequence.

    Btw, I don’t know how some folks bought Trump into this!?!?!?

  • Grabbing popcorn at such an early hour is… we’ll entertaining 😂😂 Carry on👀

  • Why isn’t his picture posted like the rest of people who get in trouble I need to know who this women beater is jus like I need to know all 18 people trespassing budget in

  • Jeez, not making excuses for the guy at all, but he’s a good police officer and could do great things if he can stay away from the alcohol

    • Good police officers don’t choke their son’s mother… they don’t break into a home to choke their son’s mother.

      I think you need to reexamine your criteria on what makes a good officer.

  • Keep checking those equity and diversity boxes, GPD. Keep hiring less qualified black kids from rough backgrounds over morally superior whites who take the job far more seriously. You are a laughingstock right now, GPD.

    • MORALLY SUPERIOR WHITES!!!??? Would you care to EXPLAIN what you mean by MORALLY SUPERIOR WHITES? Do you mean the DANGEROUS and DEADLY Organization prior to CHIEF JONES and LONNIE SCOTT??!!?? MORALLY SUPERIOR WHITES Serving time for Murder, Assault, etc. (Just the few of the Good Ole Boys that actions were so egregious that their actions could not be hidden or swept under the rug)

  • And I commented and commended you guys for the ASO collaboration thing.
    Well, you sir have alcoholic tendencies.
    And so what this tells me is that you sir, do not deserve a GPD shield/badge.
    Because you sir, do not have the ability to separate your emotions in your personal and professional life.
    I’ve always thought that 6 months in the police academy cannot undo years of playing GTA.
    And I’m right 👍

  • They need to see was some type of drugs was thrown in his drinks, to try and destroy this officer career.
    Also if the house was lefted open anyone could have stolen her items listed.
    Also anyone can do a sworn complaint against you these days but are they true or false. This is why a person is innocent until proven guilty.
    Not one person is free of sin that can cast the first stone. My Prayers are with this officer and Praying the alleged victim gets the help she needs.

    • He would still be an accessory to the theft by breaking open the door and the gate. Maybe he can claim the Reichert House messed up his mind somehow.

    • As a nurse for over 30 years, I can tell you there is no drug that you can put into somebody’s drink to make them drive drunk, break into somebody’s house and almost choke them to death. I have personally dealt with this officer, and he is no good.

  • Do a google search on his name and you’ll find he and a few other individuals were the subjects in a cheating probe while being a recruit during Police Academy. Entitled punk is what he is.

  • He’s a great young man. We all make mistakes. We this world is so judgemental. Like yall are so perfect

    • Since he made the mistakes he can pay for them in prison, just like in the other punk

  • Somone slipped a Roofie or something else into his drink.
    Pretty common against Officers from people who have Zero Integrity and Have lot of hate for Officers. I am sure when he made Officer of teh Month in August he had done things to preserve Liberty and Safety for teh General Public making a few of our ‘Bad Guys’ angry.

    I was a federal Officer in the 80’s and the Mob first sent men to beat me up (multiple times) and that had zero effect except for hospital bills (theirs). Then sent two men out of Orlando to Assassinate me.

    That apparently did not work either. Finally set me up with some charges of which I was interviewed for but No Charges were filed (charges Unfounded), But I was ruined and no one would hire me anymore.

    • I worked there from 81 to 99, CID, Backgrounds and IAD! The stories I could tell about those scumbags

    • Are you the mayor or one of the commissioners? You think alcohol is just like iced tea and doesn’t make anybody act violent or aggressive? What are you smoking?

    • Lol the ole someone slipped him a roofie and he had no clue what he was doing trick huh?

  • Thus GPD’s new hiring practices! They SUCK!!!!!!!!! I would love to see this kids pre-employment backgroun
    d packet. Just like other diversity hires, he peobably flunked it! A Reichert House grad, OMFG!!!!!!!!

  • Looks like they should have fired him when he tried to fight the instructor in the police academy. Instead, they gave him the typical Reichert House exemption.

  • Fun Fact:

    Officer Bivens has been the subject of many controversies since employment. Here’s one example-

    During the academy, he disrespected a guest speaker and then a Sgt who told him to stop. Bivens didn’t stop. The Sgt confronted him again…Bivens went off and began to yell at the Sgt.

    Fast forward

    The police academy reviewed the case, interviewed witnesses, watched video. They determined he was at fault and they kicked him out of the academy.

    Fast forward

    Chief Jones, who had a reputation for covering bad behavior for certain types of officers, told the Sgt he was not allowed to teach at the academy anymore. He then allowed Bivens to stay at GPD and let him go to the Ocala Academy.

    In any other case, the officer would have been fired. Not when Tony gets involved.

    Racism and favoritism runs rampant at GPD. Btw, That Sgt ended up quitting and going to a better agency…he was so fed up with the corruption that fell on deaf ears. He has friends in all the right places.

    True story..do a public records request.

    • That kind of working environment must have cost the force a lot of good potential hires and caused many former employees to leave, and it is surely part of the reason we are down by 100 officers or whatever the exact number is. City Manager? Hello?

    • You failed to mention WHAT was said by the GUEST SPEAKER that was the catalyst of the actions. WHY! Your statement says that He just felt like DISRESPECTING a guest speaker! WE KNOW BETTER! and WE KNOW THE TRUTH!

  • You’d figure as a cop he’d know better and invoke his 5th amendment rights and ask for an attorney and remain silent but he didn’t. He’s dumber than dumb.

  • I was doing my best not to comment but some of Hitler’s henchmen need to be put in check. 1st of all, this man, individual regardless of the color of his skin will have to answer for any mistakes made(like anyone else). He never attended the Reichert House and if he did there are more success stories that came out of there than otherwise. So stop it with the Reichert House unless you are going to compare it to the Boys Scouts, Catholic church, Police Department, etc. No organization has a flawless record. And we are not going to lay it all at the feet of the current or even past cheif. How many mistakes were made by the rights violating, egg throwing, prostitute paying or raping, sleeping with fellow officers wives, window peeking into “morally superior whites who take the job far more seriously” officers hire by Botsford.
    So stop it, not every black person hired is a “less qualified black kid from rough backgrounds” some are highly-qualified just like the ones that got overlooked when Botsford was in office, so what’s your beef? Stop making it a black/white thing and take each individual case as it comes and if not, let’s go back 5-10 years and compare the numbers and maybe that will shut your pie hole!!!!! Now back to your regularly scheduled Klan meeting……..

    • Well Stated. Thanks. He did attend the Reichert House just like a lot of others that did not continue on a consistent basis.

    • Such a nice woman for sticking up for a idiot. I bet you let the whole hood in your piehole, I won’t take up any more of your time I’m sure you’ve got a BBQ to attend 🤣🤣🤣

  • I don’t comment much here but I view AC religiously daily. and I read ALL OF YOUR comments. I am an YOUTUBE channel Blue Steel @7199.who deals in police and government accountability. I am specifically active in GAINESVILLE AND ALACHUA COUNTY. Right now I have a video just about GPD and the complaint process detailing the level of intimidation/corruption by the I.A./Professional standards DIRECTOR Tim Durst, dishonest shitbag… Who is another member of GPD that has destroyed the ability to EVER trust GPD, EVER. I know things YOU people don’t that I will eventually post. Just take action like YOU are doing now, do more to 🛑 the insanity. T.Jones & now L.Scott what could the city have gotten better with those bonafide gents in charge? It is just a great big ish sandwich we have ALL been eating, WHY? We pay for the way GAINESVILLE is. We have funded and facilitated ALL of this festering social sore we call a city… As citizens we must do ALL that we can to save Gainesville the jewel of Florida. The past and present city government has run this city into the ground and now, NOW is the time and hour to say the BUCK STOPS HERE. Each incident stands alone, this cop is just one of hundreds of discrepancies, we can’t allow much to get by any more we are sinking help us help GAINESVILLE. I’m here for all go to my ABOUT PAGE on my YOUTUBE channel to make contact if You are sincere… Trolls & bootlickers this is not an invitation I would deal with YOU in a legal manner that would far exceed YOUR expectations, trust. blue/blew isis don’t even tempt or test me in that, they already know
    … But if we are just runnout with all this, take action my fellow Central Florida activist have a large footprint 👣 we can and are willing to help…

    • The problem is that good officers are intimidated and bullied into ignoring the issues at hand, it’s just the truth. The chain of command is just that. You mentioned Tim Durst. He is otherwise a great guy who let the power/intimidation undermine what he and many others know is the truth.

      • Miss J. WILLIAMS, there is nothing good about the GPD internal affairs director T Durst intimidating complaintants. You can’t come back to good after that. This is my yt Chanel go see Tim Durst. Blue Steel @7199.

    • You can comment on the corruption in any place. This I have no problem with. There is no point in cussing to make your point. I watched one of your videos about doing an investigation. Whether they look into the allegation first or whether they clarify, no matter how well written, the report is some people start at the cart and some people start at the horse. If you send in an allegation and they call you asking you about this the best thing to do is to be cooperative. And to give them all the information that you have. written text can be interpreted differently. I have found that sometimes it is better to actually have a conversation about the incident, then to actually write about it. When I put my videos up I was not writing my opinion I was showing how this policeman lied and said he had no supervisor. He also says he was upset because I would not let him in. As a handicap person using cruise control most of the time in the city he went to court and lied. he says that everybody is speeding if there were people speeding faster than me, and he decided to profile me and my family and pull me over. maybe we do not need the police For speeding we should just have cameras every place and send everybody tickets? Or maybe the speed limits are set to low for modern day. As I use my cruise control. I am passed numerous times on every road. why is this? Are we a society? That is such a hurry that we cannot follow any of the rules anymore? And yet when you follow the rules, you get a ticket by a policeman who is upset that you wouldn’t let him in. He should be ashamed of himself. But again, as I mentioned, earlier, admitting to drunk driving, should automatically find him convicted of a DUI or DWI, and remove him from the force for breaking a severe law. Thank you.

  • He gave me a ticket when I was not speeding Look at my you tube videos. Dash cam 1122, Also Dash cam 1122-1,dash cam 1122-2, dash cam 1122-3. He lied to me right on camera after he gave me a ticket when I was not speeding because I would not let him over?

    • What is Your YT channel name? i have a channel & i am active in Gainesville, @bluesteel7199 will get YOU there, i check YOU out too

  • So I have no idea if he strangled this girl or not. But what I do know is that he was drunk and driving as he admits to this. No policeman should be allowed to get a DUI or DWI. They should be held at a higher standard as they know the law and they also know the consequences of drunk driving. This Alone should get him removed from the police force. As an ER nurse I have seen the repercussions of drunk driving more times than I want to count. I would never even take one drink and drive.

  • Please tell me this oustanding officer still has a job under Tony Jones’ previous hiring standards for new GVL PoPo.

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