TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — Just days after another deadly shooting, this time in the SoHo neighborhood, Police Chief Lee Bercaw spoke to council members about what they're doing to keep the community safe.
He presented city council members with something many in our community have asked about, a Public Safety Master Plan.
Chief Bercaw said crime in Tampa is low compared to other cities our size.
Nationally, the average decline in violent crime for major cities is about 2.6%, but Tampa is three times lower, according to the Chief.
A closer look shows that from 2022 to 2023, violent crime declined 8.3%, total crime declined 6.9%, and crime involving a firearm declined 17.2%.
But with the recent shootings, the community still wants to know what Tampa police plans to do to make them feel safe.
"I'm adding more officers out there because it's important to me that everybody feels safe," said the Chief speaking of the SoHo neighborhood.
Here's a look at the shootings we've reported on since April 1st. There were at least eight in Tampa, another four in Hillsborough County, and at least 24 shootings in that month and a half in the Tampa Bay area.
In the case of the SoHo shooting, video from TPD shows cops driving by about 30 seconds before the gunshots. Police say it's not the only time recently that a shooting has occurred with cops nearby.
"The shooting that was about three weeks before that, the officers were already in the parking lot breaking up a fight before that actually happened. So I think it's, again, as responsible gun ownership and keeping the guns out of the hands of people that shouldn't have guns and that everybody see something say something," the Chief added.
So what's included in that master plan aimed at preventing more tragedies?
It's not limited to businesses. Stephen Michelini represents the SoHo Business Alliance.
"Businesses do something every day. They're engaged with the police department, they have both off-duty officers. And then the police also supplement that with on duty officers and private security for each of these establishments. So that's one of the requirements that they have regardless, and that happens every week," said Michelini.
TPD also held a community meeting on Wednesday (March 15) to address council members.
It's all to ensure SoHo's name doesn't get a bad rep.
"This particular incident didn't start with an establishment. It started offsite. There were a few individuals who were intent on causing harm to each other. And I don't know why they showed up at SoHo. The police don't know why they showed up," he added.
Now, TPD is embarking on its violent crime roadmap; it's a DOJ toolkit.
The ten action plans include proactive policing, such as identifying the key people and places driving violence and investing in anti-violence workforce development.
The police department is also looking to add about 40 more cops to the roster in the next couple of years. Currently, about 1,000 cops cover the city of about 400,000 residents and hundreds of thousands of visitors.
They also have plans to do more to foster relationships with the youth.
Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone obtained the most recent batch of Florida teacher exit interviews which detail, in their own words, why teachers left the classroom this summer.
