Violent Gang Investigative Task Force arrest 144 in Polk County

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A multi-agency task force action helped arrest more than 140 suspected gang members in Polk County, Sheriff Grady Judd said Tuesday.

Gang-related shootings were becoming more frequent in Polk County between 2019 and 2023. According to authorities, in 2019, there were six recorded incidents of gang-related shootings, compared to 59 in 2022.

Last January, 11 people were shot during a drive-by in a Lakeland neighborhood.

“From what I can see, I think the neighborhood has calmed down since that shoot out,” said Mae Owner.

Owner has lived in the area for more than two decades and says there has been a noticeable difference.

“I don't see that many guys hanging out down there on that corner anymore. When they are hanging down there, I don't see police harassing them like they normally do. So, I would say it’s calmed down a lot,” Owner said.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said there has been a 30% reduction in drive-by shootings. He attributes it to creating the Violent Gang Investigative Task Force in 2023. It’s a multi-agency effort between the Polk County Sheriff's Office, local and federal law enforcement agencies.

“We’re not going to allow kids to shoot kids. We’re not going to allow kids to kill kids,” Judd said.

The mission of the task force is to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle gangs operating in Polk County. Since its inception, the task force has arrested 144 gang members, and 57 firearms have been seized.

“This is a Glock, it’s got an extended mag, but it also got this. It's called a switch. This is a fully automatic handgun because of the switch,” Judd said.

The gang members arrested range between 16 and 29 years old. The sheriff said many are recruited through social media. They have added the Gang Resistance Intervention Program in Polk County Public Schools.

“Every day we counsel and mentor these kids in our school system. We have a prolific program to work with these kids,” Judd said.