What steps should be taken to reduce violent crime in Manatee County?
We have already begun to address the violent crime. We formed the Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF), which is a ready response team, to the robberies and drive-by shootings. We use overtime monies to place additional deputies on special assignments during peak hours. This detail is known as Power Track, which utilizes current crime analysis to track and respond to crime trends. We have conducted undercover drug buys that have resulted in a large number of arrests. We continue these investigations so that the pressure is always on. We just completed a Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organization (RICO) investigation, where nine members of a gang known as the Brown Pride Locos were arrested. We have partnered with the State Attorney’s Office to aggressively arrest, identify and prosecute habitual felony offenders. We are currently working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and local, state and federal prosecutors on several major investigat
