Ocala Police Chief Mike Volcan and Fire Chief Clint Welborn provided department updates at the Jan. 7 Ocala City Council meeting that summarized 2024 activity and described recent operational changes; a resident used public comment to raise concerns about treatment by the Ocala Police Department and access to records.

Volcan presented a year‑in‑review snapshot that, according to his slides, included 65,640 dispatch calls for service, 2,554 self‑initiated calls, five homicides, 14 traffic fatalities and 683 Baker Act incidents. He cautioned the council that one slide’s wording around traffic crashes was unclear in the presentation; the transcript records the phrase "36 165 traffic crashes," which Volcan displayed as part of his map slides. Volcan said the crimestat map fluctuates and noted a recent two‑week period with higher volumes on the city’s west side. He also presented a monthly traffic‑enforcement summary that recorded 832 traffic stops during a four‑week period and said many enforcement efforts occur on State Road 200.

Volcan described a volunteer‑led community policing pilot launched in June at the Berkeley Point apartment complex on the east side. He said the pilot produced “drastic drops” in calls for service for that location when comparing 2023 to 2024 monthly figures, and that the city is working with the mayor and city manager to consider hiring that volunteer full time and expanding the program to other high‑crime locations.

Fire Chief Clint Welborn presented two‑week unit response counts (Rescue 3 had the most responses during the period shown) and said adding Rescue 6 in April 2024 reduced the call load on Rescue 4 as intended. He reported 51 motor vehicle accidents, four structure fires and 40 community paramedic/core calls in the two‑week reporting period; the period’s total call load was 857. His 2024 highlights included more than 25,000 calls for service to date in the year‑to‑date slide, about 14,000 public education contacts, the addition of Rescue 6 and Ladder 3, several retirements (including a long‑serving captain and driver who retired Dec. 31), and a successful baby delivery on Jan. 2.

Public comment: Manny Camps, who identified himself as a longtime Ocala resident and business owner, told the council he believes he has been “profiled” by OPD and said he has not received a response after twice sending a three‑page letter to Mayor Ben Marciano about his concern. Camps said he had been arrested on a trespass matter related to his business and that requested video and other records were not available to him because they had been purged; he said he had hired an attorney and asked for a meeting with the mayor. The clerk accepted a copy of his letter for the record.

Another speaker, Rock Gibbony, urged vigilance about human trafficking and offered historical and international observations; his remarks were presented as personal commentary and advocacy rather than as a staff report.

Why it matters: the police presentation highlights a targeted community‑policing effort that city staff say produced measurable reductions in calls at a specific housing complex; the fire presentation details capacity changes and annual workloads that affect emergency response planning. Public comments signaled community concern about police practices and access to records, which the council and staff may address through follow‑up communications.

What’s next: Volcan said the city is evaluating whether to bring the Berkeley Point volunteer on staff and expand the program; the council did not take formal action on the reports during the meeting.