Gainesville Police Department officials told the City Commission their third‑quarter performance metrics show sustained reductions in many serious crime categories and described operational steps they say contributed to the trend.

Major Jamie Kernick presented year‑to‑date comparisons (Jan. 1–Sept. 30) showing total violent‑crime down about 16 percent and property crime down nearly 16 percent from the previous year. Homicides fell from eight in 2024 to three this year. Kernick highlighted reductions in robberies (44% decrease for the period cited) and in shots‑fired calls in recent months.

GPD emphasized a mix of place‑based tactics and cross‑agency partnerships. The department detailed operations in the downtown area (daytime and night‑shift foot patrols), targeted encampment work coordinated with Public Works, and a traffic‑unit program focused on fatalities and dangerous corridors. Captain Summer Hallett described criminal‑investigations caseloads and closures; the traffic unit outlined car‑seat checks, DUI details, and multiagency campaigns to slow speeds and reduce red‑light violations.

Kernick also summarized the city’s co‑responder program (police officers paired with clinicians): four teams handled 673 calls for service in the quarter, including 31 Baker Act responses and 44 voluntary transports; staff highlighted jail diversions and emergency‑room diversions among program outcomes.

Commission discussion focused on holding reductions and obtaining additional data for specific topics (for example, red‑light camera and school‑zone camera deployment timelines). Commissioners and staff credited interagency coordination — including public‑works, Gainesville Fire Rescue, sheriff’s office and university police — for contributory engineering and enforcement measures.

What happens next: GPD will return with additional camera and enforcement detail in future quarterly reports and continue community engagement and targeted patrols to sustain downward trends.