Unified effort

File photo: Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken during the City of Ocala Strategic Planning meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Ocala on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Local and federal officials held a joint news conference Feb. 1 at Ocala Police Department headquarters to discuss progress in their combined fight against violent crime in Marion County, with a focus on crimes involving guns.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office (Ocala Division) prosecuted 57 firearms cases tied to 60 defendants between July 2018 and December 2022. As of Dec. 31, 2022, 49 of the 60 defendants had been sentenced in federal court to a combined total of 388 years in federal prison, according to a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ)/United States Middle District of Florida.

OPD Chief Mike Balken, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods and William “Bill” Gladson, U.S. 5th Judicial State Attorney for Marion and four adjacent counties, whose office is in Ocala, joined representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida for the press conference to discuss their collaborations to combat and reduce violent crime.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida serves 35 counties and has offices in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Myers and Ocala

Balken opened the press conference saying that local violent crime causes residents “fear” and interferes with their “quality of life,” according to a video supplied by OPD. Balken said he was “proud” of the success stories of the “unified and relentless” efforts by the local and federal partners’ joint efforts.

“I am extremely proud of the incredible work these partners are doing to hold violent criminals accountable for their actions,” Balken stated in the DOJ release.

Woods praised the joint local and federal effort and promised to “use every tool… every man and woman” in the office to deter and stop violent crime.

Woods said there were 124 shootings in 2022 and that 51 were gang related; nine of those were homicides. He said there were 12 homicides in 2020 and 15 homicides in 2021.

“We support, protect and defend the Constitution and have a great appreciation for those lawful gun owners that simply wish to live peaceably. But we will come together bringing all of our available resources to maintain that peace when the violent, evil person tries to disrupt that,” Woods stated in the release.

The ATF Tampa Field Division’s Acting Special Agent in Charge, Richard Coes, spoke of bringing the power of the federal government to bear with local agencies and stated at the press conference that “(no) agency can tackle the issue of violent crime alone,” according to the release.

Sherri E. Onks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division, commented on the “team approach.”

“In today’s world, the threats we face are too diverse, too dangerous, and too all-encompassing for any of us to tackle alone. This is a team approach, and the men and women of the FBI are committed to doing their part to help protect our communities across Florida,”

Onks stated in the release.

The local and federal effort in Marion County is part of the overall Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, “a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening” that was launched May 26, 2021, by the Department of Justice to bring together “all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” the release noted. PSN is based upon the principles of “fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.”

U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Roger B. Handberg, said combatting violent crime requires involvement by the entire community.

“Combating violent crime requires the commitment and cooperation from everyone in our community,” he stated in the release. “The partnerships displayed here today have existed for many years and we look forward to working with the dedicated men and women of these local, state and federal agencies and our citizens in making this community a safer place to live.”