The Gainesville Police Department is looking for volunteers to join its Violent Crime Workgroup, it announced Thursday in a news release.
The group is being put together in order to “curb violence, reduce the growing number of homicides and shootings in the city, and to develop specific, community-wide steps that citizens and leaders can take to make our community safer,” the release said.
In 2019, Gainesville saw three homicides. In 2020 and 2021, the city saw a total of 17 homicides.
Department spokesperson Graham Glover said volunteers could be anyone living in the Gainesville area.
“Tell us what you think we should be doing,” he said. “We want to hear from you. So this is really just a simple way to bring members of the community and to a codified group that meets regularly that gives us input as we seek to serve the citizens here in Gainesville.”
Anyone interested can contact GPD Chief Inspector Jaime Kurnick at 352-393-7787 or kurnick@cityofgainesville.org.