Law and public safety

One Marion County resident died yesterday when he lost control of a fire on his property. 66-year-old Warren Wimberly had a permit to burn 2 acres of land, but a heavy gust of wind spread the fire. Florida Division of Forestry spokeswoman Ludie Bond says wind can greatly increase the …

More crimes were solved and fewer committed in Gainesville last year. Gainesville Police Department Spokeswoman Tscharna Senn says this is the result of some specific action by the department, including increased patrols on the street and more community involvement. “When we plugged those numbers in we were happily surprised. We …

After the Tuscon Arizona shooting left six dead and twelve people wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, questions about gun possession and control began to arise. WUFT-FM’s Kristi Posson has details on Florida’s policy for purchasing firearms.

Grief counselors are helping University of Florida students to cope with the deaths of two UF students who died in a cave exploration accident in Georgia over the weekend. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials continue to look for the reasons why UF Senior Grant Lockenbach and Freshman Michael Pirie became trapped …

Today marks the 2-year anniversary of the disappearance of five-year-old Haleigh Cummings. Haleigh was reported missing from her home in Satsuma in the middle of the night. Putnam County Sheriff’s office officials say it is very likely the abductor was no stranger to Haleigh’s family. Family members believe her father’s …

Law enforcement helicopters roared over North Central Florida on Wednesday morning as Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies searched for an abducted child. Although the abduction was fake and part of an accreditation certification training, the Child Abduction Rescue Team, or CART, serving this area is prepared for the very real situations …

Nevin Shapiro developed a Ponzi scheme in Florida and collected more than 880 million dollars over a four year period. 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Kara Van Hoose spoke with Lori Schock, the Director of Investor Education and Advocacy at the Securities and Exchange Commission. While Ponzi schemes do actually work at first, …

University of Florida Police Chief Linda Stump admits the University Police Department could have handled things differently in the shooting of UF graduate student Kofi Adu-Brempong this past march. As Dan Katz reports, one of the four officers involved in the case has lost his job. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/shootingreport2.mp3]

The limit on the number of people the St. Francis House can feed in one day has been lifted for Sunday, July 4th. The house has obtained permission from the city to feed more people. St. Francis House will be providing traditional American meals for the holiday. This comes one …

Saturday marks the beginning of National Drug Court Month. WUFT-FM’s Lauren Walters reports on what Alachua County is doing to recognize this initiative. [audio:http://www.wuft.org/media/audio/3drug.mp3]