TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Police will have an increased presence in Ybor City throughout the weekend, as leaders continue to discuss some long-term safety solutions.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw says he’s meeting with both the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and FHP for help with additional patrols.
Bercaw says he also met with staff at The Columbia Restaurant and offered for his officers to escort employees to their cars late at night, in the event they feel unsafe.
“For me, even though violent crime is down in Ybor it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s the fear of crime after what happened. I want everybody to feel safe and if that means putting extra officers that’s the least that we can do.”
Bercaw said he’s also connecting with police departments in some of Florida’s largest cities to see what they do to deter violent crime.
“I’ve spoke to the Orlando Police chief, I’ve looked at their model they have up there, and I think we have several options on the table,” he said. “I think part of that is looking at legal and what will work in the City of Tampa and what will work in our community.”
During a Tampa City Council meeting Thursday, council members asked TPD to spend three months conducting a safety study in Ybor so they can have a better idea of what long-term solutions should be considered.
In order to get a better idea of the vibe and issues that exist between midnight at 3 a.m. on 7th Ave, council member Guido Maniscalco says he will be in Ybor alongside Bercaw on Saturday night.
Other ideas at improving safety that were discussed include enforcing a curfew for kids under 18 and keeping 7th Ave open to traffic as close to the 3 a.m. closing time as possible to reduce the amount of people gathering in the street.
Council member Gwen Henderson proposed enacting a temporary 1 a.m. curfew for Ybor clubs and bars, but after much pushback moved away from that idea.
“Two kids are dead right now and neither of them were 21,” said Chad Perry, who works in Ybor. “The only thing that people are doing in Ybor past 11 p.m. is buying alcohol. If you’re under the age of 21 you’re not adding to the economy in Ybor and I think we need to look at that.”
Perry and others also supported adding metal detectors at the entrances of busy clubs, similar to downtown Orlando.