As of Friday, Alachua County’s Sheriff Office has decided to dispatch two cars for each call it receives.
ASO spokesman Art Forgey said this new rule was created because of the shooting of officers in Dallas and information the office received that could endanger officers in Gainesville.
“They’re still single cars, but they’re being dispatched in two cars to each call,” he said. “Each car still has one deputy in it, but they’re dispatching two units to each call.”
As of press time, the sheriff’s office does not know if this rule will become permanent or how long the office will follow it, Forgey said.
“We will implement this as long as necessary for the safety of our officers,” he said. “I think there’s always safety in numbers; we always preach that to folks who are out and about in public.”
Gainesville Police is also enforcing this rule. The department dispatched two officers for each call over the weekend, GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias wrote in an email.
“For our safety, we are not going to disclose our operations going forward,” he wrote.
However, University Police is not changing any procedures as of press time, UPD spokesman Major Brad Barber wrote in an email.
“We will however continue to assess any developing situation and make whatever changes are necessary to help ensure community and officer safety,” he wrote.
