Press release from the City of Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gainesville Police Department (GPD) and University of Florida Police Department (UFPD) are expanding their coordinated presence in Midtown, deploying a joint detail during the area’s busiest periods near the University of Florida campus.
The Midtown operation is scheduled for dates and times when officers expect increased activity. GPD and UFPD personnel patrol together and respond jointly to calls for service throughout the student-centered district.
The initiative is part of an ongoing partnership between the two departments. Gainesville Police Chief Nelson Moya and UFPD Chief Bart Knowles meet regularly to assess safety concerns and develop strategies aimed at protecting UF students and the wider Gainesville community.
“This is about putting officers where they can have the greatest impact at the time they’re most needed,” Moya said. “We’re in constant communication with our partners at the university. Our job is to maintain a high level of public safety together.”
The Midtown detail extends the approach used by GPD’s Downtown Unit, which launched in 2025. That unit works with business owners and other stakeholders to identify problems, exchange information, and strengthen relationships. Four officers and a sergeant make up the team, which handles downtown calls while keeping watch over pedestrian traffic, parking areas, and popular gathering spots.
In Midtown, that model also creates more opportunities for the two agencies to work side by side. The shared assignment brings together GPD and UFPD officers, combining their staffing, information, and experience in one of Gainesville’s busiest areas for students.
“Gainesville and the University of Florida are one community, and public safety is one of the places where that partnership matters most,” Mayor Harvey L. Ward said. “When our police departments share information, resources, and responsibility, we are better able to respond to the needs of our neighbors and students. This detail is another example of that collaboration at work.”
The Midtown operation underscores that student safety extends beyond the university’s campus boundaries. Students live, work, commute, and socialize throughout Gainesville, making close coordination between GPD and UFPD essential. The departments have a long record of collaborating with each other and with other local agencies, and the new detail further strengthens that public safety network.
