POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Broward County’s top cop addressed concerned residents on Tuesday night following a series of shootings in Pompano Beach.
Police visibility is one area of improvement that fed up residents were suggesting directly to Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony.
Tony received an earful about Pompano Beach’s problems at the community meaning aimed at addressing gun violence.
“We’ve been looking for you for a while to come into the northwest community,” Commissioner Beverly Perkins told Tony.
Just last month, a 16-year old boy was killed in a shooting that was caught on surveillance video at a strip mall.
Authorities eventually arrested three suspects in the shooting.
A week before that, a separate shooting left a 10-year old boy injured. He was shot while walking home from a park in broad daylight, caught in the crossfire.
“I’m gonna fight like hell for everyone in this room -- that’s why I’m here,” said Tony. “There’s no more room for talk. These things must happen.”
Tony says increased patrols and community policing would now involve federal agents on Pompano Beach streets, to get more serious charges to stick on the worst weapons offenders.
“It’s not just the ATF. You will see the DEA engaged with us, you will see Homeland Security and many other federal partners, so we can really take the fight to these folks out here that are creating the problems without over policing,” Tony said.