Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony and his deputies have begun cracking down on house parties in his county, as the coronavirus continues to spread.
Tony said the issue is not just that the virus is spreading at these gatherings, but that many of the events are also turning violent.
The sheriff says he is specifically targeting District 5, which is in Central Broward.
“We’ve seen a slight increase in violent crimes,” explains Tony. “We’ve seen several shootings take place, several homicides take place, specifically as it relates to this district where we are going to be focusing.”
He adds that residents can expect to see an increase in deputy presence in the days ahead.
BSO will be conducting a large scale operation aimed at deterring and preventing incidents like the recent violent crimes that have occurred in unincorporated Central Broward. Residents can expect to see an increase in law enforcement activities. More at: https://t.co/Bo8KzgIr5m pic.twitter.com/R4SyjrJaBk
— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) July 17, 2020
“We’ll be out here. There will be no warnings,” according to Tony. “We will enforce the laws; we’ll hold people accountable.”
The sheriff believes that cracking down on house parties will prevent crime as well help to curb COVID-19.
“If we’re cutting down on these large gatherings, which is producing crime, shootings, homicide et cetera, then we’re taking the people off the streets to put them into compliance with what the CDC is recommending,” he goes on to say, “so they’re both, you know, connected to each other.”
In addition, Tony says the public can also help by reporting any large gatherings they may come across.