ORLANDO, Fla. — Gun violence is a public health crisis. In May, Channel 9 anchor Daralene Jones sat down with local doctors who raised a red flag during her investigative report that dug into local gun violence.
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New data that she revealed then showed you just how often gunshot injuries were being treated at Central Florida hospitals.
Just two weeks ago -- for the first time -- the U.S. surgeon general acknowledged that gun violence is a public health crisis and that it requires immediate awareness and action.
Nationwide, firearms have surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of death among children and youth. And the local data that Jones analyzed as part of its initial investigation in May is just as troubling.
9 Investigates wanted to know how local law enforcement is tackling the issue and went along for a ride with a special Orlando Police Department unit focused solely on violent crime.
“Today the unit is starting off what we call North South. We don’t have any specific intel for tonight. Today’s just whatever comes up,” said Orlando police Lt. Al Negron, of the agency’s TAC Unit, during Jones’ recent ride along.
And it didn’t take long.
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Just about 30 minutes into rolling out with the unit, Negron and his squad received a call about shots fired near the University of Central Florida and Valencia College’s downtown campuses.
“Sounds like they don’t have much, so let’s just move back to North-South,” Negron said.
“What kind of an incident would require a TAC Unit?” Jones asked.
“TAC specializes in neutralizing felony vehicles,” Negron said. “If there’s a shooting and they have suspect information, the TAC would mobilize there.”
Orlando police Chief Eric Smith recently expanded the specialized unit from three to four squads, allowing the agency to increase and vary coverage.
“The streets are talking,” Jones said. “They know you guys are out?”
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“We’ve even listened to jail calls,” Negron said. “They’ll say you know those TAC boys are out. Don’t go through the city at a certain time.”
9 Investigates requested to ride out with the specialized unit to take you behind the scenes of how its officers are trying to stay ahead of the criminal back channels -- tackling what have been identified as hot spots -- hopefully to rein in violent crime.
“There could be a spike in shootings or reported shootings or spike in stolen vehicles,” Negron said.
“Are we talking five arrests a week?” Jones asked.
“We’re averaging -- the TAC Unit -- anywhere from 40 to 50 felony arrests a week,” Negron said. “And we’re almost at 200 crime guns seized from Jan. 1 until now.”
Earlier this year, 9 Investigates spent weeks analyzing reports from the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration dating back to 2019.
The reports provided us with the most comprehensive gun violence data we have ever obtained because hospitals are required to report gunshot injuries along with a breakdown of race, age, gender and even the ZIP code of the injured.
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“Is this a public health concern?” Jones asked Dr. Michael Cheatham, of Orlando Health.
“It is,” he said. “We talk about desensitization. I think even the public has become desensitized to the fact that you’re reporting about yet another gunshot wound -- another crime where someone was shot.”
Almost 25,000 gunshot victims showed up in emergency rooms statewide through the end of 2023, averaging about 4,000 each year.
A majority -- almost 18,500 patients -- had to be admitted for short- and long-term care.
There were more than 3,000 gunshot injuries in these Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia.
Victims ranged in age from one to 93.
Our analysis shows that the numbers have increased significantly each year since 2019.
Perhaps what is most troubling is that an average of 430 of the victims are 18 years old or younger, and the summer months offer the unfortunate fuel for gunfire.
“It is very disturbing,” Negron said. “Maybe because I’ve been in Orlando working, I feel like the summer, we’re becoming used to it that the gun violence increases because school is out.”
Even in broad daylight, the pressure of the job can be felt.
Officers face anxiety with each car they pull over that they deem suspicious.
“You bring more than one officer because it’s a safety thing,” Negron said. “There were four occupants, and we want to outnumber them.”
But the darkness of night came with another level of potential danger -- both seen and unseen.
“He has a history of aggravated fleeing and eluding from police,” Negron said during one traffic stop.
“What do you say to people, because there’s always criticism,” Jones asked Negron.
“I tell my guys to be straight up, honest with them, ‘Hey: We are the violent offender police. If you’re not someone who meets that threshold, you have nothing to worry about,’” he said. “That’s why we’re such a high liability unit -- because there’s so many unknowns when you’re stopping a car.”
Last year, Jones attempted a similar ride along with the agency’s chief.
Just as she and her photographer left the downtown Orlando precinct for patrol, two officers were shot right outside of the building -- just feet from where she stood.
They are still recovering to this day.
During this ride along, Jones asked Negron about what call has stood out to him, and he said it was a routine call that ended with a 17-year-old shooting at him without regard because he did not want to go to jail for a robbery.
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