The local police union accused the Gainesville Police Department of negligence after a man was shot at a rap concert last week.
The Gainesville Fraternal Order of Police sent a letter to the city manager and the police department disapproving of how the department handled a concert at the Heart of the City Hookah Lounge, at 1221 E. University Ave.
Jonathan Smith, a 46-year-old event coordinator also known as Jock Smooth, was accused of shooting another event coordinator in the chest Nov. 4. Smith ran away before officers could arrest him, according to a press release.
Michael Maresca, the union president, said the department ignored safety concerns leading up to and during the rap concert, according to the letter.
“This was a colossal failure,” Maresca said. “Failure to prepare, plan and keep the citizens and your officers safe.”
The letter said Gainesville Police Chief Tony Jones approved the permit for the event even though the venue owner, event promoter and artist were involved in a concert during which five people were shot in 2006.
Matt Goeckel, the union spokesperson, said the union doesn’t like to butt heads with the city or department but will send letters if necessary.
“We’re writing it because our members were in danger and that’s the union’s purpose — to help protect our officers,” he said.
The concert was understaffed because of the Florida-Missouri football game. Only five police officers covered the concert, Goeckel said.
The event was scheduled to end at 1 a.m. but continued for another 30 minutes, Goeckel said. Hundreds of residents filed noise complaints.
The venue didn’t have a permit to sell alcohol and officers didn’t know security hired for the event had been armed, Goeckel said.
Gainesville Police spokesperson Lt. Jorge Campos said the letter was inflammatory and that the department does not agree with the union’s position.
“We did plan for it,” Campos said. “We did do our due diligence to have staffing to address the issue.”
The chief originally denied the event permit because he thought it was submitted late, Campos said. Jones approved the event when he learned the permit met all the requirements.
Campos said there is no city ordinance that prevents someone from hosting an event if past events resulted in gun violence.
“It would not have been different if any other citizen called us,” Campos said.
The department didn’t have reason to believe gun violence would occur during the concert, Campos said.
Jones and Maresca are scheduled to meet next week to discuss the issue, Goeckel said.
“The chief said the event was a success,” Goeckel said. “No matter how smoothly the rest of the event goes, if someone gets hurt on our watch, to us, it’s a failure.”
Contact Alyssa Ramos at aramos@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @LysKRamos
