On Friday, the City of Gainesville named Nelson Moya its next chief of police.
Moya began his career in Palm Bay, Florida, where he served as the department’s chief in 2019. He moved to Suffolk County, New York, in 2022, where he led various justice intervention efforts and launched the county's first Threat Assessment and Management team.
Moya later joined the Gainesville Police Department as assistant chief in June 2023.
Since joining GPD, Moya has prioritized enhancing public safety in Gainesville by blending enforcement, community engagement and innovative crime prevention strategies, he said.
One among his key efforts is the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative, which he describes as a focused strategy to curb violent crime in the city by focusing on at-risk individuals.
He emphasized the importance of not only tackling gun violence directly but also addressing the related activities that contribute to it.
"Fighting gun-related violence and all of its tentacles, because there are many, is a priority," he said, noting the initiative has already led to the removal of illegal firearms from Gainesville's streets over the last three months.
Moya also highlighted the importance of community engagement within his policing philosophy.
"One of our three tenets is community engagement, and we can't do one without the other," he said, referring to the integration of the other two tenets of protecting the vulnerable and crime fighting.
Moya said it’s important the department foster strong relationships with Gainesville residents.
“We expect that our staff, not only our sworn staff, but also our non-sworn staff, that they find a way from their corner of the organization to have an impact and engage in our community," he said.
As Moya assumes his new role, he has indicated his focus will primarily remain on violent crime prevention and public safety efforts in Gainesville.
Contact Carlos Alemany at calemany@alligator.org. Follow him on X @clos_alemany.
Carlos Alemany is a fourth year political science student and the Alligator's 2024 Criminal Justice Reporter. In his free time, you you may catch him thrifting or sketching in Gainesville.
