Chief of Police Eric Gandy Meeting with UNIMEX about Immigration: August 12, 2026

On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy met with members of UNIMEX and LULAC. This meeting was convened to address growing community concerns regarding the Clearwater Police Department’s (CPD) 287(g) agreement with ICE, clarify local law enforcement boundaries, and discuss strategies to maintain public safety and trust within the undocumented community.

Chief Gandy's Opening Remarks

• 287(g) Agreement & ICE Training: Under state direction, the Clearwater Police Department (CPD) signed a 287(g) agreement 18 months prior. CPD is now having 15 to 16 officers undergo 40 hours of online ICE training over a 60-day period.

287(g) Historical & Political Context

• Statewide & Local Pressure (Early 2025): In February 2025, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri warned local police chiefs that under state directives (including SB 2C and anti-"sanctuary" enforcement mandates), failing to sign a 287(g) agreement could put them at risk of being removed from office by Governor Ron DeSantis.

• Local vs. Regional Enforcement Differences: While municipal police departments (such as those in Tampa and St. Petersburg) view their 287(g) agreements with ICE as a non-binding formality or minor administrative tool—assuring residents they do not proactively act as federal immigration agents—county leadership (such as Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and state council leaders) demands active, full-scale participation and training under state mandates.

• Pinellas Sheriff’s Pushback: Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and members of Florida’s State Immigration Enforcement Council argue that treating 287(g) agreements as a mere formality is insufficient. Noting that a significant percentage of Florida law enforcement agencies with 287(g) agreements have made zero immigration arrests under the program, Gualtieri has called it an "agency problem" and pressured local police to actively fulfill their roles as Designated Immigration Officers (DIOs). 

Community Concerns and Officer Interactions

• CPD’s Role with ICE: Chief Gandy clarified that the CPD's involvement with federal partners like ICE is traditionally limited to providing scene security, while federal agencies handle their own operations.

• Debunking Raid Rumors: He explicitly denied rumors that local officers have been participating in ICE raids or proactive immigration operations.

  • Countryside Mall Incident: Addressing a photo UNIMEX shared before the meeting showing police activity near Countryside Mall, Chief Gandy explained that CPD was actually conducting a SWAT training exercise, not an immigration action.

• Community Anxiety: Local community leaders, advocates, and organizers expressed deep fear within the Hispanic community. Parents are hesitant to send children to school or step outside, fearing deportation or profiling.

• Chief’s Position: Chief Eric Gandy emphasizes that CPD is not actively partnering with ICE on sweeps or proactive immigration enforcement. The trained officers are intended to act as an internal resource/support mechanism for local incidents, not as an immigration task force.

Limits on Local Enforcement & Tactics

• No Proactive Sweeps: CPD does not conduct immigration roundups or target neighborhoods based on demographics.

• Probable Cause Requirement: Officers still require legal probable cause or reasonable suspicion of a crime to stop anyone. Race, skin color, or language spoken do not constitute grounds for a stop.

• High-Risk Traffic Stops: Chief Gandy explicitly stated CPD officers will not participate in high-risk traffic stops with ICE due to concerns over ICE's lack of training and tactical execution.

Biggest Risk to the Community: Driving Without a License

• Traffic Stops as the Primary Exposure: Out of ~51,000 traffic stops conducted by CPD annually, driving violations represent the single largest point of contact between law enforcement and residents.

• Chief’s Recommendation: "If you can't drive, don't drive." Driving without a valid license, registration, or insurance creates the primary legal pathway for an individual to end up in local custody and subsequently flagged in the jail system.

Surveillance & Flock License Plate Readers (LPRs)

• Usage: CPD operates ~25 Flock license plate reader cameras.

• Guardrails: Cameras scan for active warrants, missing persons, stolen vehicles/tags, and emergency alerts (e.g., Amber Alerts).

• Data Retention: Data is purged automatically after 30 days unless tied to an active criminal case.

• Out-of-State Sharing Disabled: Chief Gandy recently disabled data-sharing with other states after discovering some states retain the data indefinitely. Sharing is restricted to Florida law enforcement and the FBI.

Community Trust & Victim Safety

• Unreported Crimes: The Chief acknowledged that fear of deportation leads to immigrants becoming targets for robberies and extortion because perpetrators know victims won't call the police.

• Reporting Crimes: CPD encourages all residents—regardless of citizenship status—to report crimes if they are victims.

• Profiling Complaints: Internal Affairs investigates racial profiling complaints using body-camera footage.

Future Outlook

• ICE Coordination Meeting: CPD leadership will meet with ICE Tampa field leadership to establish expectations, demand advance notification of ICE operations in Clearwater, and define boundaries.

• Policy Revision: CPD will update its internal written policies to explicitly define the limited role of the 15 trained officers once their 40-hour online training is completed.

• Media Outreach: Chief Gandy expressed willingness to do future recorded media interviews in order to directly address community concerns.