GAINESVILLE, FL – Police in Gainesville are investigating a senseless act where vandals destroyed a memorial in honor of Officer Scott Baird.
On Friday, March 5, 2021, at approximately 8:20 AM, the Gainesville Police Department’s non-emergency dispatch number received a phone call notifying them that the memorial stone for GPD Officer Scott Baird located at the 1800 block of NW 16th Terrace, also known now as Officer Scott Baird Boulevard) had been destroyed.
A GPD officer responded to the scene and discovered the stone had been smashed into several pieces.
The memorial stone was originally placed there by Gainesville neighbors a few years after Officer Scott Baird was tragically killed while trying to move a batting cage out of the roadway.
GPD officers, family, and friends recently gathered on February 12, 2021, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Officer Baird’s line-of-duty death.
GPD is asking anyone who may have information about the destruction of this stone to contact GPD Officer Welch at: welchcj@cityofgainesville.org.