Crime concerns have some Fayetteville residents on edge
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- Crime concerns are reaching a boiling point in Fayetteville, and the city's top cop and mayor are now responding.
It has been a violent time for the community in the last few weeks. At least six people have died from domestic violence. The police chief says it's a hard crime to prevent.
"All three of them, the incidents that ended up in murder, were domestic related in some way, somehow," said Fayetteville Police Chief Harold Medlock. "It's tough for our officers to anticipate that kind of thing."
A total of 11 people have been killed in the city so far this year. Ironically, the chief says overall crime is down by four percent.
While crime may be going down, many residents fear just the opposite, which reinforces what he calls an unfair image of a violent military town.
The mayor says fighting crime is the city council's top priority.
"We are looking at it addressing it on the council," said Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson. "It's a great place to live, but like other cities we have had issues."
Last week, as the mayor and chief visited block parties across the town, the chief told residents fighting crime has to be a community effort.
"I can't tell you the countless times we have been alerted or 911 was called, and we got to a scene and broken up things before some serious incident occurs," said Medlock.
The mayor and police chief say fighting crime has to be a community effort. However, changing perceptions may prove to be the toughest thing to fight.
