"Right now, we're going to be hand-in-hand with the Office of Community Safety. And there's going to be a lot of programs that we'll be working with (youth) to enjoy," he told ABC11 Eyewitness News in a Monday interview inside Fayetteville Police headquarters.
"I mean, to engage with the youth and make sure that we have some of the other stakeholders, like Juvenile Justice, also involved in there. Department of Social Services. So we all can come up together and work regarding this violence among the youth," said Bryan.
His tenure as police chief follows the retirement of former chief Kemberle Braden.
Bryan, who has spent more than 30 years in law enforcement, mostly with the Drug Enforcement Agency, said he did not have the goal of eventually becoming police chief when he joined the department in 2019.
In his position, he told ABC11 News that his goal is to increase the partnerships FPD has with other agencies to root out crime. Which includes, but is not limited to, involving the community to address the rise in crime in 2025, in comparison to a near-record dip in crime in
"We're just going to have a real talk, real discussion, and figure out what we can do together. Because this is not an issue that we can just do by ourselves," said Bryan.
Of the chief's 30-60-90 day plan, he intends to collaborate with the city manager's office, the Office of Community Safety, and the community in making the streets of Fayetteville a safer place to be.
"Part of it is the responsibility of the parent," added Bryan. "You have to have that parent or the guardian out there that's making sure that those youth are being held accountable. And I understand you may have some other issues in terms of working mothers or working fathers and they're not there. So we just have to get the community be involved also to make sure and have some watch overwatch on the youth in the community."
While Bryan does not have a specific time frame on when he would like to see tangible growth, he believes data will drive decision-making in what is considered a successful approach in fighting crime.
Bryan first joined the department in 2019 at the rank of major.
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Meet Fayetteville's new police chief