'I'm not afraid, I will report it': Community members speak-up to law enforcement during block meeting
Fighting crime, especially violent offenses, remains a topic of discussion in Birmingham.
A neighborhood block watch quarterly meeting was held Monday evening at the Birmingham Police Department West Precinct.
The primary goal was for community members and officials to discuss public safety issues within the western precinct area.
Some residents have said they feel safe in their communities because of police presence. However, others have asked for more officers to be seen to combat issues of unlawful activities.
Capt. Raymond Cochran said he has been leading West Precinct since November. During the meeting, he stated that crime is down in the area. For a year-to-year comparison, homicides have dropped by 11.7 percent, robberies have decreased by 32 percent, and shots fired calls are down by 15 percent.
Cochran attributes that to help from the community. Those people have been willing to speak up when they see issues or provide BPD with surveillance footage.
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He encourages community members to call West Precinct at 205-254- 2682 to report public safety problems.
"I feel good about it," said Cynthia Morton, a Birmingham resident.
She lives in the West Princeton neighborhood and encourages more people to get involved with the watch program in their direct communities. She feels that she can ride around in the area she calls home, without feeling scared. Part of that is because of the rapport she has built with police.
"I am not afraid, I will report it," Morton said. "I have no problems reporting anything that I see out of the ordinary in my neighborhood because that's where I live."
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