Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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12 UCW NOVEMBER 22 - 28, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins gave city council her first crime update report last week. She said she continues to evaluate the de- partment of 433 officers with empha- sis on the redeployment of personnel to "enhance operations and provide maximum resources based on the needs of the community." Hawkins wants to form a commu- nity affairs office to increase residents' engagement and improve communi- cations. She has said she was im- pressed on her arrival from suburban Atlanta with the community involve- ment she witnessed here. When asked by City Councilman Larry Wright if she would favor the establishment of a civilian police review board, Hawkins was hesitant but indicated she was confident the department doesn't need one. The idea has been f loated in years past in the wake of allegations of racial profiling by police. The chief also said she hopes to intensify efforts to combat the opi- oid epidemic. Fayetteville has been identified as having a serious problem, although community efforts champi- oned by outgoing mayor Nat Robertson have reduced it. In her crime report, Hawkins noted that drug enforcement efforts yielded a significant reduction in seizures of cocaine and marijuana. But cases involving heroin and fentanyl have increased; heroin by 127 percent over last year. Fayetteville patrol of- ficers were among the first in North Carolina to be equipped with nalox- one, which is sold under the brand name Narcan. It's a medication now available as a nasal spray, which is used to block the effects of opioids, especial- ly in overdose situations. Hawkins told city council that her officers have saved more than 100 lives, 75 this year alone, by administering Narcan to opioid overdose victims. Councilman Jim Arp wanted to know why police can administer naloxone and Fayetteville firefight- ers cannot. Firefighters are first responders who often arrive on the scene of medical emergencies first, but the fire chief has not authorized the use of Narcan. All cit y firefight- ers are trained EMTs. Brian Pearce, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center emergency medical service direc- tor, told Up & Coming Weekly for an earlier article that "All (the fire de- partment) would have to do is work with us to come up with a plan and protocols for administration and ed- ucation. Then we would update the count y EMS plan, and they would be allowed to administer naloxone." Pearce administers regulations of the count y's medical examiner. Chief Hawkins told council she was surprised to learn that the FPD doesn't have a gang unit, although ranking officers have developed an expertise in the field. As for the crime rate, there are plus- ses and minuses. The homicide rate is down a bit over last year, which set an all-time high record of 31 violent deaths. Through the end of Septem- ber, 23 homicides were investigated. Overall, crimes against persons are about the same as last year. Property crimes are down by 2.7 percent. Motor vehicle thefts are up 15.7 percent. Car crashes continue to get the at- tention of police. There have been 15 fatal wrecks so far this year, com- pared to 14 during the corresponding period of 2016. Speeding continues to be a major contributor to motor vehicle crashes. Hawkins delivers police report by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS JEFF THOMPSON, Senior News Reporter. COMMENTS? news@ upandcomingweekly.com. (910) 484-6200. Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins Lyrics & Music by Lynne O'Quinn* & Doyle Wood* Vocals & Guitars by Doyle Wood Backing Vocals by Laura Stevens* Musicians: Milton Smith* Carl Greeson Guillermo (Bill) Ayerbe Richard Gates Piano Electric Piano Violin Drums & Orchestration A Seasonal Gift for your Special Someone Available on CDBaby.com, iTunes & Amazon on 29 NOV release date Proceeds to benefit His Outreach Worldwide ministry *Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame inductees