Residents Respond to Increase in Violent Crime, Two Shootings in One Week
By: Kristin Anderson
Updated: August 8, 2012
"Well, it saddens me. Abilene was such a nice town and safe town," said Abilene resident Georgia Long.
That's what Georgia thought when she heard the news of two shootings in one week.
"When I first moved here, we didn't lock our doors, we didn't lock our cars," she explained. "But in the last few years especially."
APD says the violent crime rate is up 10 percent compared to last year. And police say they can't lower that rate alone.
"Police are not going to be the only solution to these issues. It's going to take a community's involvement to address the root issues associated with violent crime," said Chief of Police Stan Standridge.
And some people like Georgia agree. She has lived in abilene since the 1950s, and says the town was a much safer place when people were more involved within the community, like APD is trying to do now.
"We did have more involvement with the community. When people would pay more attention to their neighbors and kind of keep an outlook for everyone," she said.
She also says she doesn't feel as safe in the key city, but others say that despite the violence, they still feel abilene is a good place to live.
"I feel pretty safe because I know our APD is trying to do what they can. And so i feel like we're safe, i feel like i live in a safe neighborhood," said Susan Rose, resident of Abilene.
And Georgia says the best way to make a difference is simply to care.
"Just care more about your neighbors. Care more about other people's lives. Lives are important, and everyone means something to someone," she said. "So don't take a life.
That's what Georgia thought when she heard the news of two shootings in one week.
"When I first moved here, we didn't lock our doors, we didn't lock our cars," she explained. "But in the last few years especially."
APD says the violent crime rate is up 10 percent compared to last year. And police say they can't lower that rate alone.
"Police are not going to be the only solution to these issues. It's going to take a community's involvement to address the root issues associated with violent crime," said Chief of Police Stan Standridge.
And some people like Georgia agree. She has lived in abilene since the 1950s, and says the town was a much safer place when people were more involved within the community, like APD is trying to do now.
"We did have more involvement with the community. When people would pay more attention to their neighbors and kind of keep an outlook for everyone," she said.
She also says she doesn't feel as safe in the key city, but others say that despite the violence, they still feel abilene is a good place to live.
"I feel pretty safe because I know our APD is trying to do what they can. And so i feel like we're safe, i feel like i live in a safe neighborhood," said Susan Rose, resident of Abilene.
And Georgia says the best way to make a difference is simply to care.
"Just care more about your neighbors. Care more about other people's lives. Lives are important, and everyone means something to someone," she said. "So don't take a life.
