Staff Writer
Violent
crime in Durham has increased 22% since this time last year, and Durham police
chief Jose Lopez is attributing this rise to rampant gun use in the
community. “I think the cause is because
people are using guns to deal with their issues,” said Lopez. Homicides have increased 67% in the past year
and aggravated assaults have increased 28%. However, an April report from the
Department of Justice revealed that overall crime was actually down in the
city. Still, it also showed that the homicide rate for black males between the
ages of 15 and 34 is eight times higher than the national average and that
Durham citizens don’t have confidence in the police department.
Durham’s
police department has recently faced a number of controversies, including a
number of marches protesting racial bias in the police force. A rally was held in the city on Friday
evening to support Baltimore citizens protesting against the death of Freddie
Gray while in police custody.
In
2013, Jesus Huerta shot himself in the head while in the back of a police vehicle,
and his death led to cameras being installed in Durham patrol cars. His suicide further damaged Durham’s law
enforcement reputation and showed the need for a change in the city. The Office of Justice Programs Diagnostic
Center recently offered to help make strategic plans that would improve the
city, and Lopez is committed to making Durham a safer place, saying that, “We're
looking to improve in anything that we're doing. I mean, response times, our
expectations. We really push ourselves to the edge on it.”
