Pontiac Homicide Rate Nearly Doubles In Just A Year
PONTIAC (WWJ/AP) - A spike in murders in Pontiac has Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard "sick" and city leaders asking for the public's help.
Fifteen people have been killed in Pontiac this year -- from drive-by shootings to a woman dumped in a field and a man shot at a soccer game, The Detroit News reported. That's nearly double last year's figure and the highest since the Oakland County sheriff's office began patrolling the city in 2011.
Pontiac had nine homicides last year and five in 2014.
Sheriff Bouchard says he's "sick of standing on someone's front lawn" and comforting a victim's family. Pontiac has a population of 59,000.
Douglas Jones, pastor of Welcome Missionary Baptist Church, says it's critical that residents share information with police. He says a "code of silence" can bring neighborhoods down.
"A woman said she knew her next-door neighbor was dealing drugs but she didn't care because he made her feel safer because he watched her house," Jones told the newspaper, as an example. "Imagine that. Here he was bringing who knows what into her neighborhood, and she felt safer."
Capt. Gary Miller of the sheriff's office says many homicides have been acts of retaliation.
"People are frightened, I get that," he told The News. "But they can call in tips anonymously. We don't need to know who they are — we don't want to know unless they want to tell us."
City leaders say overall crime is down, but they are looking to set up public meetings to help get leads on the unsolved murders.
To report a crime tip anonymously, call 1-888-TURN-1-IN.
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