Durham City Council holds meeting to be briefed on recent crime

Durham City Council members will hold a special meeting Thursday to discuss how to handle recent crime.

Posted 9:27 a.m. Oct 7, 2021 — Updated 4:53 p.m. Oct 7, 2021

Nia Harden

, WRAL reporter

DURHAM, N.C. — Durham City Council members will hold a special meeting Thursday to discuss how to handle recent crime.

The meeting notice showed that council members would go into closed session to be briefed on several ongoing investigations, including a drive-by shooting that injured five people on Linwood Avenue in May, a double homicide in June and two drive-by shootings and double homicides along East Main Street and in McDougald Terrace in August

Anti-violence activist Sheryl Smith said she was concerned about the lack of transparency with Thursday's meeting.

According to the notice for the meeting, City Council would be briefed about the ongoing investigations in the shootings. Oftentimes, police do not want to share investigation details with the public.

Smith said she believes, regardless, City Council members need to be having more meetings about crime with the public involved as violence remains a top issue for residents.

"My thoughts is -- why is this a secret? Why not get the public involved?" Smith said. "[The] only time we hear from them is when they decide what they want to do. They haven't done anything that the citizens of Durham have asked for."

While violent crime in Durham is down slightly from a year ago, Durham police say it's still higher than the three-year average. Although city leaders are concerned, Discover Durham said visitors have not expressed any special concern about crime in Durham.

Durham is currently without a permanent police chief and is in the process of electing a new mayor.

Suggest A Correction