WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A Warner Robins woman is taking crime prevention in the city into her own hands.
Her name is Louise McBride.
She and other concerned citizens are holding a town hall for the public to bring their concerns to law enforcement.
Representatives from the Houston County Sheriff's Office, Warner Robins Police Department, Warner Robins Fire Department, and Central Georgia Technical College Police Department will be in attendance to share crime and safety initiatives with the public and receive feedback.
McBride says she's held town halls before, but hasn't since 2020. Now she's starting the gatherings back up.
She hopes if everyone comes together - community members and law enforcement - they will see a change.
"I do everything, I can in the neighborhood, I work my neighborhood, I walk my neighborhood, I call the trash trucks when the trash trucks aren't working right, I do everything I can in the neighborhood," says McBride.
She loves her neighborhood and her city.
"Its an adorable town, an adorable town, but we need to do better to pull together our community," she says.
However, she says her adorable town is seeing some changes.
"I moved here in 1977, and the Warner Robins I knew then was a city you could walk and go anywhere you wanted to go," she said.
She says she wants people to move without fear.
"The other day a place where I shop had a shootout after I left. You don't want to worry about going some place, and not being able to return home to your family," she says.
Former city council member Daron Lee is another organizer of her town hall. He says he hopes it will encourage people to take part in the community.
"Letting people who want to be involved not only verbally but physically. Giving people the chance to be apart of neighborhood watches, or creating neighborhood watches," says Lee.
He also says it an opportunity to address youth violence.
Lee says in a years time he'd like to see less crime, and an increase in resources for youth in education, vocational jobs and trades.
"We want to see if we can create other avenues I know there are some out there, but if we can readdress those things," he adds.
Lee adds that the city is growing, but fewer people are working. He says they're taking alternative avenues for finding money.
"They're groups possibly gang related that are shooting at one another, but they're mostly random in the sense that they're not hitting that often but they are firing the weapons and that's very troubling," says Interim Police Chief Roy Whitehead.
Whitehead says the police department is working on solutions.
"We're looking at trying to build partnerships with ATF and other federal partners to see what we can do to bring those resources, to our community. I met with the Sheriff, and talked to him, and we're certainly gonna work together," he says.
At this time, no official partnerships with any of these groups have been solidified. They welcome community feedback at the town hall, he wants everyone to work together in making a better Warner Robins.
The initiative can start with your help. Whitehead says no one knows the community better than its members, so if they see something, they should say something.
"We just want them to be responsive. Call when they see something. Report it. Keep doing the best job they can to provide the most information," Whitehead adds.
Whitehead says you can help by referring a friend to work at the police department, they are in need of more staff.
The town hall is at 7 p.m. next Tuesday February 21. It's at 400 Elberta Road.