The Prichard Police Department is creating a violent crime task force. That's according to Chief Walter Knight on an online talk show a few days ago. The chief says the city is in talks with the District Attorney's office and the Mobile County Sherriff's Office. The chief says a task force will help solve old crimes and speed up solving some of the new crimes. Today I spoke with Mobile County Sherriff Paul Burch, he tells me he hasn't had any of those conversations but, he does think it would be a good idea.
"We're in talks with the DA's office and the Sherriff’s department to form a violent crimes task force for these homicides that we're having in Prichard and Mobile county," Chief Walter Knight told the Bigg Yow and J45 Morning Show.
Working hand in hand to prevent violent crime.
"We got a real big problem in Mobile County, because I can't speak for the whole nation with violent crimes, our youth and stuff like that," says Knight.
"I've not had those discussions, however that does sound like a good idea to address the crime problems in and around Prichard. They have a lot of violent crime," says Sherriff Paul Burch.
Mobile County Sherriff Paul Burch says he's open to that partnership, especially considering the youth violence that seems to be hitting Mobile county hard.
"Each shooting you see about, each homicide it seems to be 20 years and younger. 20 years old and younger," says Burch.
A heartbreaking realization.
"I have over the years interviewed a number of juveniles and young adults and sadly, I was told by several of them in different ways that when you grow up in a certain area and certain lifestyle, they don't expect to live past 20-21 years old, so they live their life that way," says Burch.
Burch says that has to change.
"If we could include Prichard and work with them, then I think we could accomplish great things because there are a lot of honest, especially elderly people who have been there a long time and they deserve to live in peace and not hear constant gunshots around the house and be overtaken by people who are committing crime," says Burch.
I reached out to the City of Prichard's spokesperson several times today for comment, but he didn't respond.