Knimrod
01-24-2006, 11:24 PM
Saginaw leaders look for gun violence curehttp://a.abclocal.go.com/images/wjrt/cms_exf_2005/news/local/gunbuys200.jpg
Some suggest gun buy-back program
By Joel Doepker
01/23/06
Saginaw - Saginaw's leaders are looking at any type of cure to stop the rash of gun violence in the city.
No idea seems to be too farfetched for the City Council and the police chief, who took a citizen's suggestion on a way to get the guns off the city streets.
Assault weapons are rampant on Saginaw's streets. Last week police seized an fully loaded AK-47 from an east-side home.
Ridding the city of the weapons and the violence is a huge task with a shrinking police department.
"I think if we had the manpower to make traffic stops to interdict the guns that are out there, to make it less easy to get away with carrying a gun, I think the violence would decrease," said Police Chief Gerald Cliff.
Cliff is getting overtime dollars from the federal government which helps, but those officers risk their safety and a burnout factor if they work too many hours.
Cliff also looks to the community for help.
"We can't do it alone," he said. "The community can't do it by itself. Working together, hopefully we can have some kind of impact."
A city resident suggested to City Councilman Amos O'Neal about looking into a gun buy-back program. But Cliff says studies have shown it doesn't work.
O'Neal says any options have to be explored to stop the rash of shootings and killings in Saginaw.
Two big topics coming up in the future include federal dollars going to community policing and the possibility of getting a police millage back on the ballot.
Link to story and video (http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=local&id=3839776)
Some suggest gun buy-back program
By Joel Doepker
01/23/06
Saginaw - Saginaw's leaders are looking at any type of cure to stop the rash of gun violence in the city.
No idea seems to be too farfetched for the City Council and the police chief, who took a citizen's suggestion on a way to get the guns off the city streets.
Assault weapons are rampant on Saginaw's streets. Last week police seized an fully loaded AK-47 from an east-side home.
Ridding the city of the weapons and the violence is a huge task with a shrinking police department.
"I think if we had the manpower to make traffic stops to interdict the guns that are out there, to make it less easy to get away with carrying a gun, I think the violence would decrease," said Police Chief Gerald Cliff.
Cliff is getting overtime dollars from the federal government which helps, but those officers risk their safety and a burnout factor if they work too many hours.
Cliff also looks to the community for help.
"We can't do it alone," he said. "The community can't do it by itself. Working together, hopefully we can have some kind of impact."
A city resident suggested to City Councilman Amos O'Neal about looking into a gun buy-back program. But Cliff says studies have shown it doesn't work.
O'Neal says any options have to be explored to stop the rash of shootings and killings in Saginaw.
Two big topics coming up in the future include federal dollars going to community policing and the possibility of getting a police millage back on the ballot.
Link to story and video (http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=local&id=3839776)