Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges council to boost police overtime after Garden Oaks homicide; council says issue is being addressed
Summary
A Garden Oaks Apartments homicide prompted a resident to urge the council to allocate police overtime to increase patrols; council members said the city is addressing the concern.
A Beaufort resident described a recent homicide at Garden Oaks Apartments and urged the City Council on Feb. 11 to allocate additional funding for police overtime to increase patrols in high-crime areas.
Martin Galvin, who gave his address as 12171 Swept Oak Lane, told the council a shooting that resulted in a homicide occurred earlier that day near a bus stop used by children. "A stray bullet ... could have easily become an unintended victim of this violence," Galvin said, and he asked the council to consider additional overtime funding to allow proactive policing and more presence in areas he described as experiencing frequent calls.
Galvin said Garden Oaks is a 288-unit complex serving low-income families and noted several recent incidents, including a weekend shots-fired call and a recent homicide he believes was drug related. He said those incidents and regular police responses have raised concern about spillover into nearby Salem Bay, where he lives.
Council members responded briefly, saying staff and public-safety officials are aware of the issue and that action steps are being taken to address the resident’s concerns. No new appropriation or formal vote on additional police funding took place at the meeting.
