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Fire and police present first-quarter reports; council praises responders after weekend shooting near Dogwood Festival
Summary
Fire and police chiefs presented first-quarter statistics showing mixed trends: fire incidents and EMS remain high; overall crime was down year-over-year but homicides increased. Council praised rapid police response to a shooting near the Dogwood Festival and scheduled follow-up discussions on public-safety resources.
Fire Chief Kevin Dove and Interim Police Chief Joyce presented first-quarter 2025 reports to Fayetteville City Council on April 28, highlighting both public-safety successes and ongoing challenges.
Fire Department: Chief Kevin Dove said the department completed its first citywide cancer screenings for members and installed 444 smoke alarms and 100 carbon-monoxide alarms free to residents. The department placed a new hazardous-materials unit and two pumpers into service and reported 6,737 calls in the first quarter, 240 fewer than the same period in 2024. Of 327 fire responses, about 95 were structure fires; cooking remained the leading cause of residential structure fires. The fire dollar-loss ratio was 96% with an estimated $2.8 million in property loss. Chief Dove also described expanded documentation of firefighter exposures, including psychologically stressful incidents, and noted retirement and promotion activity in the department.
Police Department: Interim Police Chief Joyce told council that overall crime for the first quarter was down roughly 21 percent compared with the same period in 2024, but homicides rose (14 incidents and 16 victims in the quarter). ShotSpotter alerts produced arrests and firearms seizures in response work in Cross Creek and other areas; the department also reported declines in several categories of property and violent crime. Traffic stops were down roughly 600 compared with the prior year period. Chief Joyce praised collaborations with federal partners, narcotics enforcement and community groups such as Scribe Stoppers.
Both chiefs fielded council questions about staffing and technology. Fire Chief Dove said the department had 14 sworn vacancies as of March 31 but expected a new academy; he described training totals and community-risk reduction initiatives such as youth fire-setting intervention. Interim Police Chief Joyce described staffing and recruiting efforts, the department's use of ShotSpotter and federal task force activity, and noted that the 911 center was fully staffed as of March.
Council members commended first responders and pointed to specific follow-ups: additional technology and camera requests will be part of upcoming budget discussions; the council scheduled a special meeting to discuss additional public-safety tools after the weekend shooting near the Dogwood Festival, saying officers “ran toward the gunfire” in a rapid response. Both reports were received by council vote.
