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Harrisburg mayor, police chief call for more communication with community after shootings

The mayor is pushing for the creation of 12 civilian positions within the police department.

  • Alanna Elder/WITF
A Harrisburg Police car is seen on the street in Harrisburg on Aug. 19, 2019.

 Ian Sterling for WITF

A Harrisburg Police car is seen on the street in Harrisburg on Aug. 19, 2019.

(Harrisburg) — Harrisburg city leaders are looking for ways to address gun violence after a recent spike in shootings.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse has offered his condolences with the families of two people who were killed on Thursday and Sunday.

Investigators identified the former as 17-year-old Timothy Cox and the latter as 57-year-old Michael Cox.

“I recognize the emotional cost that this is taking on our families and our community. And this is why we have to work together to make progress,” Papenfuse said.

The mayor is pushing for the creation of 12 civilian positions, called “community service aides” within the police department.

Papenfuse has also proposed hiring a body camera manager and analyst to study crime hot spots. City council has to approve the positions in its 2021 budget.

Police Commissioner Thomas Carter gestured to several guns displayed on a table, noting they were weapons his officers had “taken off the streets.” He described the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and school closures as a “perfect storm” and made an appeal to parents and community members.

“If you don’t want to turn your kid in, take the gun, contact a community leader, or just call me and drop it off someplace and we can pick it up,” he said.

Carter said police responded to 67 “shots fired calls” between Oct. 16 and Nov. 16, and 24 people were injured. He said he does not believe the killings on Thursday and Sunday were related.

But to Tamika Wesley, 32, the recent tragedies have been decades in the making. She said community groups have been asking the city for help and offering it.

“The city can’t keep making the plans for us and not even understanding what we want and need,” she said. “It shouldn’t take children murdering themselves over and over for you to finally speak up. These issues were here before the shootings. Some of these issues were here before COVID.”

She said the city should provide more resources to community organizations and seek more public input.

Wesley is founder of an education and mentoring non-profit called Central PA successful Dreams INC and a mother of three.

The same day as the press conference, she posted a live video to Facebook echoing some of Carter’s words and urging parents to talk to their children and get help if they are struggling.

But she said, some people still do not feel safe going to the police or the mayor.

Note: This story was updated to include Timothy Cox’s name after police released it Tuesday afternoon. 

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