Warner Robins Police Department hears from community at first town hall meeting of the year

WARNER ROBINS — The Warner Robins Police Department hosted its first town hall meeting of the year on Tuesday, where residents shared concerns and ideas. 

Chief Wayne Fisher said the department aims to engage with the community to give them the opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns about their neighborhood, and to provide statistical information and data.

An attendee asked Fisher about the city’s crime rate, saying she had read it was higher than in larger cities. 

Fisher addressed her question, saying they have been tracking it since 2020. He said during the COVID-19 period, the city’s population was 80,579, and there were 17,109 incident reports. The percentage of people identified as victims was 10.98%. 

He then explained Group A crimes, saying they are more serious crimes against individuals and society that are violent. In 2020, there were 8,067 incidents, and the department had 128 officers. In 2025, the number has dropped to 6,127, despite a significant population increase, Fisher said. 

At the most recent city council meeting, he shared these statistics with Mayor LaRhonda Patrick and council. He assured attendees that since then, the numbers have been decreasing, except for the population. As of 2025, the city’s population has increased to 87,604. Looking at the incident reports in which individuals were identified as victims, the number fell from 11,096 to 9,381, according to Fisher. He said this shows a significant drop in reports. 

The victimhood percentage went down from 10.98% in 2020 to 8.42%. Fisher said there was a 2.5% drop during that period. 

“We were truthful in our reporting. We did acknowledge areas that we have seen an increase in crime have been in fraud,” he said. 

Fisher went on to explain that frauds, such as text message scams, have increased significantly in the community. However, the “bad actors” are not from the area. 

He then mentioned domestic violence, another concern in the city. Fisher said when looking at the averages, there have been fewer reports of domestic violence. However, levels of violence have been high, which is reflected in homicide investigations, Fisher explained. 

He shared that domestic violence is difficult for public safety because those impacted have to report it for law enforcement to get involved. 

To address those challenges, WRPD partnered with local law enforcement and Macon Regional Crimestoppers in 2025. 

Fisher said their goal was to raise awareness and implement tools within the community to improve accessibility and create a positive impact. 

Towards the end of the meeting, Fisher shared that the department’s staff has increased since 2022. They currently have 133 authorized officers and are 19 short on sworn officers. He said they have also increased their resources. 

According to Fisher, in 1994, the department had 117 officers and 14 square miles of jurisdiction. Now, they have 40 square miles of jurisdiction and 220 sworn and civilian staff. 

“There is growth within the city and it would be nice to have a [full] staff but law enforcement as a whole, even outside the Warner Robins Police Department, on a national level is starved on the staff in which you would like to have,” he said. 

Later in the meeting, multiple residents spoke out about police presence and theft issues. The resident inquired about a recent incident in their area, noting a heavy police presence. 

Major Lee Van Osdol gave an update saying the suspect was apprehended and was committing robbery. He shared that the incident is still under investigation. He said it was one of those incidents that could happen anywhere in the city.

Another resident asked whether there is a way for people to be notified or updated when incidents occur in their neighborhood. She shared that she is home alone a lot, and the recent incident made her afraid because she did not know what was happening. 

Fisher shared progress on a county-wide program. He said they already have methods in place, such as keeping people updated through the city’s webpage and app. However, he believes they need to improve their engagement. 

Fisher also shared that they are trying to improve that through their real-time crime center and build continuous staffing. He said they realize which areas have seen more growth and which need more improvement. 

“We need to work on [and] improve on our communication and how we’re communicating it. We do need to approve on that , we acknowledge that and, again, hold us accountable to it and, again, working within the resources we have for that,” he said.

Fisher encouraged anyone who sees anything suspicious in their neighborhood to contact them. He said they need the community’s partnership to make neighborhoods safer.

Ideas for the youth

An attendee who has participated in multiple town hall meetings then spoke about the community’s youth. He said now people expect the police to be the parents, and they need to deconstruct the “snitches get stitches” mentality. 

An attendee asked which age group is most likely to commit crimes and wondered whether it’s a problem among teenagers. 

Fisher provided statistics from recent years and noted that the number of crimes involving youth has been declining steadily. 

In 2023, a total of 268 youths were arrested for criminal offenses. Of that number, 189 were misdemeanors and 79 were felonies. 

In 2024, the combined total was 236, 32 cases lower than the previous year. Of that number, 178 were misdemeanors and 58 were felonies. 

Up until November 2025, the total was 200, resulting in another 30 being dropped. Of that, 153 were charged with misdemeanors, and there were 47 felonies, according to Fisher. 

However, he believes these numbers are still alarming. Fisher shared that it is a very complex problem and will not be solved quickly. 

Members of the Public Safety Cadet program attended the meeting. The program prepares young adults for careers and leadership in public safety. It currently has seven mentors within the department who invest their time in teaching cadets.

A cadet and multiple attendees agreed that the problem starts at home.

Fisher said they aim to engage with the youth and encourage people to make a positive impact on a child in need.  He believes that if they want to reduce the number of incarcerations, they should set a positive example. 

“If we’re not going to engage in trying to provide the proper role model and mentorship then we’ve become part of that problem,” he said. 

While working in Macon, Fisher saw many challenges and problems that can arise in broken homes and families. He said they then start dealing with a “generational landslide,” and they do not want that to happen in the city. 

“We as a community have to be engaged with our youth. They are not a lost generation,” he said. 

Another attendee then spoke about an after-school program at Trinity United Methodist Church for elementary school children. She shared that they participate in activities and teach classes like music, dance, science and sewing. 

Her idea is to share these resources with other churches and groups to start a list. 

Fisher ended the meeting, thanking attendees for their participation and reminding them that the police department is here for them. 

For a full look at the meeting, watch the livestream on the Warner Robins Police Department’s Facebook page.