Warner Robins Police Department hosts community-led townhall meeting

WARNER ROBINS — The Warner Robins Police Department met with curious and concerned citizens during a recent event on Sept. 11. Led primarily by a question-and-answer format, the department held a town hall meeting, providing an opportunity for citizens to speak candidly with law enforcement.

The panel was led by Chief Wayne Fisher and included Assistant Chief Todd Edwards, Maj. Lee Van Osdol, Capt. John Clay, Capt. Billy Styles and Capt. Eric Gossman.

Crime Stats & Proactive Efforts

Areas seeing upticks were embezzlement, fraud, curfew violations and kidnapping, tied to domestic violence cases, Fisher explained. DUI cases and trespassing are also up, tied to increased enforcement.

An anomaly Fisher mentioned was domestic violence-related homicide; out of six cases, three were domestic and with multiple victims.

“Talking with the sheriff or other local law enforcement, we have never seen anything like this before within our communities that we’ve policed. I think it’s somewhat of a representative of the times we’re in with society,” Fisher said.

Compared to last year, several crimes have seen reductions, including arson, assault, burglary, forgery, drug-related charges, larceny, rape and sexual offenses, stolen property, vandalism, weapons violations, family offenses, and liquor law violations.

While the population is increasing in Warner Robins, most crimes are seeing a downward trend, with Fisher attributing the decline to both police and community efforts.

“That’s a very positive reflection of our community. I wish I could say as the police department, we’re the sole cause to this, but on the same token, it’s not true. It’s within the community, what we’re doing together — partnerships that are working together — to have this positive effect,” Fisher said.

Youth Safety & Engagement

Fisher spoke on school safety, stemming from concerns about response time. He said the school district has a School Resource Officer program through the Houston County Sheriff’s Office. 

Fisher used a recent event to illustrate how departments work together. After a threat was discovered toward Perry High School, multiple agencies responded, with around 120 officers in total. 

The agencies also train together yearly in a mass casualty exercise at Central Georgia Technical College, he mentioned.

“If you have any critical incident in any of our Houston County schools within the bounds of this county itself, in which Warner Robins sits, you will have a very robust law enforcement response,” Fisher said. “We are working with the Board of Education to further strengthen and make more robust the security of the school systems. The sheriff’s department [has] a primary responsibility to it, but we as the Warner Robins Police Department are partnered within the entire community to ensure that we have a robust response for our kids at school.”

On the proactive side, the department is trying to partner with the Board of Education to add school surveillance cameras to real-time crime monitoring, Fisher said. The department also has cameras in public parks to deter youth fighting.

When asked about youth recruitment efforts, Fisher mentioned the department’s Public Safety Cadet Program, which is available to teens and young adults aged 14 to 21. The program teaches various aspects of law enforcement and firefighting.

Fisher said he also plans to pitch a mentorship program that parallels the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and the city has suggested meet and greets with city employees, including law enforcement, to showcase career paths in local government.

Describing young people as the key to the future, Fisher said, amid a nationwide downturn in overall recruitment, connecting with the community, breaking stigmas and promoting the police department as a positive career path is crucial as high school graduates join the workforce.

“Their perception of who we are is now a reality, and now we want them to come and join us, and we’re having to break their perception of who we are. The focus is for us to reengage within the community,” Fisher said.

Other Topics

Police are actively combating drug trafficking, according to Fisher, who said this year the department has seized 16.6 pounds of fentanyl. According to Van Osdol, law enforcement is less reliant on Narcan, an antidote to accidental opioid overdose, thanks to increased EMS capability.

The department is required to complete mandatory training on de-escalation. This year, the department also added training on interacting with those on the autism spectrum, Fisher said.

Edwards and Van Osdol reminded the public that low-speed vehicles, like golf carts, motorbikes and ATVs, are illegal on Warner Robins streets. All street-legal vehicles must be driven by a licensed individual, registered and insured.

To watch the full town hall meeting, visit the Warner Robins Police Department’s Facebook page: facebook.com/WarnerRobinsPD.