Wilmington crime down, violent crime up

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington Police Chief Ralph Evangelous talked crime numbers in front of Wilmington City Council Tuesday.

Though Evangelous says crime as a whole is down in the city, violent crime is up 7 percent. The chief said the up-tick in violent crime comes mainly in aggravated assaults and gang related drive-by shootings, though homicides also ticked up slightly in 2014 to 15 total.

What was the most surprising statistic in violent crimes in the area? The chief said that 42 percent of violent crime victims would not cooperate with police to help them solve those crimes. Evangelous says that coupled with the fact that criminals are getting younger and younger is unsettling.

“We think we know the players, but the reality is that this is kind of a moving issue all the time, and when you are that young and you are involved in serious crime, it is really disconcerting,” Evangelous said.

The chief told council tonight getting the eight new detectives they have asked for will help. He also said they plan to start a more permanent task force devoted to gang crime. He told council the other important factor was keeping good officers. In no uncertain terms he asked for more money to spend on keeping good people right here.