WS Chronicle

The Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) and the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) have joined forces to increase the law enforcement presence in communities that have been plagued by gun violence. 

In a video released over the weekend letting the public know about the saturation patrol plan, Chief Catrina Thompson said they are committed to reducing gun violence and the saturation patrol plan is one way they’re doing that. Saturation patrol is a police or military patrol tactic wherein a large number of officers are concentrated into a small geographic area. Saturation patrols are used for hot-spot crime reduction, DUI checkpoints, and other location-specific patrols.

“The Winston-Salem Police Department will continue to address the issues of gun violence within the limits or our laws to ensure a safer community for our residents,” Thompson continued. “We will continue to forge relationships that identify and support efforts to successfully disrupt and curtail gun violence; however, we will not be successful in addressing these issues without the support of our community and the criminal justice system. We’re asking if you see something, please say something.”

In addition to the collaboration between the WSPD and FCSO, according to Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, the N.C. Highway Patrol and other “federal partners” will also be assisting.

“Our purpose is to reduce the violence in our community. At the end of the day, this is not just my city, your city, my county, your county … This is our community and together we can slow and reduce gun violence, but it’s going to take all of us to do that,” Kimbrough said. 

The announcement of the saturation patrol comes just two weeks after Winston-Salem City Councilmember Barbara Hanes Burke held a town hall meeting to discuss the recent rise in gun violence in the Northeast Ward. Nearly 200 people attended the meeting where Burke said the goal was to come up with real solutions to stop the violence. 

Based on information discussed at the town hall, a list was compiled of programs and initiatives already doing the work to combat gun violence. According to Burke, the list will be posted on the city’s website. 

“The goal was to develop actionable strategies to aid in addressing the problem of gun violence that is happening in the Northeast Ward,” Burke said. “During the town hall … we heard you speak about your fear for the safety of your children. We heard your pleas to just feel safe in your homes and in your neighborhoods, and we heard your pleas to just see the presence of law enforcement and to feel a sense of safety in your communities.”