By Ray King
Two former members of the Pine Bluff City Council who both want their jobs back both agree that something needs to be done to stem the tide of a rising homicide rate and incidents of random shootings like the one early Sunday where four people were injured.
Glen Brown Sr., won the Democratic Party nomination for the Third Ward seat currently held by Donald Hatchett, defeating the man who beat him for the seat four years ago. Bill Brumett, who served on the council for 22 years lost to Ivan Whitfield in 2018 and is now running as an independent. They both appeared on the Oldies 101.3 morning show Monday to talk about that Sunday shooting.
Brumett appeared first and was asked what could be done to help alleviate the problems the city is facing with regard to crime and shootings.
He went on to say that the salary officers are paid should be better but added that it has proven difficult to find qualified people willing to come to Pine Bluff.
He said maybe some rethinking is needed, instead of pouring more money into slots that the department can’t fill, consider things like cameras and other incentives, as well as identifying “hot spots and making sure they are covered on a regular basis.
When asked what could be done to stop the shooting, Brown said;
He went on to say that if it was needed, the city should tap into its reserves and while he did not identify the organization involved said, “I think that’s money we can use to better the life in Pine Bluff for security reasons.”
When asked if he was talking about Go Forward Pine Bluff, Brown said “I didn’t call that name.”
