Fayetteville’s Mayor is ordering the city manager to revise the police department’s policy of not publicly reporting rapes, following a series of attacks that date back to June.
The order came following a Tuesday night meeting where City Manager Dale Iman repeatedly defended that policy as well as the Police Department’s handling of the rape cases.
The police didn’t notify the public of the attacks until Jan. 11th, saying they were following procedure.
“We started with an aggressive confidential investigation, till such time that we had information that these cases were similar in nature,” said Iman. “Then we made them public telling people to be more aware.”
But the city manager’s explanation didn’t sit well with a number of city councilors.
“We’re asking you to let citizens know that hey, this is happening in the city,” said councilor Keith Bates Sr.
Saying they were not trying to headhunt, councilor William Crisp said, “I think we had a moral, social and legal obligation to notify the citizens that we had a crisis in the neighborhoods.”
By the time the meeting ended, the city manager was given a directive by the mayor regarding the reporting of rapes by police.
“This council wants that policy changed,” said Mayor Anthony Chavonne.
But some believe that council’s decision is wrong.
“It’s a bunch of hooey,” said Fayetteville resident Dell Caramanno. “Let the chief do what he does best and be chief of police.”
Deanne Gerdes of the rape crisis center of Cumberland County believes the change of policy will make things worse.
“Less than 30% of rape victims report it to law enforcement,” Gerdes maintains. “The fear of being in the paper or on the news will make even less victims report their crime.”
But others who attended the meeting are upset with the city manager’s defense of the way the police department released the information about the crimes.
“I’m very disappointed in the city manager’s response claiming this was all handled properly,” said Fayetteville resident Susan Ledger.
“The city manager was allowed to sidestep the issue and failed to be honest with the public,” claimed Fayetteville resident Dave Wilson.
By next Monday, the mayor expects the city manager to present the council with an updated communications policy for the council’s review and approval.
