RPD creates new shift to combat rising crime

ROCKINGHAM — The Rockingham Police Department has created a new shift due to a recent rise in crime in Cauthen Drive and Rockingham Housing Authority areas.

“E Shift” is comprised of officers taken from other shifts of the department. It’s supervised by Sergeant Ronnie Brigman. City Manager Monty Crump said this shift was implemented to combat a number of homicides and shootings that have occurred in these areas.

Officers in these areas are on patrol, but they’re also walking around and talking to individuals to try to prevent drug activity.

The department averages 0-2 homicides committed in the Rockingham city limits in a year. For 2021, there have already been four homicides this year, and three of them occurred within Cauthen Drive and the RHA areas.

RPD has purchased cameras to place in these two locations. Officers are working 12 hours a day on E Shift.

Kelly has an upcoming meeting with the United States Attorney’s Office to see how they can assist RPD. Detectives are also working with the federal crime lab.

“None of these things that we’re doing can solve the issue without community support,” Kelly said.

He added that witnesses to violent crimes in these area are willing to work with officers on the scene. Victims, who know the individual who shot them, are not cooperating to identify suspects.

“We need the community support,” Kelly said. “There’s a lot of good people who live in these areas and we need there help to stop the violence.”

At a shooting in July in the Little Philadelphia community, the vehicle was located within two hours of the incident. A person who lives on Cauthen Drive said to Kelly that their quick actions prevented another potential shooting from happening.

Crump said that they’ve tried to be as proactive as possible. For one of the shootings on Cauthen Drive, he said that an officer was on shift in the parking lot when it happened.

“That’s the kind of brazenness we’re seeing,” Crump said. Kelly said it’s violence of a higher degree that RPD is not accustomed to.

On that particular shooting, Kelly added that 34 shell casings were located on the scene.

E Shift’s Monthly Report for May is as follows:

• Traffic stops – 57

• Citation issued – 46

• Charges on citation – 91

• Verbal warnings – 26

• Warrants served – 18

• Felony charges on warrants – 18

• Misdemeanor charges on warrants – 13

• Criminal summons served – 1

• Calls for service answered – 32

• Checkpoints – 2

• Charges from checkpoints – 13

• Subpoenas served – 14

In the month of May, E Shift was also able to apprehend a burglary suspect from Fayetteville Road and the suspect of a stolen motor vehicle from B River Road.

E Shift’s June Report:

• Traffic stops – 41

• Citations issued – 24

• Charges on citation – 45

• Verbal warnings – 21

• Warrants served – 12

• Felony charges on warrants – 15

• Misdemeanor charges on warrants – 10

• Calls for service answered – 31

• Juvenile petition obtained – 1 (2 felony charges, 2 misdemeanor charges)

• Subpoenas served – 8

In the month of June, E Shift seized 32 grams of cocaine from a traffic stop. They also seized an AR-15 pistol and 0.45 Cal handgun from a 17-year-old from a traffic stop. The 0.45 handgun had been reported stolen in a case investigated by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.