WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Inside the De George Boys & Girls Club on Pinewood Avenue, West Palm Beach Police Chief Frank Adderley is holding one of his monthly meetings.
The crowd is small, but their concerns are plenty.
"Every time they pull up it scatters, the crime scatters, the drug dealers scatter, the prostitutes scatter, all the illegal drinking scatters," one woman said.
Another resident was looking for direction.
"You see the people come here. We come every month, means they're concerned, means they want something different," she said.
Another was concerned about speeding.
"People are speeding constantly, constantly, even on Broadway, constantly," he said.
The folks living in the north end are frustrated.
"Our biggest issue is more policemen," Denise Smith-Barnes said. "Can't stop a bullet but it can control some of the quality-of-life issues that we're having."
While many voiced their concerns over neighborhood crime, not one person asked about the fatal shootings that have plagued the city in recent days.
Adderley did address the issue with WPTV and what he said is key to solving the violence.
"From what I've seen so far, none of them are related to each other — separate incidents," he said. "We're committed to solving them. We get a lot of people that say they want to talk about the incidents. Give us information. When you get like 10 anonymous individuals say, 'I don't want to give my name. I don't want to give a statement.' They identify the same person, and it's kind of clear that that is the person. However, that doesn't give us enough to take it to court."
Adderley also spoke about staffing within his department. He said at the moment there are 23 vacancies he needs to fill. He believes the new officers will alleviate some of the issues the city is facing.
