Abbeville Council calls special meeting to focus on crime

Concerned with the recent increase in reports of shootings and other crimes, members of the Abbeville City Council are bringing the issues to the table.
The Abbeville City Council has called a special meeting that will take place at 11 a.m. Friday morning in the council meeting room at city hall. The only issue on the agenda, what to do about the recent rash of crimes in the city.
“I have been pretty angry when thinking about all the crime that is happening,” Councilman Francis Touchet Jr. said Thursday morning. “My challenge, my hope for this, is that we bring all people to the table and we get some idea of what needs to be done.”
Any ideas are welcome, but Touchet stressed that the meeting will not simply be discussion for the sake of discussion.
“We are not going to just talk,” Touchet said. “We want some type of plan that is going to be administered.”
Councilman-at-Large Francis Plaisance shares concerns on crime. Plaisance called for the special meeting to take place this week during the end of Tuesday’s regular city council meeting.
“We have a serious issue in our city and we need to address it,” Plaisance said.
Mayor Mark Piazza said he is pleased the meeting has been called.
“I am glad that the council is calling this meeting,” Piazza said. “We do have some issues with crime in the city that need to be dealt with.”
Members of the Abbeville Police Department are expected to attend.
“I have confidence that (Police) Chief (Tony) Hardy will work closely with the council to come up with some solutions,” Piazza said. “Our elected police chief has a tremendous responsibility. The council and I are prepared to stand with him and assist in any way possible.”
Touchet is inviting others to stand with them.
“I am encouraging any individual who is concerned as I am about the safety of our community to attend this meeting,” Touchet said. “It’s time to stop all of the talking and it’s time to start putting things in action. We need to pull together to do the things that need to be done.
“We will not leave this meeting without having some type of direction of what we are going to do to curb crime in this city.”