PEORIA, Ill. – The refrain from Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria during a news conference Tuesday started out familiar following three reported homicides in 24 hours: enough is enough.
But, the chief suggests it’s possible social media may be playing a role in at least some of the violence.
“You can go on social media right now and see young men and women holding guns in the City of Peoria,” said Echevarria. “Those are somebody’s family members, those are somebody’s friends. Go out and tell them to stop it. It’s that simple.”
Echevarria says the public needs to come forward and give any information they have about any crime they see.
“They need to be able to trust us,” said Echevarria. “We understand that, and we’re trying, and we’re working on building that trust with our community.”
Echevarria says the public also needs to be able to come forward and report information anonymously and without fear of retribution. He says he’s looking at different ways that can be done.
Meantime, Echevarria, says while he’s proud of his officers, they’re just as stressed as the rest of us over the recent spate of violence.
“They’re tired of seeing it. They’re tired of it,” said Echevarria. “We need a break, quite honestly. The city needs a break. We work and live in this community, and these officers are committed to the city.”
Echevarria says it’s possible at least some of his officers spend more time in the city then other Peoria residents.
