U.S. Army helping combat violence in Macon-Bibb communities

U.S. Army’s Civil Affairs unit will conduct violence surveys, gather data and attend town hall meetings

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U.S. Army Capt. Hunter Mentz tells Macon-Bibb County’s mayor and commissioners how his unit will help the county fight violent crime.

Macon-Bibb County Commissioners learned of the U.S. Army’s involvement in the Macon Violence Prevention project Tuesday morning.

At the conclusion of the commission’s committee of the whole, Capt. Hunter Mentz said his unit is in town to “mitigate drivers of instability.”

Macon-Bibb EMA Director Spencer Hawkins said the team was planning to canvas the Unionville and Pleasant Hill neighborhoods Tuesday and head to neighborhoods along Houston Avenue on Wednesday.

The team also will attend this week’s Macon Violence Prevention Town Hall meetings: District 2 – 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, Rosa Jackson Center; Macon Health Matters –  6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 28, at Booker T. Washington Center; District 6 – 6:00 p.m. Thursday, July 29, Lizella Baptist Church.

During the brief meeting due to the funeral of former mayor David Carter, commissioners also allocated money to buy a mobile surveillance camera to catch criminals, pay landscapers to take care of public cemeteries and accepted grant funds for Bibb County’s specialty courts for veterans and those with mental health or substance abuse issues. The following highlights were covered live on Twitter during the meeting.