Mayor Tyer: Pittsfield Police Will Have Help Combating Uptick In City Shootings

Mayor Tyer sat down with Slater and Marjo on Thursday to discuss a variety of subjects including the recent uptick of shootings within the city over the last few weeks.

We asked Tyer if she has a plan and if and how often she has been in contact with Pittsfield Police Chief Michael Wynn...

"So there is this pattern of young, juvenile males who have illegal guns who are in these retaliatory relationships and it's a dangerous situation for them and for everyone in the neighborhoods where they are occupying space, it's dangerous.

So, we have got some strategies in place which I can't talk about too much because we want the strategies to work, and so let me just say that the Pittsfield Police Department is not going to be alone in the work that will be underway to address this situation. The Massachusetts State Police and others will be assisting.

There are adults in the lives of these young men who probably have information that ought to be shared, and yes while we have an extraordinary, incredible, highly professional police department who work extremely hard and are very successful, in this case, we need resources, we need additional resources and we are bringing all of that to bear. 

So yes there is a law enforcement component, there is a judicial component, there is a family component, and there are a lot of things at play here that have resulted in this moment in time where we are seeing an uptick in shootings. It really is gonna take all of us together to get this situation to calm down.

We need to rely on our agencies who have interactions with young men who are at risk, we need to rely on our schools who may have information or who can provide resources to families and students who might be vulnerable. It's got to be all of us together.

Yes, we have an immediate crisis and we are bringing the full weight of law enforcement to the situation and it's also gonna require cooperation and assistance from the District Attorney and the courts so when arrests are made, let's not plea out the gun charges, and let's be real about the violent nature of these shootings and the absolutely essential need to hold people accountable for their violent actions in our community." -Mayor Linda Tyer