LAUDERHILL, Fla. – Members of the Lauderhill community came together to voice their concerns over what they said is a rash of crime in their city.
In the most recent incident, an elderly rabbi was attacked after leaving a synagogue.
That rabbi’s son thanked police officers during Wednesday’s meeting for their swift action in arresting the man accused of committing the crime simply because the victim was Jewish.
Members of the Lauderhill Police Department were on hand at the meeting to help calm fears from the city’s Jewish community.
‘I feel tonight there was not just words of pledges of action, but actual concrete things that were mentioned,” said community member Chiam Rosenstein.
Since the start of the New Year, Lauderhill has experienced its share of violent crimes and several homicides, including a fatal shooting in a parking lot and a young woman who was shot and killed in her own apartment by a man who accused mishandling his weapon.
Some criminals walk free because witnesses refuse to cooperate, a culture the police chief is trying to change, among implementing other tactics.
“We want to bridge that gap,” said Lauderhill Police Chief Constance Stanley. “We want people to see us in a different light, to be able to trust us.”