Wrightsville Beach Police Chief Dan House answered questions from six citizens who attended Chat with the Chief Thursday, Oct. 16.
House presented feedback from a survey recently sent out to town citizens, addressing community concerns and questions. He said he received 112 surveys back, which was much higher than anticipated.
The main issues of concern were noise from the bars, pedestrian and biker safety, parking issues in residential neighborhoods, and gang or drug activity.
House said confronting gang and drug activity had been a top priority for his officers during the summer months, but going into the off-season he would be able to address issues of noise and pedestrian safety.
One way law enforcement is working to improve pedestrian and biker safety is the Watch for Me campaign, House said. The effort involves placing sandwich boards near crosswalks around town to draw the attention of motorists. Additionally, the police department will provide bike lights to cyclists to help them be more visible while riding at night.
House said he was pleased 78 percent of those surveyed indicated they felt safe walking around town any time of the day or night.
Full story coming soon.
