Bakersfield Police have their hands full, as do most law enforcement agencies in the valley. But one neighborhood in the center of town is an especially troubling place. A 2 square-mile stretch of the city, bordered by California Avenue, Chester Ave, Brundage and Washington is home to 36 percent of the city’s gun homicides, 30 percent of the city’s shooting victims and one-quarter of all weapon firings.
Now some new federal grants are helping the department make changes in the way it does its job, focusing specifically on this neighborhood, actually training cops alongside members of the community. But do residents there hold any hope that they will work? Joining us now is Steven Mayer of the Bakersfield California, who wrote a major piece about the neighborhood in Sunday’s paper. He says pastors and community leaders are key part of the effort.