Councilman: If Robynwyn Goes, So Does Summerville

In another step aimed at curbing violent crime in the Robynwyn community of Summerville, Town Councilman Aaron Brown has proposed adding a police substation at one of the abandoned properties in the area.

Brown made the proposal Monday morning during the town's finance committee meeting. The proposal is part of an effort to brainstorm ideas in the town's public safety committee. Town Council canceled the May 1 committee meetings. The next scheduled regular committee meetings will be in June. 

Robynwyn and surrounding communities have been plagued with violent crime. The community has taken steps to curb violence and work with police — even earning the title Summerville's Person of the Year for changing the media conversation — but the violence has continued. .

"We've got to do something. The crime is creeping in; it's coming in rather boldly," Brown told Patch. "If my district goes, so does the Town of Summerville."

"No town is better than its worst part," he added. "No matter what side of the railroad tracks you're on, this is a problem."

Brown said it affects business retention and recruitment, as well as families and education.

The use of substations has worked in other towns and cities, Brown said. It helps a community have "a strong police presence in an area that's crime infested," he said.

But that's not the only option on the table. 

""It's one way to go, but we have to look at whatever we've got to do," Brown said. "We don't even know what the expense is but we do know we've got a problem and, to solve problems, it takes some money so you do what you've got to do."

If a police substation is a viable option, Brown said using one of the abandoned buildings that the town has plans to raze, could help curb costs.