In response to spike in slayings, Charleston police promise to step up their game

Image by Flickr user Jason Rojas

A recent rash of killings on the peninsula has prompted Charleston police to crank it up and notch and start working longer shifts and honing in on the violence-prone neighborhoods.

Five people have been killed since August 21st, bumping the city's homicide count for 2010 up to nine. You'll find a map of the five fatal shootings here.

According to The Post and Courier Police Chief Greg Mullen said the only common pattern in the slayings is that they arose from confrontations between people who knew each other. Arguments boiled over, guns were drawn and people died.

Charleston police are pulling around five illegal guns off of the streets every week. In order to make city streets a safe place, authorities ask that all gun owners take the proper precautions in securing and protecting their firearms to ensure their weapons don't end up in the wrong hands.

For a full report on the new protection strategy, hop over to the post in The Post and Courier.

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