FORT PIERCE, Fla. — WPTV is pressing for answers from the Fort Pierce Police Department on wages, staffing and what’s being done to retain officers, days after an officer-involved shooting and recent gun violence.
Going on two days now we’ve called and emailed the Fort Pierce Police Department. On Wednesday we showed up in person to ask staff the direct questions about pay and staffing. We were told they wouldn't do an interview on camera but would accept our questions via email.
We sent the email asking about pay, staffing levels, requests for funding, and anti-gun violence initiatives. The police department isn’t talking but the community is.
Margaret Butts lives just down the street from where three people were shot and killed over the weekend and said the incident still haunts her.
"I know Benjamin’s mother, I don’t know him. It hurts, because he died for no reason and I hurt for his mom, for his daughters," she said. "Can you imagine having four daughters? How much love that must’ve gone into raising those for daughters and how much they love their daddy and now they no longer have their... I can’t talk anymore.”
We’re still working on getting answers from the city on their plan to increase police and community violence prevention funding and where that money is coming from.
