Chief E Wrenn Johnson
CEO Biography:
E Wrenn Johnson joined the Morehead City Police
Department in 1986, and is currently the Chief of Police. She has held all
ranks until her appointment as Chief of Police in 2005. She holds a Bachelors
degree in Justice and Public Policy from North Carolina Wesleyan University,
and a Masters Degree in Administration from Central Michigan.
The economy plays an important role in all our lives and it has
certainly taken up a lot of air and print space on our televisions, radios,
and news papers recently. We all know that jobs and spending effect our daily
lives and contribute to our worries and our insecurities but most people don't
think about how the economy effects crime and public safety.
In Carteret County several large employers have already facilitated layoffs and many more are considering them. Couple that with the fact that a large majority of our businesses are seasonal, and the conclusion is that the unemployment rate in our area is in the process of increasing - drastically. Seasonal unemployment causes some uneasiness and discontent but most of our residents are accustomed to the issue and deal with it in a manner that suits their family.
Layoffs and a lack of job possibilities cause several factors associated with an increase in crime. Money issues in a good economy can cause domestic arguments, most of which do not turn physical or cause permanent household damage. However, when the economy turns bad money issues cause the number of domestic violence calls to rise significantly. Not only do the number of calls rise but the type of violent acts escalates as well causing what can irreparable damage to the members of the family.
Stress related to worries about loss of income, lack of foreseeable employment, potential foreclosure on homes or vehicles, and a feeling of personal failure can cause what has always been an honest, hard-working person to take drastic measures. Often these measures include committing crimes that add to the worries that they already have.
Morehead City has already seen an increase in domestic violence and has seen an increase in vehicle break-ins, home break-ins, larcenies or stolen property cases. I expect to see an increase in business break-ins and a continued increase in domestic violence as the uneasiness over the state of our economy continues.
We are taking all possible measures to protect our citizens from danger related to these increases in criminal activity. What we would like to convey to everyone is that there is help available to them in times of crisis and that crime - of any kind is not an acceptable method of dealing with the stress. Not only does it not solve the current problems, it adds to them tremendously.
There are several agencies available to assist your family during these times and we will be glad to help any way we can. Lt. Renee Hester is our Victim/Witness Coordinator and she is also very good at connecting people with the right State or Federal agency to get them help. So if you need help, please call us and ask for help before you act out of frustration and anger…
Please help us keep our community safe by reporting incidents of domestic violence and any petty crimes that you witness or hear about because they are serious indicators of more serious things to come.