Public safety concerns rise in Graysville after new year’s day murder

GRAYSVILLE, Ala. (WBRC) - Graysville residents are demanding answers from city leaders and the police department following the murder of 40-year-old Jason Duke on New Year’s Day. Many say the tragedy underscores a pressing issue: the lack of police presence in the community.

The first city council meeting of the year, scheduled for Tuesday night, was canceled due to the majority of council members being unavailable. Still, the concerns expressed by residents remain loud and clear.

Currently, the Graysville Police Department operates with only two full-time officers and three part-time officers, following a restructuring of the department in 2023. Residents like Jaeden Heron argue that this level of staffing is insufficient to keep the community safe, citing slow response times and limited police visibility.

Heron, who has been vocal about her frustrations, says the lack of police presence contributed to what happened on the night of Duke’s death.

Mayor Julio Davis has pushed back against the claims surrounding the night, saying much of what has been shared on social media about the incident is untrue.

“It’s all misinformation,” Davis said. “Everything out there on Facebook is not true. Matter of fact, I ain’t sure anything out there on Facebook is true.”

Despite Davis’s assurances, residents remain skeptical.

“We want to know where our money is going,” said Heron. “It’s not going to our protection, and that’s our main focus. We have two police officers on payroll, but only one’s patrolling at a time. He has no backup if there was something to happen that he did respond to.” said Heron. “Now you have a death,” said Heron. “You can’t go back on a death. Where’s the accountability? This officer needs to take that.”

Heron and other residents say they plan to bring their concerns directly to city leaders at the next scheduled council meeting on January 16.

For now, Mayor Davis is encouraging anyone with questions to attend the meeting or seek official information through proper city channels.

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