The rise in car-break-ins, thefts and violence around the state has led to a call for action from community groups including Safe Streets Connecticut.
The grass-roots organization was created after a wave of violence that happened within the town of Glastonbury and surrounding areas during the summer.
Earlier this summer, five people were taken into custody including two teenagers after Glastonbury Police said they allegedly crashed stolen vehicles and led police on a foot chase. A Glastonbury woman was shot at after she shouted at two people she saw approaching her car in her driveway back in July.
Those incidents along with a hit-and-run in New Britain that led to a a jogger losing his life are the reasons why the group was formed and is the reason behind their public forum on Wednesday night.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
"If we want to stem the future adult prison population, it starts here with the young criminals where there can actually be intervention," said John Porriello, who helped created Safe Streets Connecticut. "Right now, the structure of the crime game is that the crime can continue to escalate and the players in the game can continue to play."
Kim Marques said she knew crime was increasing before four of her car tires were stolen at her Glastonbury home.
"We honestly didn't believe that somebody just took the tires instead of just taking the whole car," said Marques. "They come in, they put the car down, check out the area, get back on the highway and it really has to be looked into," she said.
Local
Some police departments have been vocal about the current system in place. Many of the police departments mention that they can't always access information to help detain young offenders and only have six hours to issue a dentition order.
State representatives like Jill Berry are actively trying to come up with solutions to help communities stay safe and help those who may be committing the crime.
"We're trying to help the child at this stage, but there has to be consequences in order to do that," said Rep. Jill Berry. "Something needs to happen. This is not a one-sided issue, this is not a one solution issue, there's going to be lots of things that need to be done."
The Safe Streets public forum will take place at the town's community center at 6:30 p.m.
