ANDERSON, Ind. -- The Madison County Prosecutor and a local anti-violence group are concerned about the increase in violence the city of Anderson has seen in recent weeks.
"I've never seen guns be a bigger problem than they are now. Guys used to go fist fight and now they shoot each other," said Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings.
Cummings said in the last 10-15 years, he's seen a steady increase in crime in Anderson.
And, it's been a hectic week for police in Anderson as the city saw an officer-involved shooting and a stabbing at a gas station on the same day.
"We have about 1/4 of the amount of crime as Marion County has. But Marion County is eight times larger than we are. So we have about double the crime as Marion County per capita," said Cummings.
Cummings said some of the reasons behind the increase in crime are illegal guns, drugs, poverty and loss of jobs in the area.
He said young adults and juveniles are some of the biggest offenders.
That's exactly who groups like the Madison County Hand-Up Initiative are looking to target.
"A lot of us have a past so we're able to talk about our experiences in life and the roads that we went down and what we had to go through to get out the other side of that to become successful adults and I think it's beneficial for the kids to hear that," said Jason Fullington with the Madison County Hand-Up Initiative. "We definitely want to make sure that these kids know there is a different way of living. A lot of times, all it takes is an adult voice to stop a fight. Once an adult voice stops a fight, a lot of times when you speak with the kids, they'll listen to you."
Fullington said since the group started in 2022, he's noticed crime on the rise too.
According to numbers provided by the Madison County Prosecutor's Office, case filings for dealing cocaine or a narcotic are up 400%.
Unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon filings are also up nearly 80%.
And while numbers show murder filings in Madison County are down, Cummings said the number of investigations is actually higher, as this doesn't include cases where no one has been charged so far.
Fullington said he hopes their grassroots efforts can bring these numbers down.
"We need more public support. There's just not enough people doing what we do to curb the crime all over town. There's a lot of neighborhoods that are in need," said Fullington. "There needs to be more public involvement to try to curb this. The police can't do this by themselves. It takes people who aren't afraid to talk to their neighbors and alert them when they see something."
To find out how you can volunteer with the Madison County Hand Up Initiative, click here.