916th reservists help reduce gun violence in community

  • Published
  • By Capt. Shannon Mann
  • 916th Air Refueling Wing
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. --  Two of the 916th’s own security forces troops recently participated in a community event to reduce firearms in North Carolina neighborhoods. 

Staff Sgt. Scotty Sweat and Staff Sgt. Stephen Jett, security forces craftsmen, participated in Operation Cease Fire as part of their civilian jobs as local law enforcement officers. Sergeant Jett is a police officer with the Fayetteville Police Department and Sergeant Sweatt is a detective with Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department. On Aug. 20, 2005 these two Citizen Airmen volunteered to help their local community by creating neighborhood awareness to reduce gun violence. 

As part of Operation Cease Fire, the two reservists joined many other law enforcement professionals from such agencies as the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Fayetteville State University, the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. 

Operation Cease Fire is a relatively new initiative to reduce gun violence in Cumberland County. The program brings together federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to perform outreach in communities and work together on initiatives to make neighborhoods safer. 

“This event was a huge success,” said Sergeant Jett. “Our goal was to reach out to the community about firearm violence, reduce gun violence in the community and encourage citizens to report illegal gun violence.” 

For more than six hours on a Saturday, 72 officers from 20 agencies went door to door passing out more than 3,000 fliers about gun violence and gun control. 

Sergeant Jett said this initiative helps remove serious offenders from the streets and gets them out of the neighborhoods. “It reinforces the message that the community will not tolerate gun violence,’ he said. 

North Carolina laws are very strict when it deals with firearms. Officers informed residents about federal and state laws and what they could do as members of the community to stop illegal gun use and protect their neighborhoods. They also informed residents who owned weapons what they could do to protect their property citing that more than 300,000 firearms are stolen each year in home burglaries. 

Operation Cease Fire started in 2000 and occurs in Cumberland communities every two years. With the help of crime mapping and gun tracing, officers are able to focus their efforts on high crime areas around the county. Since its inception officers have removed more than 300,000 illegal guns from the streets. 

“Volunteering for this operation allowed me to make contact with our citizens, preserve peace and provide police services so that we improve the quality of life for everyone in our jurisdiction,” said Sergeant Jett. 

Editor’s note: Staff Sgt. Stephen Jett is the 916th Security Forces Squadron Unit Public Affairs Representative and contributed to this article.