Important Message on Utility Scammers

Although utility scammers work year-round, they tend to be more active in the peak winter and summer months when people rely on heat and air conditioning. With the onset of the winter heating season, the city of Rocky Mount is urging customers to be cautious of scammers. Utility scammers may falsely identify themselves as city employees and threaten to disconnect services unless the customer makes a payment over the phone.

The city of Rocky Mount Business and Collections Services department uses an automated calling system to remind customers of payments that are past due. However, this automated call will not provide the payment amount and due date. City of Rocky Mount employees will never demand immediate payment over the phone or ask a customer to meet them for payment. The automated calling system number is 1-866-288-7608.

The city will also not instruct customers to wire funds, and there are no retail outlets authorized to accept payments on the city’s behalf at this time. All utility payments should be made directly to the city of Rocky Mount.

City of Rocky Mount employees will instead instruct the customer to call Customer Service at 252-972-1250 for possible assistance, or the toll-free number at 1-866-288-7608 if the customer wishes to make a payment over the phone using the automated system. Payments taken by phone with a customer service representative are at the customer’s request only when they call 252-972-1250.

City of Rocky Mount customers who suspect they have received a call from a scammer are urged to hang up immediately and call a Customer Service representative at 252-972-1250 to verify whether the city is attempting to contact them. Customers are also urged not to share any personal information with the scammers or return any phone calls.

If customers wish to pay their utility bills electronically, they may use the city’s online services at https://ipn.paymentus.com/rotp/crm to make the payment.

Citizens Academy for Rocky Mount

Citizens Academy for Rocky Mount is a series of interactive classes designed to teach participants about City government and to develop future leaders through well informed and engaged residents.

To be considered for the 2022 Session, CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE APPLICATION and fill out the requested information.

The application process will begin May 27, 2022, and end June 24, 2022, at 5:00 PM.

For more information on the Academy, call 972-1354.

Traffic patterns switch as Falls Road adds buffered biking lanes

Drivers should remain in the right lane from which they may travel in a straight direction or make left turns. It is important to note that drivers must yield to bikers prior to making turns. Parallel parking will continue to be permitted on the right hand side of the road.

Pedestrians are encouraged to continue using the sidewalks along the corridor.

Police Department Seeks Assistance From Businesses

Rocky Mount, N.C. – The Rocky Mount Police Department seeks assistance from local
businesses to strengthen criminal investigations and create a safer environment for citizens.

Therefore, we are requesting businesses, including but not limited to churches, retail
establishments, daycares, schools, industrial industries, etc., to partner with us.
Businesses that partner with the Rocky Mount Police Department will have two options to participate, (1) camera registry and (2) camera integration.

(1) Camera Registry
Businesses registering their cameras inform us that cameras are at your location. Then, if we wish to view the video, in that case, the owner will receive an alert to share and/or we can come to your location.

Businesses who partner with the RMPD must register their cameras by clicking the link
https://rockymountpd.fususregistry.com/ and follow the prompted instructions. Registration allows the RMPD only to know that you have cameras in the event crime occurs.

(2) Camera Integration

The second option is to integrate business cameras with the police department’s FUSUS Real-Time Intelligence Center, which will give the police department direct access to surveillance cameras to view live video. Sharing access to the live video will allow staff to instantly view the area if a crime occurs in the vicinity of the business. This access will assist responding officers in identifying vehicles and individuals committing the crime more quickly.

The RMPD will provide the business with a CORE, which connects the business’s Digital Video Recorder with the FUSUS platform via internet connection. Then, RMPD will complete the installation, which typically takes no more than 30 minutes. There is no cost associated with this program.

“Improving the quality of life, maintaining order, and creating a safer environment is part of the Rocky Mount Police Department’s mission. We are grateful for the partnership with our local businesses to assist us in our efforts to reduce crime and strengthen criminal investigations,” said Police Chief Robert Hassell.

Anyone who needs assistance with the registration process or has questions, please contact the Rocky Mount Police Department Support Services Commander Lieutenant Ryan Hepler at 252-972-1203.

Click the images to the left to enlarge.

City Seeking to Fill Vacancies

The Mayor and Rocky Mount City Council will consider appointments to the City’s Boards, Commissions and Committees at an upcoming Committee of the Whole meeting.  City residents are encouraged to apply by June 6, 2022.  Appointments are expected to be finalized by the City Council on July 11, 2022. Click here to view the current vacancies.

Anyone interested in appointment to any of these boards should submit the application in writing to the City Clerk’s office, P.O. Box 1180, Rocky Mount, NC 27802-1180 or via email to pamela.casey@rockymountnc.gov on or before June 6, 2022.  A resume’ of each applicant may accompany the Personal History Form signed by the applicant indicating their willingness to serve should they be appointed.

Personal History Forms are available in the City Clerk’s office or on the City’s website by selecting government, then boards and commissions.  For more information, please call 252-972-1319.

U.S. Attorney Easley Announces Multi-Agency Initiative to Address Violent Crime In Rocky Mount

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Michael Easley today announced a new multi-agency initiative to combat violent crime in the Rocky Mount area that includes a task force of local, state, and federal law enforcement. The new Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative was launched in collaboration with Rocky Mount Police Chief Robert Hassell earlier this week, in advance of the summer months when shootings typically increase.

“Rocky Mount is a place of great promise, brimming with growth and opportunity.  But that opportunity will not be fully realized until we unite as a community to stop the violence,” said Easley. “Since April 30, Rocky Mount has seen four homicides and three other shootings, including one earlier this week that wounded an innocent 9-year-old boy. Our state, local, and federal partners are committed to doing all we can, in conjunction with community stakeholders, to stop this wave of gun violence. First and foremost, that means getting illegal guns off the streets and bringing those responsible for the violence to swift justice – for the victims and for the community at large.”

Chief Hassell stated, “We believe this Violent Crime Action Plan will protect our community at a time when our citizens are understandably concerned. We appreciate the support and assistance from our federal partners and Edgecombe County Sheriff Cleveland Atkinson and Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone. By working together, we can reduce violent crime and make sure that our community is safe.”

“The ATF stands with the Rocky Mount community in its push against gun violence.  We are bringing our resources and expertise for a systematic and coordinated effort to target the most violent offenders on the streets,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Nash County Sheriff’s Office and Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office have agreed to devote officers to the VCAP effort.  These resources will supplement the work of the Rocky Mount Police Department and other partners in the investigation and prosecution of gun violence in Rocky Mount.

Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone commented, “The Nash County Sheriff’s Office is working collaboratively with the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rocky Mount Police Department and federal agencies to reduce the violence in Rocky Mount.  The Nash County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to safer communities by enforcement of gang, gun and drug violations.”

“Edgecombe County is grateful for the assistance and partnership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, the Rocky Mount Police Department and other local municipal police departments, the District Attorney’s Office and state and federal partners,” stated Edgecombe County Sheriff Clee Adkinson.  “As law enforcement officers, we are here to make a positive difference in the lives of our citizens, and ensuring their safety is paramount.  We look forward to continuing proactive efforts to counteract criminal behavior and ensure safe communities.”

U.S. Attorney Easley stated, “The coordinated effort these agencies bring to this initiative will make Rocky Mount a safer place to live, work, and do business.”

VCAP is a three-pronged approach drawing on close partnerships among federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as the community, to combat violence.

Focused and Strategic Enforcement: 

• • Designating lead prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and District Attorney’s Office to prioritize the review of all gun crime cases with local and federal law enforcement for accelerated action.
  • Sustained, proactive, and coordinated efforts to identify and prosecute the most significantly violent repeat offenders and dangerous criminal organizations in the Rocky Mount area.
  • Focusing on the sources of crime guns, including the prosecution of gun traffickers, straw purchasers, suppliers of guns to juveniles, and those using non-serialized “ghost guns” in crimes.

Inter-Agency Coordination and Intelligence-Led Policing: 

• • Analyzing crime data to identify trends, patterns, and “hot spots” to deploy resources where they are needed most.
  • Leveraging federal Task Force Officers to bring federal technology and resources to address local gun violence.
  • Increasing the use of Crime Gun Intelligence (CGI) through the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to identify and prosecute the serial trigger-pullers driving gun violence in local communities.

Community Engagement: 

• • Raising awareness through youth education. EDNC is working with the Rocky Mount Police Department to introduce programs, such as “Educating Kids about Gangs and Guns,” into Nash and Edgecombe County Schools in hopes of engaging students, law enforcement, and educators in life-saving conversations.
  • Engaging with local offender re-entry programs, such as the Nash Edgecombe Wilson Re-entry Council, in their ongoing work to help returning citizens successfully reintegrate into society following incarceration through employment, transportation, and housing-related support.
  • Meaningful community engagement by law enforcement, hearing from the communities most affected by violence to better partner in stopping it through supporting prevention, intervention, and reentry services.

The new task force ensures that Rocky Mount will have the full range of enforcement tools available to stop the violence. Participants will include representation from the Rocky Mount Police Department, Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Edgecombe County Sherriff’s Office, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the United States Marshal’s Service.  Prosecutors from the Seventh Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are also engaged in the effort.

This initiative is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

A copy of this press release is located on our website.

City seeks to solve solid waste woes

Toiling in conditions that range from bitter cold to brutal heat, more than three dozen employees in the city’s Environmental Services Division haul away about 90,000 tons of solid waste annually from homes and businesses throughout Rocky Mount.

The city’s trash-collection service consistently received high marks for customer satisfaction in the past. But during the last 18 months, a combination of mechanical breakdowns in an aging fleet of trucks and staffing shortages have caused repeated collection delays, prompting a growing number of complaints from residents.

City officials are striving to address these issues as quickly as possible by purchasing equipment and filling vacant personnel positions. These solutions will take time, however, because of supply-chain slowdowns and a tight labor market.

“Improving solid waste collection is one of my top priorities,” Interim City Manager Peter Varney said. “In the meantime, I think it is important to fully explain to residents the challenges that we are seeking to overcome.”

Environmental Services picked up a pair of front loader trucks this week from Orange County and another front loader that was damaged in a fire will return to service soon. Those additions will help improve collection service for the city’s commercial customers.

Collection of yard waste has been a persistent problem recently. On Saturday, for instance, crews will be out picking up yard waste that was not collected on schedule earlier in the week because of equipment and staffing issues.

Four new knuckle-boom trucks that Environmental Services ordered at a cost of $700,000 in June 2021 are expected to finally arrive in December. Those trucks will hopefully end the delays in collecting large curbside yard and bulk waste.

A new $375,000 automated side-loader truck that can be used to collect residential trash and recycling should hit the streets this summer.

All told, Environmental Services anticipates spending more than $7 million during the next five years to replace rigs that have surpassed their mechanical lifespans. The acquisitions will include numerous automated side-loaders, gradually reducing the division’s manpower needs through attrition in coming years.

The number of vacant staff positions in Environmental Services has dropped from a high of 10 to three current openings. As part of an effort to improve recruitment and retention of employees, the Rocky Mount City Council is expected to approve a pay plan that will raise the starting yearly salary of a sanitation equipment operator from $31,455 to $36,188. This pay increase would put Rocky Mount ahead of Greenville, Jacksonville, Kinston and Wilson.

If you have questions about solid waste collection, please call Environmental Services at 252-467-4800 and select Option 7.

Police Seek Survey Responses to Enhance Service

It’s the goal of the Rocky Mount Police Department to continue providing quality police services to the citizens of Rocky Mount. We value the input from the citizens we serve. Therefore, we invite citizens to take a “Community Survey on Public Safety and Law Enforcement.”  

The survey, which is entirely anonymous and confidential, takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It is designed to gather opinions and experiences from community members. Citizens’ participation will help the Rocky Mount Police Department enhance its programs and performance.  

“Members of the Rocky Mount Police Department are committed to providing the highest level of police services to the citizens of Rocky Mount. We will continue to improve the quality of life in the community by building partnerships that reduce crime, maintain order, and create a safe environment for the citizens of Rocky Mount,” stated Police Chief Robert Hassell 

The survey, which is available in English and Spanish, assesses five key areas for the Police Department: 

• • Community involvement 
  • Safety 
  • Procedural justice
  • Performance 
  • Contact and satisfaction  

The Community Survey is posted on the Rocky Mount Police Department Facebook Page, where citizens can scan the QR code. Citizens also can CLICK HERE to access the survey.