VALDOSTA — The City of Valdosta will assemble a Community Task Force on Violence.

The City Council approved the task force at Thursday’s regular meeting.

City Manager Larry Hanson began outlining the goals of the task force this week in an effort to analyze and address the recent increase of violent crime in the community.

The goal of the task force is to begin discussing the impact of violent crime on the community and providing alternatives to violence and proposing solutions to the community.

The work of the task force will be broken down into sub-committees, who will represent all aspects of the community, who in turn will report their findings to the task force leadership, Hanson said.

The task force is to complete their work and present their findings within 90 days of their commencement, he said.

City staff will provide research outlets, meeting places and other services to the task force, Hanson said. Two council members will serve as at-large members of the task force.

Before leaving to attend a vigil at Hudson Dockett for the teenager slain on Sunday, Councilman James Wright, District 1, requested to serve on the task force. “Its time for us to set aside our differences and come together on a united front to solve this problem,” he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Willie T. Head, District 2, cautioned the city manager that in making appointments to the task force people are assigned because they want to help, not to elevate their position.

He also requested that representatives from Ora Lee West and Hudson Dockett be members of the task force.

“They will provide insight for many of us that don’t live there,” he said.

Robert Yost, District 6, said the task force is a good idea but that it should not hinder the council in making the decisions they need to make in regards to the issues at hand.

“I hope they understand we are not going to wait on them,” Yost said.

The council should be willing to shut businesses down who cannot control the crowds they attract, he said, even if it makes people unhappy.

Tim Carroll, District 5, said the task force is exactly what the council needs to do.