Rocky Mount is already investigating six murders in the first 50 days of 2019.
"We need help. It's almost hard to keep up with the latest controversy," said former fire chief Keith Harris.
According to Harris, the flashing lights of police cars have become way too common in the city of roughly 55,000.
"Since the beginning of this year, we've had six murders so far," Harris saod. "It's almost a murder a week."
While Harris praises the city's police force, he said it has a glaring hole.
"We've been without a chief of police now for 15 months," Harris said.
Capt. George Robinson has been filling the role on an interim basis, but Harris questions why city leaders can't find a permanent fix.
"We've got some very well qualified, able, dedicated police officers on our command staff, but for whatever reason, we will not fill the chief of police job," Harris said.
Rocky Mount's website lists 18 vacancies across the city, but the police chief job isn't among them.