Combating Crime In Fargo

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A robbery Tuesday night at a pizza store in south Fargo has some people in the area on edge.
 
They say they are hearing about more robberies in Fargo than usual.
 
Fargo Police are looking for a black man in his 40’s with a hooded sweatshirt.

He was armed during Tuesday night’s robbery of Papa Murphy’s on 32nd Avenue South.

They say the robbery is one of two in Fargo this year.

They also say robberies aren’t on the rise.
 
“It makes you a little bit uneasy,” said Seepal Amedy of Moorhead.
 
Amedy enjoys living in the Fargo–Moorhead area but is concerned after hearing about the robbery at Papa Murphy’s.
 
“It’s really surprising living here for a while you don’t really see a lot of that,” said Amedy.
 
Fargo police say they see about 10 to 12 commercial robberies in a year and that number is relatively low compared to the population.
 
“The dollar amount that the suspects get is relatively small, and the penalties for this type of offense are up to ten years,” said Fargo Police Department Lt. Michael Mitchell.
 
They also say that commercial robberies can happen in cycles.

However, a new street crimes unit is in the works that can potentially help.
 
“If we believe we have a rash of armed robberies and we believe that there is a certain group or individual that is responsible for them you know that could become a focus of that unit,” said Lt. Mitchell.
 
Some people say they aren’t worried by the crime in the area and it’s to be expected from a growing city like Fargo.
 
Kerry Horst comes from a small town and remembers little crime.

When he heard about the robbery at Papa Murphy’s, he thought:
 
“Oh jeez here we go again another burglary you know it seems to be quite a rash of them recently.”
 
Police say they don’t think the community should be alarmed.
 
“It’s a fairly safe community and I don’t want to spread that fear with the clerks that work in these establishments,” said Lt. Mitchell.
 
Lt. Mitchell tells us police are developing leads for the Papa Murphy’s case and that they are looking for video of the robbery.