Mayor Bill Bell laid out the first steps in what he called an "ongoing strategy" to cut violent crime in Durham, especially crimes involving firearms.

In an afternoon press conference, he said violent crime went up 3 percent in 2011 over the previous year.

“This is a very disturbing trend that we as a community should not and cannot accept,” he said.

Bell said the four steps are “but the first” as the city develops ongoing crime-prevention strategies. ...