Killeen had more than 300 children run away from home last year, and over 108 shoplifters — all situations involving juveniles, according to their Killeen Crime Solutions Committee.
Members of the committee say majority of those runaways are young black girls — and that's why they're focusing their efforts to stop and help them before they make that decision to flee.
The chair of the committee, Killeen Mayor Pro Temp Ken Wilkerson, says these teams run away through a number of factors including stress at home, lack of resources at home, and family disputes.
He also says they believe the runaways could be tied to the number of young shoplifters.
“Whether it be 'go out and shoplift' or 'she’s asked to get something for her they can’t afford', all these cross-sections — they can get complex and complicated. That’s the committees objective to try to peel back the layers on that onion and figure out what is going on," Wilkerson said.
Wilkerson said that they don’t know why black young women make up that majority, but they’re working to figure it out before their meeting later this month.
Wilkerson also said that the Crime Solutions Committee is also looking at several other factors of crime with understanding, and they want to work with KISD, Fort Hood and several other local entities figure out ways to prevent these situations.
