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Wilmington Mayor: Can't Arrest Way Out of Violence

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DOVER, Del. (AP) - Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams, who was elected in 2012 after promising to get tough on criminals, says his violence-ridden city can't arrest its way out of its crime problem.

Williams, who campaigned four years against a "hug a thug" approach to crime, said in a Democratic primary debate Wednesday that arresting more people won't solve Wilmington's crime problem, which he suggested was rooted in poverty.

But while taking a softer rhetorical approach to crime, Williams had plenty of harsh words for some of his seven primary opponents, at one point calling businessman Michael Purzycki a "slumlord."

Purzycki responded that "desperate people say desperate things."

While describing himself as "battle tested," a combative Williams said his opponents were offering voters "pie in the sky."

The primary will be held Sept. 13.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.