NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Leaders from New Hanover and Pender Counties came together Tuesday morning to talk about how to react in a dangerous situation similar to the shooting at Sandy Hook.

The goal is to make this panel a monthly meeting rather than a reactive, onetime event. District Attorney Ben David emphasized that Tuesday's meeting was not an event, but a process.

"We are not here because of panic after Sandy Hook-- we're here to talk about evidence of best practices to help us with the road ahead," explained David.

Additionally, the district attorney said the meeting isn't about bullet proofing schools; it's about making changes from the behavioral level up to the physical security level.

Larry Bonney, a retired special agent and FBI founding member of hostage rescue, said you have to focus on behavior first and foremost. He said isolating a child can be lethal.

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – Officers with the Wilmington Police Department are investigating a robbery that took place Friday, asking anyone with information about it or the suspect involved to contact them.

According to police, the robbery happened at an art gallery in the 200 block of Water Street when a young man entered the store, showed a weapon and demanded an iPad.

He proceeded to grab the iPad and run out onto Water Street, where a Chandler's Wharf employee chased him.

Afterwards, WPD officers converged on the area with K9 units, but the suspect got away. Traffic was blocked from Church Street to Ann Street and from Front Street to Water Street during this time.

Authorities later recovered a BB gun, which turned out to be the robber's weapon, and the iPad near the scene.

The suspect was described high-school aged with dark skin.

He was seen wearing a black hoodie.

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Chief Ralph Evangelous has presented impressive statistics to the public, saying Wilmington crime rates hit a historic low in 2012. However, he says the fear of crime is higher than ever-- pushing a new mobile force team to hit the streets.

The Wilmington Police Department has been organizing a 'mobile field force' for a while now, however the recent murder of 19-year-old Joshua Proutey in the central business district is what is moving the force into action, Evangelous hopes, by April.

"You know that poor kid was murdered at the USO building and you know the public doesn't care that crime has gone down. That incident happened and they're scared," said Evangelous.

City council showed full support through a 6-0 vote for the WPD to move forward with the initiative, after Chief Evangelous explained to them even though crime statistics are impressively low, fear is extremely high.