EARLE, Ark. — Community leaders and law enforcement are teaming up in Earle, Arkansas, where gun violence has started to become a serious issue.

Community leaders and law enforcement officers agree, the recent violent crime in in Earle resolves around a small number of families, but that doesn’t make it any less concerning.

“The City of Earle is a nice, little community. They’ve got a few bad apples that are creating some problems. We’re doing the best we can to assist the city of Earle, and getting it under control,” said Chief Todd Grooms, Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office.

As a response to the recent issues, local leaders are hosting a community meeting at the Earle Baptist Church starting at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday.

They told WREG, they want residents to understand where the violence is coming from, and how to work best with law enforcement.

The Crittenden County Sheriff’s office will be in attendance and appreciates the cooperation.

““We welcome it. We’ve asked for it. We go down there quite a bit,” Grooms said.

As always, law enforcement works best when the community can provide useful information.

“When people come forward with information that we can use to help solve these crimes, that helps put them behind us,” Grooms said.

The Crittenden County Sheriff’s office is hopeful that Earle will be able to put the recent rise in violence in the rearview mirror.

“I certainly hope so. And we’re going to do everything that we can to make that happen,” Grooms said.

The event will be held at the Earle Baptist Church, starting at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday.