Citing escalating crime, Buckhead, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, wants to secede from the city, Fox News reports.

In an interview with Fox & Friends First, Bill White described the city as a war zone because of escalating crime. He said leaving the city would allow the suburb to set up its own police force.

White added that the city council’s disdain for police has resulted in difficulties hiring police officers, and the city is currently 180 short of what is needed.

Fox News provides more information:

“We are really feeling like this is a war zone, and I don’t say that lightly, especially given what you experienced in a war zone,” White told co-host Joey Jones. “This is murder and mayhem… We are dealing with a mayor who voted to defund the police.

“It’s obvious that police officers do not want to come work for a mayor or a city that does not back them, so Buckhead wants to take things into its own hands,” he continued.

According to Fox News tracking, rape is up 80% as of June 18, burglaries are up 26%, and robberies are up 8%.

READ: Atlanta suburb pushes to secede from city due to surging crime: ‘This is a war zone’