Mayor Robert Smith didn’t mince words: Columbus has a crime problem, and he and the City Council are determined to do whatever it takes to eradicate it.
Smith, along with Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin, met with the Dispatch editorial board at City Hall Thursday afternoon to discuss the issue, which Smith said is a growing concern, not only in the city but across the Golden Triangle and in surrounding communities.
Crime rates typically escalate during the Christmas holidays, then drop off and rise again in the summer. But the end of January is drawing near, and the statistics continue to be sobering.
Smith used Tuesday morning to illustrate his point. Between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., there were four home burglaries, an auto burglary and a rape within the city limits, according to Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen.
Smith attributes some of the uptick in crime and violence to the economic downturn, noting that it’s not just isolated to Columbus. Other municipalities, such as Starkville and Tupelo, have seen similar increases in crime rates, he said.
But just as a sluggish economy has a tendency to fuel crime, crime has a tendency to depress an already struggling local economy.
Economic development draws people to a place, and cities — including Columbus — spend inordinate amounts of time and money trying to attract new development and new residents.
Those efforts are futile though, if a city can’t keep the people it attracts.
“It’s all tied together,” Gavin said.
He believes another challenge is the relative youth of the Columbus police force. Many of the department’s 68 officers have five years experience or less. They need training, Gavin said. They need to be paired with older, more experienced officers.
But that may be difficult with nine veteran supervising officers who could soon retire. Under the current system, newcomers to the department must start as patrolmen, regardless of the rank they held in another police department. McQueen asked the Civil Service Commission this week to overturn that policy, but the commission tabled the decision.
Smith had nothing but praise for McQueen, who was appointed chief in December after serving as interim chief since July following the dismissal of former chief Joseph St. John.
McQueen was appointed by a 4-2 council vote, with Gavin and Ward 3 Councilman Charlie Box voting against the measure.
“He’s a hard worker,” Smith said of McQueen. “He’s dedicated. He’s out there.”
Smith met with McQueen Wednesday, and he receives the department’s crime statistics every Monday.
He and Gavin both said they are willing to do whatever is necessary to lower the crime rate, and they have asked McQueen to draw up a list of needs. There is also talk of adding more officers and stepping up foot patrols.
“We’re committed to providing the chief and department the resources they need — manpower, vehicles, supplies, equipment,” Smith said. “We want the citizens of the city to feel safe.”
Another possible solution to the increase in crime is setting higher bonds on criminal cases. Smith has recommended a change in the bond structure to Municipal Court Judges Marc Amos and Nicole Clinkscales.
“I believe this will make criminals think twice before committing any crime — knowing they will be forced to spend more time in jail if they can’t come up with a higher bail,” Smith wrote in a memo to the judges.
The importance of community involvement as a crime deterrent can’t be overlooked either, Gavin said.
He encouraged people to become more aware of their surroundings and call 911 if they see anything suspicious. He remembers a time when people seldom locked their doors in Columbus. But things have changed, and Columbus is not immune to those changes, he said. He also encouraged people to begin neighborhood watch programs.
“Be a nosy neighbor,” he said. “This is within the power of the citizens to control.”
“Safety is our top priority at this time,” Smith said.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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