Members of the Columbus Police Department Thursday met with about 50 residents for a city-wide neighborhood watch program, hosted by CPD Chief Selvain McQueen.
After a welcome from Mayor Robert Smith, McQueen briefly discussed Mississippi’s Castle Doctrine law.
“The Castle Doctrine comes from old English; it means defending one’s castle,” McQueen said. “If someone breaks into your home, you have the right to defend yourself, through justifiable homicide. This also extends to defending your vehicle. If someone breaks into McQueen’s house in the middle of the night, then I’m going to do what I have to do to protect my family.”
CPD Officer Rhonda Sanders explained the importance of neighborhood watch programs in combating crime in Columbus.
“We want you to be our eyes and ears,” Sanders said. “We can’t be everywhere, every second of the day, so we need members from the community to help us.”
Sanders noted a neighborhood watch member should only report information to the police.
“You should never detain or try and catch a criminal,” she cautioned. “We do not want you physically putting your hands on people; this is extremely dangerous. All you have to do is call the police department, and someone will be dispatched to your area. Let the police do the hard work.”
Sanders also discouraged racial profiling — defined by the American Civil Liberties Union as “targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion or national origin” — when reporting suspicious activity.
“Please, do not make calls based on the color of someone’s skin or because of their religion,” Sanders said. “We want you to refrain from making calls regarding suspicious activity, based on race. You know your neighborhood better than the police do. If you are noticing something suspicious, please report it. We want you to be nosy neighbors.”
Community Resource Office Ron Richardson explained the importance of residents properly securing their homes.
“The first thing you want to do is to assess the structure,” Richardson said. “Observe all of the doors, windows and the general appearance of the home. If the brush and bushes are overgrown, this makes it easier for a criminal to burglarize your home. Make sure you have plenty of light outside and we recommend using deadbolt locks on your doors.
“Nothing will deter a burglar more than having a sign in your yard from an alarm company,” he added. “If you can afford an alarm, please get an alarm. We work too hard and too long to allow our things to be taken from us.”
CPD Lt. Carroll Culpepper noted the department will watch residents’ homes in their absence.
“If you are going on vacation, please let us know at the department,” he said. “We will send an officer to your house, every day for up to 14 days, while you are away. We want you to feel safe, knowing your home is being protected, while you are away.”
After the program, some citizens said they felt the information was useful and helpful.
“I think when we all eventually get on the same page, we will see some changes,” Irene Hairston said. “I’m a member of a neighborhood watch program, and so far it has been effective in my neighborhood. My neighbor’s house was burglarized, and we started a group. We definitely feel safer in our neighborhood by working together.”
Joyce Miller, a resident of East Columbus, is in the process of starting a watch group in her neighborhood.
“I received some good information tonight,” she said. “We are just trying to be proactive. We don’t have a bad crime problem in my neighborhood and we want to keep it that way.”
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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