Columbus police are asking residents for one thing: If you see something, say something.
A handful of residents attended the Ward 3 community meeting Thursday night at First Christian Church in East Columbus and discussed concerns within their neighborhoods.
A few residents did not wish to have their names published, but the general consensus is worry about Columbus High School students loitering on private property.
“They’re sitting there on our curb, sitting and smoking all day long,” one resident, who lives on Sycamore Street, said.
Another Ward 3 resident, who lives on Sycamore Street near the school, Kitty Page, expressed concerns about seeing people walking from behind houses.
“They go through the backyard. A lot of people across the street are at work. The other day, I counted seven of them,” she said.
Interim Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen, along with other personnel from the Columbus Police Department, told residents they need to report anything suspicious they see to help police effectively patrol the area.
“If you see something, say something through 911,” Assistant Police Chief Joe Johnson Jr. said.
McQueen echoed Johnson’s words, noting the police department has 72 officers on staff and is not immune to a struggling economy.
“I’m here to tell you right now: When jobs go down, crime rate goes up,” he said. “The way that we do more with less is we have to have partners. The police and citizens are partners.”
One Ward 3 resident, who declined to give his name, said when he reports incidents, perpetrators retaliate.
“We’ve seen suspicious things going on and reported it and had windshields broken in,” the resident said.
Lt. Carroll Culpepper of the CPD said residents can stay anonymous when reporting suspicious activity.
“It doesn’t put you in a position of (being retaliated against),” Culpepper said. “Try to remain as anonymous as possible.”
Billy Perkins, a Ward 2 resident, said sometimes he feels like he’s “being interrogated” when calling 911 and asking for an officer to come to his residence.
“There’s certain information that we’ve got to have,” Capt. Fred Shelton, of the CPD Patrol Division, said.
“Come to the house; I’ll give you it then,” Perkins replied.
Shelton said if the caller hangs up without giving much information, an officer still will come to the location.
Columbus police plan to visit each ward in the coming weeks to speak with residents on crime-prevention strategies. The next meeting is planned for Sept. 29 in Ward 6. The location has not been finalized.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
