A rose to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office which has enlisted the public’s help in tracking down fugitives through its “Feature Fugitive of the Month” campaign. Since Sheriff Eddie Hawkins began the campaign in December, several fugitives have been taken into custody based on tips from citizens through Crime Stoppers and a related app. Often, suspects evade arrest because those closest to them, and sometimes the victims themselves, are reluctant to come forward. By reaching a broader audience through this campaign, tracking down suspects, which sometimes could take months, has proven in many cases to be a matter of days. That makes our communities safer. It also empowers residents to work together with law enforcement to achieve a common goal. We applaud the sheriff’s office for this effort and predict it will continue to be a successful means of bringing suspects quickly into custody.
A rose to Jammie Garrett, who was hired last week as Chief Operating Officer for the City of Columbus. Garrett, who currently works as a training specialist for the Mississippi Supreme Court, will begin her new duties in March. She replaces David Armstrong, who retired in June. We also extend a rose to businessman Mark Alexander Jr., who has admirably filled the position on an interim basis since Armstrong’s departure. The job of COO may be the most important non-elected position in the city given the role of managing the day-to-day operations and working with the mayor and department heads to keep the city functioning efficiently. We welcome Garrett to the Friendly City. We all have a vested interest in her success, so her success is ours.
A rose to Oktibbeha County Rural Fire Services, which has updated its equipment through the purchase of two new fire trucks. Fighting fires in rural communities comes with unique challenges: access to water and remote locations that are often far from fire stations and are difficult to access, included. These two new trucks, which cost $330,000 each, will replace older models that had lower water storage capacity and required greater (and expensive) maintenance to keep in operating condition. Although the trucks will be stationed at the Sturgis and Bell Schoolhouse stations, they’ll be used throughout the county to respond to fires. Fire trucks are often used to shuttle water to the sites of fires, so the more trucks there are available, the more effective fire fighting operations become. That’s a win for county residents who are often more vulnerable to the devastation of fires than their “city” neighbors.
A rose to the United States Air Force Thunderbirds and Columbus Air Force Base in anticipation of the ”Wings Over Columbus” airshow, set for March 26-27 at CAFB. The airshow is a huge draw for the community. Anyone who has attended the event in years past has marveled at the precision with which these highly-skilled and exhaustively-trained pilots perform. This year’s event is especially exciting since it has been four years since the Thunderbirds last came to CAFB. In 2020, a tragic crash during training a month before the scheduled show prevented the Thunderbirds from coming. Welcome back, Thunderbirds! We can’t wait for the show!
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
