At this time last year Clarksdale had recorded 12 homicides, but this year they’ve had two.
And that decline in violent deaths didn’t just happen by accident or fate.
“The problem was bigger than just homicides,” said Clarksdale Police Chief Sandra Williams. “Violent crimes, property crimes and drug crimes are all factors in your homicide rate.”
So what did the Clarksdale Police Department do?
“We did an assessment and developed a plan to combat the issue,” said Williams. “We identified hot spots in the community, we looked at drug activity and where people were hanging out and then we hit the streets.”
Williams said the attack was two pronged: Become more visible and pro-active and listen to the community when they call for help.
“Our special operations team targeted those hot-spots,” said Williams. “Where we had violent crimes and a higher crime rate is where we focused our attention. That meant we patrolled those areas more, we had out special operations team members in there and we started shaking people down.”
She said police also made a concerted effort to contact those who phoned in a crime, get to know those homeowners and community leaders and, most importantly, to come with a show of force when called.
And it has apparently worked.
“We had one lady call us about people hanging out on her corner. She lived alone and that situation made her uneasy,” Williams added. “She later called us back and thanked us and said the stray dogs in the community don’t even hang out on that corner anymore.”
Williams also pointed to the placing of video cameras in high crime neighborhoods. Investigators also got to know business owners and homeowners who had video cameras and developed a relationship with those people and used their cameras to solve crimes.
“People often say if you come down on a neighborhood, the crime just moves someplace else,” said Williams. “We didn’t really see that. I think those who commit crimes realized we were watching, we were nearby and we were going to respond.
“It really was patrolmen getting to know their community and working our special operations team plan that made a difference,” she explained.”
She pointed to Coffee With A Cop at Rest Haven Restaurant as one way they connected with the older community and Cola With A Cop in local schools and stores that has police talking with and getting to know kids.
Williams also said the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics came alongside police and helped in the effort.
“I am very proud of the fact that we have gone from 12 to two this year,” said Williams. “But two homicides are still two, too many.”
A 26-year police veteran Williams said every community has crime, will always have crime and will always have police fighting crime.
“We want our community to call us when they have a concern,” said Williams. “We are working very hard to be proactive and be more than just a response to crime – we want to stop crime before it starts.”
She urged people to call police with their concern and to call immediately if they see or hear of a crime. The Clarksdale Police Department can be reached at 662-621-8151, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
