Jackson Free Press

Police Chief Shirlene Anderson gave the first few hints of a crime plan to the public this Monday following a City Council budget meeting. Anderson had stalled for months in response to calls by council members for her to present a crime plan, earlier telling the council that revealing the plan would give away too much information to criminals.

The tension between the council and the police chief was palpable at the onset of the presentation, with Ward 1 Councilman Ben Allen believing that Anderson was only willing to present the plan in executive session.

"We're not asking you to show us all the down and dirty regarding the crime plan," Allen said. "We're getting asked what the city of Jackson is going to do to address crime, and we can't say, 'We're not going to tell you. It's in executive session.' This is real simple: We either have a plan, or we don't."

Anderson explained that she was willing to present the plan to the public, and produced a slide show of bullet points.

Elements of the plan entail the "Establishment of Community Partnerships," meaning officers will attend community meetings to identify specific "issues and concerns" of citizens, followed by aimed crime sweeps. The plan also includes a renewed effort in "community service training" of department employees and encouraging more citizen reserve classes and extension recruiting programs.

The plan included little specific information, however. For instance, under "Directed Patrols," Anderson's presentation included only two points. One was: "Specific Problems that need to be addressed." The other was: "Information will be provided to units, which are responsible for investigating the particular crime. This will hopefully aid in solving or preventing certain crimes."

The plan focused strongly on community policing, which Mayor Frank Melton ridiculed during his campaign. Jackson State criminology professor Jimmy Bell, who has helped organize the mayor's crime summits, also helped Anderson devise the plan. "You've spoken to the neighbors, the residents; you've assessed what those hot spots are, and you've directed patrols to those areas."

Police may have a harder time identifying "hot spots," however, because Anderson ordered an end to the city's ComStat program, a computerized statistics tracker specifically designed to identify troubled areas. Former Chief Robert Moore used weekly ComStat tracking to direct police resources where needed and presided over a steady reduction in crime. He also invited the press to ComStat meetings and presented a detailed, five-point plan to City Council.

Anderson's plan did not go into detail on the mechanism by which police will identify troubled areas without ComStat.

Ward 6 Councilman Marshand Crisler said he would have preferred the plan to place more emphasis on disseminating crime statistics to the public. "The public needs to know what's going on in the city to help them handle crime in the areas, especially crimes against persons, and I don't know right now if I'm convinced that we've done that, with all due respect," Crisler said. "I was hoping the plan would talk about data, and trouble spots and random sting operations, and things of that nature that would be implemented. ... I don't hear anything mentioned about how your office is tracking some of these (crimes) that are happening in certain areas."

The city stopped compiling ComStat figures in December. The last ComStat figures show that crime in every category has grown under the Melton administration. In late October, ComStat showed that overall crime had increased 15.2 percent over last year. Violent crime was up a staggering 48.7 percent, with an 82.9 percent increase in armed robbery.

Anderson said after the presentation that she still had no plan to go back to compiling ComStat figures.

"All the neighborhood communities want is to know the area where the crime took place, so they can look out for their neighbor, but this same information can be transferred to the neighborhood associations by the police officer. Some of them do like the numbers, but some of them just want to know basic stuff, like did this house get burglarized or did this lady down the street get raped," Anderson said.

Precinct 4 COPS moderator Bob Oertel said the figures themselves would still be useful.

"Police/community communication is important, but if we don't have the figures, how would we know, a year from now, if things have improved?" Oertel asked.

Previous Comments

ID

67412

Comment

Anderson said after the presentation that she still had no plan to go back to compiling ComStat figures. “All the neighborhood communities want is to know the area where the crime took place, so they can look out for their neighbor, but this same information can be transferred to the neighborhood associations by the police officer. Some of them do like the numbers, but some of them just want to know basic stuff, like did this house get burglarized or did this lady down the street get raped,” Anderson said. Ummm.. Say what? I think I'll stop a cop and ask them where the crime hot spots are! What a dolt!

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-02-07T17:22:51-06:00

ID

67413

Comment

I concede failure. I thought I could shame Team Melton into not saying such things. Once again the plan is secretive so the criminals won't obtain, study and overcome it. This way the criminal are at the mercy of the plan. And so are we.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-02-09T11:48:17-06:00

ID

67414

Comment

Ray, as I'm sure you know, this is what is known in the law enforcement community as a double bluff. You see, while the criminals are preoccupied with this "plan," the real, supersecret plan that runs to hundreds of pages and includes the names, addresses and shopping habits of every criminal mastermind in Jackson, remains secure in a heavy safe at JPD headquarters. Some sources have said that the real plan is so secret that not even Anderson herself has read it. In any case, these criminals will be busy trying to infiltrate neighborhood meetings--where they will no doubt misdirect police to the wrong street corners--while Anderson sets her trap. As Johnny Cash sang: To the doubters and the liars I will see you in the fire!

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2007-02-09T12:30:55-06:00

ID

67415

Comment

It boggles the mind, doesn't it? Don't have a plan so the bad guys won't know where you're hiding. But wait, it's familiar... Ah, Bush's Iraq strategy, that's where I've heard this logic before. And it's working so well there don't you think?

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2007-02-09T12:35:10-06:00

ID

67416

Comment

I met a lawyer from Chicago whose client had allegedly raped and strangled 12 different women on 12 different occasions before getting caught. He also had sex with them after they were dead. Clearly crazy as hell. The defendant would attend neighborhood association meetings, listen to all the neighborhood and police discussions about the cases, and was kind and generous enough to participate in the searches for the killer(s). After a while one of the Einsteins finally said why not take a look at this very helpful and unusually eager police helper. She's trying to figure out how to get him a life sentence. I hope she can resolve these cases without a trial as I can't imagine any juror having the heart to appreciate and respect the defendant's after death police work. Even some, if not most or all, anti-death penalty lawyers would vote for death here.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-02-09T13:14:56-06:00

ID

67417

Comment

"Bush's Iraq strategy, that's where I've heard this logic before. And it's working so well there don't you think?" Ronni, You don't want to "embolden" the enemy or in this case the criminals by discussing plans or strategy.

Author

jd

Date

2007-02-09T16:04:51-06:00

ID

67418

Comment

Like the Iranians laughing at the US, criminals in Jackson are laughing at the poor citizens who are at their mercy.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2007-02-10T18:54:56-06:00

ID

67419

Comment

It is time that Melton and Anderson go! A man visiting from Gulfport for the rodeo was shot dead outside his hotel! Kimberly Woodcock was a carpenter. He and his wife lost everything in Hurricane Katrina and lived in a FEMA trailer. "He was outgoing; he never met a stranger," Carl Woodcock said. "He didn't hold nothing against anybody. He was friendly. He had no enemies."... Thomas Johnson, 57, of Laurel was staying at the Days Inn with his wife. Like Woodcock, they were in town for the rodeo. "I've heard of a lot of killings (in Jackson), but I didn't think they would happen around here ... close to the Coliseum." Darwin May, general manager of Wilbert Burial Vault just north of the motel, said the area, which consists mostly of motels and industrial-type buildings, has seen an increase in property crimes in the past year and a half. emphasis mine OK, Can we get some City-wide outrage? You cannot hide the truth. Crime is up under Melton! Period! His plan is a joke. His Chief is clueless, and moral in the department is low - as are the numbers of police on the streets! You guys can say the stats were cooked under Johnson; but, when citizens are in the paper every other day saying that it really seems to have gotten worst over the last year or two we have a big problem. Bigger than any rumor that crime stats were manipulated under the last administration. Did we have a rash of elderly folks attacked under Moore? No! You can't hide horrific crime! Crime is up, and it is not because of some correction in the books! Stop saying that it has always been this bad. It hasn't! It hasn't been this bad since 1999! Stats were trending downward until Melton came into office. Please, look in the mirror, and let's solve this problem together with new leadership for Jackson! Stop apologizing, and speak up before more visitors are shot dead tying to enjoy the few goods things we got!

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-02-11T02:30:19-06:00

ID

67420

Comment

I'm sure a lot of people die in automobile accidents, too, and that's tragic but it doesn't mean that people shouldn't drive in Jackson. I'm all for saying that Melton has no plan; he obviously doesn't. I'm all for saying that Melton is an incompetent mayor; he obviously is. Hell, I'll even look the other way if folks ignore the likely impact of Katrina on crime statistics. But I've been here long enough to remember when there were 100 homicides a year, and when I had my head on straight I still argued with people when they said the city was going to hell in a handbasket or whined about how few things there were to do here. I am very anti-Melton, but I'm also very pro-Jackson. People who are so committed to the former that they're no longer capable of the latter should just go on and move to the suburbs; that's what they're for. As for me, I'm staying put. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2007-02-11T02:47:00-06:00

ID

67421

Comment

By the way, this is the third homicide so far in 2007. You forgot to mention a key sentence from the article: By this time last year, there had been five homicides in the capital city. That's a 40% drop in homicides, by my math. I'm still no fan of Melton, but damn it, I'm defending my city from now on. I'm tired of this crap. The fact that Bush is a bad president doesn't mean that America is a fascist dictatorship, and the fact that Melton is a bad mayor does not transform Jackson into a crime-ridden hellhole. The shooting of Mr. Woodcock is terrible--too terrible to be held up with an urgent "See? See how bad it is?" I've had enough. Seriously. This is just stupid, and it plays right into the white suburban-theogony agenda that got Melton elected in the first place. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2007-02-11T02:58:17-06:00

ID

67422

Comment

I'd bet crime would be back down if Melton/Anderson had a plan to fight it. Sad fact is, they don't. There's nothing to defend about either. Criminals know it's their town now. Simple.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2007-02-11T12:02:49-06:00

ID

67423

Comment

Tom, I appreciate your conviction; but, you missed my point. It seems that you just want to debate? Hello, Tom! Back under Harvey if a criminal sneezed the wrong way the "white suburban-theogony agenda" would freak out and rail the administration. Imagine the outrage had this happened under Johnson! The Mill St. Posse would yell that Harvey doesn't care about black on black crime as long as it wasn't in his neighborhood, etc... So, if you can't see the hypocrisy of the Meltonites and the reliance of "well crime has been like this for 10 years," crap they spew to the masses, I can't explain it any simpler. But, yes... the fact that a person who was in town for a special event is killed while staying at a local hotel is very, very bad press regardless whether you think this is some overblown rant or not. Fear mongering is playing up a domestic homicide in the press as an example of a sky rocketing murder rate. This kind of murder is front page news in any city in America! BTW: This guy may only be the third person killed this year so far; but, how many people have been shot this year? I'd say were are averaging one per day! Store clerks shot during robbery; suspects sought Jackson Police are searching for suspects in the robbery and shooting of two convenience store clerks early Saturday morning. Bassam Alomari, 25, and Alhoussine Arhgoummi, 34, who work at the Chevron Mini-Mart at 905 W. Northside Drive, were both stable at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, said Jackson police Sgt. Jeffery Scott. The robbers got away with an undetermined amount of cash. Security video shows a visibly wounded Alomari retrieving a .44 Magnum, quickly walking outside the store and firing three shots at the fleeing suspects. It is not known whether he hit them. Clarion Ledger Stick up for Jackson, I do! But, I am not going to turn a blind eye to a systemic problem that goes directly back to our Mayor and his appointees!

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-02-11T12:23:38-06:00

ID

67424

Comment

IG writes: Criminals know it's their town now. Then what was it in 1991, when crime was much, much worse and there was no Farish Street revitalization, no Convention Center, no Telecommunications Center, no Fondren renaissance, no Fortification Street redevelopment, no King Edward revitalization, no lofts developing in downtown Jackson--no sign, in other words, that things would ever get better? Because I even loved this city then, damn it. Pike writes: Tom, I appreciate your conviction; but, you missed my point. It seems that you just want to debate? No, I'm tired of watching people who should know better regurgitate the old Madisonian "this is a crime-ridden hellhole" rhetoric about Jackson just because the current mayor happens to suck. Back under Harvey if a criminal sneezed the wrong way the "white suburban-theogony agenda" would freak out and rail the administration. So since it isn't, we're going to step in and represent that agenda as substitutes? No thanks. BTW: This guy may only be the third person killed this year so far; but, how many people have been shot this year? There are always more people shot than killed, and this has been true for as long as there have been guns. Stick up for Jackson, I do! But, I am not going to turn a blind eye to a systemic problem that goes directly back to our Mayor and his appointees! Criticize the mayor's policies all you want, but if I see another comment like "speak up before more visitors are shot dead tying[sic] to enjoy the few goods[sic] things we got," you better believe I'll "argue." Melton or no Melton, this is my home you're talking about. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2007-02-11T16:51:08-06:00

ID

67425

Comment

I hope I'm wrong Tom. I don't think I was on some Madisonian rant. Jackson has issues! Crime got Melton into office and crime will probably take him down. Either his own crimes or his enabling of criminal element with his populist leadership.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-02-11T17:15:44-06:00

ID

67426

Comment

PltJ writes: I hope I'm wrong Tom. I know you're wrong, Pike. I don't think I was on some Madisonian rant. I don't think you knew you were, but you were. This could have been cut-and-pasted from an old jacksoncrime.com blog entry, with "Melton" substituted for "Johnson." The rhetoric is that similar. There are ways to criticize Melton's handling of the crime problem without suggesting that Jackson is a crime-ridden slum. Crime got Melton into office and crime will probably take him down. Either his own crimes or his enabling of criminal element with his populist leadership. If it's the former, great. If it's the latter, I don't really want to sit through two and a half years of hearing about how bad Jackson is before we get a new mayor. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2007-02-11T17:25:01-06:00

ID

67427

Comment

Tom, it is not your place to tell me what I was doing when I was writing. Nowhere in my post did I bash Jackson as you are claiming. Ignore my post, and read in between lines that you are drawing not me. Nor is it you place to tell me I am wrong. So, please step off you horse because I am going to rant about Melton, and I am going to blame him (and Anderson) for a good part in the rise in crime.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-02-11T19:28:54-06:00

ID

67428

Comment

Pike writes: Tom, it is not your place to tell me what I was doing when I was writing. Nowhere in my post did I bash Jackson as you are claiming. I am going to highlight this again. You wrote, inter alia: "speak up before more visitors are shot dead tying[sic] to enjoy the few goods[sic] things we got" I'm not reading between the lines. I'm reading the lines. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2007-02-11T21:11:47-06:00

ID

67429

Comment

The whole sentence I wrote was: Stop apologizing, and speak up before more visitors are shot dead tying to enjoy the few goods things we got! Otherwise.... Meltonites "stop apologizing" for Melton, his chief, and his methods/plan because it seems that crime is getting worst under his watch.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-02-11T21:40:22-06:00

ID

67430

Comment

"Stop apologizing" wasn't the part of the sentence I objected to, Pike. What's with the "few goods[sic] things we got"? We've got a lot of good things going on here in Jackson. I had to skip one last night because I was under the weather, and the beautiful thing is that I've got another one coming up in a couple of days. I could go out and have a great time every day if I wanted to. That's life in this city. And to be honest, I wasn't just talking about that one post and I didn't mean to single you out. I'm just picking up entirely too much of a "this place sucks and is going downhill" vibe from these posts, and I don't like it a bit. I've seen Jackson in far worse shape than this. The city does not rise and set on who the mayor is. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2007-02-11T22:26:00-06:00

ID

67431

Comment

Considering the last administration was able to graduate 15 classes of new recruits in just over 7 years, I don't know what the problem is now? Also, crime reached a 16 year low in 2004/05. That goes back through all the chiefs who popped in and out of JDP headquarters since 1988/89. Also, if Robert Johnson was such a good chief; why in 1999, did the Maple Linder study show that the department was woefully understaffed, underequipped, and lacking direction for fighting crime? BTW: We do need to pay our officers more money. However, both the mayor and the chief have horrible ideas for raising funds to pay the officers.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-02-19T18:54:12-06:00