Jackson Free Press

Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance called on Jackson police to concentrate on property crimes in the city, noting at a meeting today that the Jackson Police Department has a "realistic chance" of finishing the year with an overall crime reduction from last year.

"We've been blessed with a drastic decrease in violent crimes," Vance told JPD command staff. "We really really want to put on a big push on property crimes. How we control those categories is going to determine how we finish."

According to a weekly crime report released today, violent crime is down 9.6 percent compared to last year, and the 29 violent crimes that officers reported last week represent a 27.5 percent decrease from the previous week's total. To date, the city has seen 34 homicides this year, compared to 54 by this date last year.

For the year to date, property crimes are 0.1 percent above last year's numbers. The city's most common property crimes, auto burglary and house burglary, are also the only categories that have seen year-to-date increases over 2008. Auto burglaries are up 5.3 percent over last year, and house burglaries are up 6.2 percent.

Vance also urged commanders from Precinct 2, which covers central Jackson, and the department's mobile precinct to remain vigilant on their patrols of the Mississippi State Fair, which ends Sunday. JPD officers reported no major incidents at or around the fair last week, except for two reports of shots fired from within the fairgrounds. In both cases, no injuries were reported and authorities did not provide a description of a suspect.

Vance noted that attendance will likely increase with improved weather this weekend.

"You're going to be looking at a big weekend," Vance said. "A lot of people who have been holding off are going to head down there."

View the ComStat report for Oct. 3 to Oct. 10.