Mullins, Brown urge residents to stay calm
Published 12:00am Friday, September 9, 2005NATCHEZ &045; There’s no need to panic or expect Natchez crime to rise, the police chief and sheriff said.
Rumors of shootings, thefts and lawlessness continued to fly Friday, but no incidents of major crimes have been reported to either law enforcement agency.
&uot;I think it’s human nature to assume the worst in any situation,&uot; Chief Mike Mullins said. &uot;People have a tendency to worry about things that haven’t happened.&uot;
A petit larceny of $125 was reported at the Steckler Multipurpose Center shelter, and officers have reported
several minor disturbances at shelters, but nothing more, Mullins said.
Police have responded to agitation at the gas stations, though, Mullins said. Some minor traffic accidents have been reported, but most often officers are used to direct traffic.
The Natchez Police Department and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office have extra men and women on the streets and are prepared to handle anything that comes their way, Mullins said.
&uot;We don’t anticipate a proble, but we are prepared for a problem,&uot; he said.
Sheriff Ronny Brown said he has direct access to a team of deputies from California and several sheriffs’ helicopters that are basing operations in Natchez and working across the state.
&uot;We are going to be more visible,&uot; he said. &uot;We are going to have more people out.&uot;
Some worries are related to reports from New Orleans, where crime and unrest have grown since Tuesday, but Mullins said circumstances were much different in Natchez.
&uot;The situation we have here is a lot of fine people helping out,&uot; Mullins said. &uot;The evacuees are being provide for, very well from what I can see.
&uot;The problem in New Orleans is that they were not being provided for. I haven’t seen that situation in Natchez. The evacuees have been so appreciative of everything the people of Natchez are doing.
&uot;(The evacuees) are just excellent people,&uot; he said. &uot;Anytime you have a large group of people there are going to be one or two that can cause problems.&uot;
Evacuees staying at the shelters have an 11:30 p.m. curfew, shelter coordinator Don Winters said. Lights go out at 10 p.m.
Shelter residents are also required to sign in and out when the leave the shelter.
&uot;We try to know how many we have on the grounds and in the building,&uot; Winters said. &uot;We are trying not to be hard headed about it, but we let them know we are serious. If they start abusing it we’ll let them know.&uot;
The Adams County Board of Supervisors issued a countywide curfew Friday from midnight to 4 a.m. until further notice.
The ACSO will enforce the curfew inside and outside the city limits, supervisors President Darryl Grennell said.
The curfew is a response to the number of new people in the county, it does not apply to those going to work or driving for other legitimate purposes, he said.
