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County crime decreasing; sheriff wants even less
Published Sunday, January 25, 2009
NATCHEZ — When Adams County Sheriff Ronny Brown looks back on his childhood in Natchez, he remembers a city in which people didn’t lock their doors at night.
Today Brown wants those living in the city and the county to have a safe place they can call home.
“I want this to be like a Mayberry,” Brown said of the television city watched over by Sheriff Andy Griffith.
While Brown knows Mayberry isn’t a reality, he’s still striving for it. And the proof is in the numbers.
Since 2000, aggravated assault, robbery, petit and grand larceny, burglary and murder have all declined.
From 2000 aggravated assaults have dropped from 41 to 34, petit larceny has gone from 190 to 158, grand larceny fell from 154 to 142, burglaries fell from 248 to 189 and murders fell from two to just one.
By summer, the Adams County Sheriff’s office will have four new fulltime deputies patrolling the county to keep those numbers down.
The only rise in major crimes was seen in vehicle theft and rape.
Vehicle thefts rose from nine in 2000 to 11 in 2008 and incidents of rape climbed from 13 to 14. And while rape was up in 2008 it was down from 2006 and 2007.
In both of those years the sheriff’s office investigated 15 rape cases.
While Brown said he’s pleased with the overall crime stats, getting those stats isn’t always cut and dry at the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
In trying to get crime stats in the years before he took office, Brown faced a unique challenge.
Brown said when he became sheriff in 2004 the previous sheriff, Tommy Ferrell, erased all the crime stats he’d been amassing when he left office.
“Everything was deleted,” Brown said. “It was just gone.”
However Ferrell said the records were not deleted when he left office.
“Everything was left,” he said.
Regardless, Brown and his deputies were faced with the daunting task of going back, staring in the year 2000, to manually count and categorize the incident reports.
And since the ACSO logs its incidents and crimes in more than 70 categories — it was no easy task.
“It took us a while,” Brown said.
The logging of some of the ACSO’s calls is a second consideration that must be accounted for in examining Brown’s crime numbers.
Brown said he feels a responsibility to help anyone that calls his office for help — even if they are located in the city limits, where the Natchez Police typically cover calls.
“If you live on Main Street, and someone breaks into your house, and you want to call the sheriff’s office for help we’ll be out there,” Brown said.
But when Brown’s deputies respond to that call, within the city limits, it’s not logged on the city’s crime report.
Incidents when residents call the ACSO instead of the NPD aren’t rare either.
Brown estimates at least 23 percent of calls coming into the sheriff’s office are calls that are within the city limits and could be managed by the NPD.
And there’s no definitive way to know how that impacts the police department’s crime stats, Brown said.
Police Chief Mike Mullins said if a call goes to the sheriff’s office that could have been handled by the NPD, he has no way of knowing.
“If we don’t get the call, I don’t have any way to know,” Mullins said.
But even though the sheriff’s office is logging calls for the NPD, Brown doesn’t mind — neither does Mullins.
“We all have the same job to do, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Brown said.
Brown said one of his main goals when he took office was to encourage cooperation between the ACSO and the NPD.
Brown said he felt that ability to work together was lacking during the previous administration.
County officials are also pleased with Brown’s numbers, even if they do include city calls.
Henry Watts, president of the Adams County Board of Supervisors, said he’s pleased with the job Brown’s doing.
“I think the crime business is here to stay and we have to do the best we can to fight that,” Watts said. “And (Brown’s) doing that.”
Regardless of what the stats say Brown said his primary focus as sheriff is simple — fight crime.
“That’s what we’re here for,” he said.
Comments
Posted by sparky018 (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 12:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, my house and vehicles are protected by smith and wesson... I am not afraid to use it....
Posted by nosyrosy (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 1:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How can crime be down? Everyday there is a new headline....armed robbery, stabbings, shootings, fraud, rape, purse snatching, DUI etc......Please don't insult the intelligence of the city or county residents. These articles do not make us feel safer.
Posted by StuWhoMoved (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 3:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The S.O. is a county wide law enforcement agency. They have as much jurisdiction in the city limites as the P.D. does. If someone wants their case handled by them then they can request that the S.O. handle it instead of the P.D. Both agencies work well to solve the crimes that come before them. P.D. helps to solve crimes in the county just like S.O. helps solve crimes in the city. It is a matter of who you want working your case. Both are gonna be aggressive and do their best and work with the other to solve it. Each agency has knowledge that helps the other and they both share it freely. Good job guys and keep up the good work! One thing that needs to change is that the S.O. needs to give commissions to some of the P.D. to let them help in the county instead of confining them to the city. That is how it works where i am and is a huge relief for us guys (S.O.) covering such a large area. Sometimes it would take us a long time to get to the call that is just outside the city limits that a city unit could get to and handle till we (S.O.) get there. Just food for thought. Oh and no combining P.D. and S.O. in adams county wouldnt be a goood idea! If you did that then the you would probably loose the right to run radar and that is a huge revenue maker for the city. If you did that then the city would be broke(r) in a week.
Posted by sayitloud (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 7:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry Stu but I'm with rosyrosy....crime here is only going UP.
Posted by nosyrosy (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Not only is crime not going down , there is plenty of crime we don't hear about, ask hospital workers. Hell, I had $9,000.00 worth of 4-wheelers and a trailer stolen right out of my front yard, I didn't see anything about that in the "crime reports" and the police were called and a report filed.
Posted by sayitloud (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 9:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Right! And I suppose in their heads if they don't talk about it and it doesn't get out there then it never happened?? WTH?
Posted by donna (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 10:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
the bottom line looks like both mike and ronny work together and ihave been told by a lot of people that this is new and it sure shows it works for us well both depts show crime is down and but still say it is not enough and we all know that lets help the officers and give them the info they need to solve crimes. good job sheriff dept of getting that bad guy to turn himself in and i bet his picture on the front of the paper helped also. this shows we can and will work for each other to solve crimes and maybe ronny can bring us a Mayberry boy, that would be better than a EDA to get business and tourist to come to Natchez thanks to both you men for standing up and doing your job
Posted by barbarj1 (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 10:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good job NPD and ACSD. You are doing a great job and I am not connected to any of you by family or friends. Anyone walking this earth knows it takes time to solve these crimes and you are doing a great job. There are just a few on the commentline that can`t find anything good to say about Natchez or it`s leaders. We should put them in office and see just how messed up they can make Natchez. Crimes can`t be stopped entirely and when they happen it takes time to solve them. We don`t live in the old west where some crazy guy rides out kills another guy and says "problem solved". There are laws that have to be followed. That is what keeps us civilized.
Posted by ntz143 (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 10:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Read today's Letter to the Editor by Mr. Ratcliff. The problem with ACSO he states is universal. If crime is down, why did we need 4 new deputies ? Particularly the Board of Supervisor's President's son? Weston may be qualified but it smacks of political shenanigans that he was hired.
Posted by ladybuggs (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
IF HE WANT NATCHEZ 2 BE LIKE MAYBERRY THERE WOULD BE ONLY WHITE PEOPLE LIVING THERE. HOW RUDE!
Posted by sparky018 (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 12:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Here we go with a racial thing AGAIN!!!
Posted by pride (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 1:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
" IF HE WANT NATCHEZ 2 BE LIKE MAYBERRY THERE WOULD BE ONLY WHITE PEOPLE LIVING THERE. HOW RUDE! "
Seriously , I read the article and I didn't get the impression that the sheriff was insinuating this statement . Back then Natchez was a far safer place than it is today . I lived in the city limits and also remember not having to worry about always locking the doors . Neighbors looked out for each other , also drugs was in it infant stage . Nothing like it is today .
Posted by UpNorth (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 1:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just had to bring up the racial thing. That alone has alot to do with Natchez.
Posted by jack (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 2:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ntz143 the sheriff stated last week he needed the deputies to keep crime down and to help keep it down by a presence of deputies in the county. Sounds like good management to me to help prevent crime The paper I read said that the sheriff dept had a rash of cooper stealing,4 wheelers and thefts and you should know that more deputies will help out and still not prevent these from happening.
Watts i do not know what that means that his father is a supervisor and you should know the supervisors do not hire the deputies. This Watts boy will have to make it thur certification from the state also, so it is not a deal with the supervisors. I think i remember the sheriff hires and fires who he wants so i doubt if he ever discussed this with the supervisors....i would not have
lets support the sheriff's office and it does look like crime is down in the city and the county. I wish they would give him 8 deputies if they protect my family.
oh mr ratcliff your article is so stupid. you know you can go and file charges yourself if a deputy does not see the charge himself and then the sheriff will have to arrest these people for you I hunt in that area and i know the truth so now go to justice court and file charges and if a deputy did what you said, you should have made him arrest you. I think sir if i was sheriff, i would make you do this at justice court sir put your name on the paper and swear. you are suspose to be a christain.
Thankd deputy whoever you are
Posted by jack (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 2:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
oh sheriff brown it might not be mayberry and i wish like you it would be and it could if we all worked and lived like we did in the 50's like the andy griffith show, but can we hope like our new president has stated YES WE CAN sheriff just keep doing your best and that is all the people can ask of you
you and your officers are in our prayers at my church and i know you have asked everyone to pray for your officers to do a good job and stay safe thanks you again for what you do sir
Posted by iluvntz2 (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 3:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
1. Why not hire Weston, surely you do not think that we should not hire a qualified person just because of his dad. So few of our young people want to stay here, let's not tell them that they have to leave.
2. Why the jump in crime in 2004?
Posted by andy (anonymous) on January 25, 2009 at 4:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
it was not a jump in crime, it was all the arrest that the sheriff dept made from old fines,warrants and indictments that were not served before. this was browns first year in office and these figures are true. ask the circuit and justice court judges and district attorney if you do not believe this and check jail population now compared to the past this is all from the police and sheriff dept working together a breath of fresh air and all of you know i am a bm and it is not any racism in the sheriff's office and should not be here, i did not even realize mayberry did not have blacks until some white here brought it up. you people amaze me and the paper worst trying to keep things going have you saw the bumper stickers ERACISM get one amd support it this is 2009
Posted by MSviaTN (anonymous) on January 26, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ladybuggs - get a life - are you too dumb to see he meant he wanted Natchez to be like Mayberry in the sense of no crime??? Geeze - am I glad I don't live in Natchez anymore! You can't wipe your arse without it becoming a race issue.
Posted by frogprincenessntz (anonymous) on January 26, 2009 at 12:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Did you know that the ND has an article in today's or yesterday's paper about teens in court for wearing tee shirts with the Confederate flag on them? I saw it listed on an AOL page and it has 4 or 5 comments already, but it is not listed on here
Posted by MSviaTN (anonymous) on January 26, 2009 at 2:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Haven't seen it - what's your point?
Posted by honeybee74 (anonymous) on January 28, 2009 at 4:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well me myself i have lived here in this town (yeah)all my life and it just keeps getting worse and worse. i am not only a resident but a 2 time failed victim of the system here in the town i have been in since a child. i have lost all confidence in the legal system in this town becauce there is no legal system and if there is it is a joke. my 6 year old daughter was raped and molested at her grandmothers house(fathers mother)for two years repeatedly by her half brother 13 years old . grandmother went unpunshied and knew of the situation and didn't report it and the brother got 1 year probation. WHAT???but this town crime is decreasing no they just sweep it under the rug.thats what they've always done.
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