Mayor Keith Gaskin addresses the public after City Council meeting

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Transparency and a safer Columbus, those were 2 planks in Mayor Keith Gaskin’s platform.

Today, he addressed both of those with his first press conference.

Crime was a hot-button issue during the election, and since coming to office Gaskin has met with Columbus Police officers to find out what they need to do their jobs, and to stay on the force.

They expressed concerns about pay, training, and equipment.

We asked Gaskin if the force was staffed well enough to keep the streets of the Friendly City safe.

“There is a lot of concern about the number of police officers that we have. That is where we will be proactive in trying to make sure we have the resources we need to recruit and maintain good officers. That is critical, probably the most important thing we do is to make sure we keep our citizens safe,” said Mayor Keith Gaskin.

Mayor Gaskin has committed to holding these press conferences on the Wednesday following City Council Meetings and is inviting the public to attend.