Columbus City Council discuss crime prevention for summer break

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) With two fatal shootings in less than a month, crime has been a topic of conversation in Columbus.

Youth crime and how to prevent it have been in the spotlight, especially as Summer Break approaches.

Incidents involving young people usually spike in those months when students are out of school and have fewer things to keep them occupied.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Columbus’s City Council heard proposals from the school district and city employees about plans for activities geared towards these students.

Superintendent Doctor Cherie Labat talked about Summer School to help slow the Summer Slide in learning and get those kids who need help caught up before classes start back, as well as a modified school calendar that would shorten summer break.

The city also has plans for a program called “Reclaiming our Youth” geared toward at-risk teenagers in the city.

“We’re kind of in a perfect storm with some of this stuff. But, you know I went to a meeting on Saturday at one of the local churches, and there are groups out there every day looking at ways to try to combat the serious issues that we’re seeing with our youth, but it starts at a very young age,” said Mayor Keith Gibson.

Mayor Gaskin also noted that the Police Department is going into the Summer understaffed. In the Executive session last night, Council members also suspended one officer for 3 days for not answering dispatch calls.