Columbus police are working to dim crime

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The early Sunday morning shooting in Columbus that happened outside at an apartment complex’s parking lot is causing the police department to think of new ways to increase safety in the area.

Parts of north Columbus will soon be brighter.

That’s one way officers are trying to prevent crime.

The shooting that happened at the Reserve Apartments on 31st Avenue is surrounded by several apartment complexes, but not so many lights.

Apartment complexes and light poles line 31st Avenue, but lights are placed few and far.

Scottie Latham has been living in the area for almost two years and says the lighting has been the same since he moved in.

“I feel like because it’s dark on the back side, you can’t see something happen, you don’t know what, can’t nobody tell what happened because it’s so dark.”

Making the area brighter, is one way Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton is hoping to dim crime.

“What we’re actually doing is, the light poles are already in place, all we did is get the number off that pole and we’ll take that to the mayor’s office and the mayor’s office will contact the light and water department and they’ll put these new bright, LED lights, which lights up the area a whole lot.”

The chief says more lights should spotlight criminal activity, and if a person does choose to prowl at night, they’ll be easier to spot.

“With the brighter lighting, we can identify clothing color. We can identify a lot more than we could if it was in total darkness. We can actually get a tag description. We can get vehicle descriptions, so there’s a lot more with light being put on the situation, there’s a lot more information a person can get based with the extra lighting.”

Shelton says there will also be more police patrolling these streets.

He also says residents can also take steps on their own.

“Even if you live in an apartment complex, you can still put a security light in. Make sure that the owner of the property has the shrubs and bushes cut down so you can see if someone is hiding and again, just being aware of your surroundings and situation. If there’s something that does not look right, doesn’t feel right, then it may not be right, so that’s the where you need to pick up the phone and call the police and have us respond.”

Chief Shelton says the request for more lights was submitted to the mayor’s office on Monday and says people can expect more lights in the area within a week or so.