Downtown Yazoo City’s improvement project included a surveillance system that was a valuable tool for fighting crime.
In fact, law enforcement officers used the system to catch a man suspected of stealing money from a vehicle on the first day it was in operation.
But after years of neglect, many of the cameras no longer function, and the police department is no longer able to monitor the system from the station.
Recently-hired Police Chief Ron Sampson says he plans to change that, and he sees the camera system as a valuable tool.
“We have taken possession of the downtown cameras,” Sampson told the Mayor and Board of Aldermen Monday. “The cameras are being inspected and repairs will be made. We will be able to monitor the system from the police station.”
Some downtown business owners have been critical of what they consider to be the ineffective use of the downtown cameras in recent years, but Sampson said he plans to put the system to good use.
Mayor Diane Delaware said she finds it “baffling” that the cameras had not been maintained over the years.
“I know that we’re a poor city, and sometimes people think that things are just going to fix themselves, but maintenance is a part of managing anything,” Delaware said. “That’s why we are now maintaining our drains and our ditches. It hasn’t flooded since then. We can’t just let them fill up with dirt and think everything will be OK, and we can’t just not pay attention to our cameras and think they’re taking pictures. They’re not. Things break down, and we have to fix them. This board has done that.”
The system will be reviewed to see what repairs are needed, and Sampson will report those findings back to the board.
