NATCHEZ, Miss. – A federal grant will enable the city to buy 63 more crime cameras to help Natchez law-enforcement officials catch and prosecute crooks.
Police Chief Walter Armstrong said the $150,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice will pay for video cameras perched throughout the city to record criminal acts on the streets of Natchez to help investigators and prosecutors find those guilty. The city was awarded the money earlier this month. About $100,00 will be allocated this year and $50,000 in 2021, Armstrong said.
The 63 cameras will augment more than 150 already installed throughout the city, he said. The cameras will enable the Natchez Police Department to have recorded video of crimes and their perpetrators. Video captured by the cameras will be cloud-stored for using when needed.
Cameras are being strategically placed throughout the city outside residences and businesses as determined by the NPD in cooperation with property owners. Armstrong did say 19 of the newest ones will be installed in high-crime areas in north Natchez: Maryland Heights and Cambridge Heights, Holiday Apartments and West Stiers and North Union streets.
He said Tuesday the new cameras could be installed in March. They’ll have varied technology that include capabilities to zoom in, pan around, record gunshots and read vehicle license plates.
The NPD won’t use the cameras to monitor the streets of Natchez in real time. It costs too much to hire additional staffers to be posted at video screens to watch ongoing activities, Armstrong said.
He noted the cooperation of private property owners is essential for the installation and operation of the cameras. Residential and business WiFi and electric connections are required for them to work.
The Board of Aldermen began buying and maintaining the street-surveillance cameras with citizens after fears in 2018 escalated in Natchez about recent shootings, robberies and other crimes.
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The Board of Aldermen has hired Eddie Burkes to be the full-time director of the Natchez Farmers Market.
Burkes, who organized and ran the three-year-old event on a part-time basis, said the city needs him full time to more aggressively promote the seasonal event and ensure its continued success.
At Mayor Darryl Grennell’s request Tuesday, Natchez aldermen agreed to retain Burkes and pay him his requested salary: $10,500 for the next seven months. That equates to $18,000 a year.
The downtown market, which began June 2017, has attracted people to downtown Natchez on Saturdays during four months each year in summer and autumn. While it began three years ago with much buzz and large attendances, numbers have declined since then, Burkes said. More work is needed to promote the event, he said.
The Farmers Market is held each Saturday during the seasons to sell farm produce, baked goods, arts and crafts on the block of Commerce Street between Main and State streets. It has about 30 or so vendors each Saturday it’s held, Burkes said. Smaller “pop-up” markets are also held on a weekly basis throughout the year on Broadway Street.
The Farmers Market has been an effective draw to bring more visitors to Natchez and more commerce for downtown businesses, Burkes said. “It’s for downtown Natchez and to bring people back downtown,” he told the board and mayor Tuesday. “It’s been a great success.”
Grennell attributed that to Burkes. “Let’s not lose Eddie,” the mayor said in urging the board to contract him as full-time director and pay him his requested salary.
Revenues are generated from fees charged to Farmers Market vendors and from sponsorships.