Thomas Howard / The Meridian StarMayor Jimmie Smith addresses a group of concerned citizens Thursday at Ross Collins Career and Technical Center. City and school officials met with residents to talk about ongoing issues in the Poplar Springs community.

A group of residents from the Poplar Springs community gathered Thursday at Ross Collins Career and Technical Center to share their concerns with city and school officials.

Resident asked what was being done to address issues such as truancy, violence and the surplus of abandoned houses in the area, as well as an update on the ongoing effort to set up a city-wide camera network to combat crime.

Meridian Public School District Superintendent Amy Carter said the district is aware some students are leaving campus to visit the nearby convenience store or hang out in abandoned homes.

While students have used a variety of excuses why they weren’t in school, she said none of them are legitimate.

“No students should be walking the streets during school hours,” she said.

Both state law and Meridian Code of Ordinance require students to be in school during certain hours, Carter said, and parents could face fines if their children are caught skipping. Residents who see students off campus while school is in session are encouraged to contact the school office to report them.

“The school will immediately notify our chief of security, Chief Coleman,” she said. “He and any of his officers will immediately go and retrieve those students.”

Truancy will not be tolerated, Carter said, and MPSD is working to put a stop to students leaving campus during school hours.

Abandoned houses

Community Development Director Craig Hitt said the city is taking steps to address the number of abandoned homes and properties around town.

Currently, he said, the city is advertising for someone to take down 21 homes and is expected to begin the process of condemning an additional 31 properties on Tuesday.

While the city is working to address the issue, Hitt said residents should understand there is a legal process that must be completed before a home can be knocked down.

“It’s not like we’re not aware the homes are abandoned or the properties are abandoned,” he said. “The fact is, those are private properties, and as long as they are private properties, there’s a law that we have to abide by, a process we have to abide by, the codes that are set by the City of Meridian to work through those.”

Crime and violence

Like other residents in the city, those in the Poplar Springs community expressed concern about the levels of crime in their neighborhood. In Thursday’s meeting, residents said some were afraid to report incidents to the police due to retaliation.

Police Chief Deborah Naylor-Young said police often hear people are afraid of being targeted if they report incidents, but residents need to know Meridian Police Department will not report who called.

“The police department is not going to give out your name for calling us to come out in different situations that are going on,” she said. “If you are being threatened by other residents or kids walking through your neighborhood, get on the phone. Call us.”

Young said callers can tell dispatch whether or not they’d like a patrol car sent to their homes. MPD needs to know about incidents to respond quickly, and the police need residents to report the things they see going on in their communities, she said. Having an officer come to your home is optional.

“If we don’t know, there’s no way for us to act, so please give us a call when you see those types of situations going on,” she said. “Anyway that we can help you, we want to be there to help you, but we can’t help you if you don’t call us and let us know.”

Cameras

A long-awaited tool aimed at helping MPD curb crime is a city-wide camera system that feeds into police headquarters. The city currently has some cameras set up around town, but Mayor Jimmie Smith said the system is not where it needs to be.

“I’m not satisfied with the camera system that we have,” he said. “We’ve got great cameras, but I’m not satisfied with the system.”

Right now, the city’s camera system is a combination of three separate systems, none of which offer everything residents and MPD want. Smith said he wanted Meridian to have a single system that allows residents to add their personal home security cameras to the city’s network and that every MPD officer was trained to operate.

“Technology in law enforcement is the future,” he said. “We’re going to have more cameras in the City of Meridian than ever before. It’s going to happen, but we’re not there yet.”

City leadership is continuing to meet with camera technology companies to try to find a system that meets the city’s needs, Smith said. There are plenty of vendors offering, he said, but it takes time to find a vendor offering what will most benefit the citizens of Meridian.

City and school officials listened and responded to residents’ concerns Thursday, but they also stressed the importance of communication and cooperation.

The issues Meridian faces, they said, can’t be solved by school, city or police alone, and residents, officials, nonprofits and law enforcement must all work together to address problems as a community.