The Tuxedo Neighborhood Watch, not quite a year old, has already caught the attention of narcotics officers and Meridian code enforcement officers, both of whom responded residents’ complaints.

Lt. Rita Jack, the Neighborhood Watch program coordinator for the Meridian Police Department, remembered residents complaining about abandoned homes on 6th Avenue at their first meeting in July. 

“One of the first issues we’ve been working through is unsecured homes,” Jack said, referencing 205 6th Avenue, a house marked with graffiti and with no apparent permanent occupants. “There’s a risk of drug trafficking and other crimes when you have an abandoned, neglected home… (residents said) ‘That home has been an eyesore for many years.’ “

Michael Colburn, the block captain for the Tuxedo Neighborhood Watch Group, said that the house, as well as a house 207 next door, had been targets for the watch group. Both homes are down the block from Parables Church, where the watch group meets, and across from the historic Tuxedo Elementary School. 

“There was a lot of concern about 205,” Colburn said, noting that both police officers and code enforcement officers had reported investigations at the home sometime in November. “They said there was proof of drug activity and people in the house.”

On Tuesday, an East Mississippi Drug Task Force agent told Jack that the task force had conducted a narcotic search warrant on 207, following the tips from the community.

“I’m happy to report that the Drug Task Force has executed a search warrant at 207 6th Avenue,” Jack said in an emailed statement. “Together we can make a difference to bring about safer neighborhoods and a better quality of life where we live.”

Though the law enforcement agency arrested two suspects in the same area, Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun, with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department, clarified that only one had occurred at the home following the warrant.

Officers arrested Daniel Hosea Matthews, 44, on Tuesday around 2 p.m., and held him for the U.S. Marshals Service. The Lauderdale County Detention Facility released Matthews, of Meridian, to the marshals on Wednesday, according to Calhoun.

Calhoun said following the search warrant, officers arrested Mable McCarty, 50, and charged the Meridian resident with possession of drugs while in possession of a firearm. McCarty was arrested more than four hours after Matthews, at 6:37 p.m.

McCarty was released on bond on Wednesday, Calhoun said. 

For Jack, this embodied the spirit of the Neighborhood Watch program.

“Law enforcement can be in the right place at the right time with the public’s eyes,” Jack said. “I am pleased and I hope the residents are pleased (that) we were able to communicate with East Mississippi Drug Task Force.”

Jack referenced a bank employee who reported a suspected bank robber last week, saying this was the attitude she hoped to foment in watch groups.

“That’s what we want: if you recognize someone or see something suspicious or criminal activity, immediately call 911,” Jack said. “Her actions resulted in quick apprehension of the suspect without any incident… That right there is all it takes – one call.”

For Colburn, the Tuxedo arrests embodied his philosophy of being attentive for both yourself and your neighbors.

“It makes me proud. I’m proud of the community for stepping up and working with law enforcement,” Colburn said. “Our crime level is low but no crime is better than some.”

If any other Meridian residents had concerns about creating or supporting their Neighborhood Watch group, Colburn dismissed them.

“Don’t worry about being a victim or a target for this,” Colburn said. “The best way to be a victim is to do nothing.”

Jack encouraged more residents to join the seven established watch groups, most of which had been established in the last year since she’d revamped the program.

In addition to Tuxedo, Jack had helped residents create groups on 15th Avenue, between 31st and 34th Streets; Druid Hills, near State Boulevard and North Hills Street; Poplar Springs; DeVille Manor Apartments; and Highway 19 North, between the Village Apartments and Northgate apartments; in addition to the already established Highland Baptist Church group.

Two Business Alert Networks (BAN groups) on North Hills Street and Bonita Lakes have implemented networks of businesses to focus on crimes affecting their industries, Jack said. 

“We’re looking to start growing in the Red Line District (29th Avenue to 38th Avenue)… initially the groups start small and will grow up. I have met with several of the residents and we’re working to start a group there.”

Other neighborhoods targeted for watch groups include Oakland Heights and northeast Meridian near Highway 39.

“The community has responded wonderfully to our efforts to establish Neighborhood Watch groups,” Jack said. “We’re just excited that we have so much support.”

To learn more about watch groups or establish a new one, Jack encouraged residents to call her at (601) 513-6916 or email her at ritajack@meridianms.org.