VIDEO: Consultant Speaks To Exchange Club

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)-Crime is on the mind of Columbus residents.

On Thursday, the consultant hired by the city talks to a civic group about the future.

Dr. KB Turner talked about why he was hired and a portion of his recommendations for the police department.

Turner said the interaction and feedback from residents at community meetings was crucial to developing a plan.

Two recent shootings have some on edge.

WCBI asked Turner if he thought specialized units on the streets for the police department could help curb crime, once the force is fully staffed and trained.

“There are different ways you can respond to what we call hot spots,” said Turner. “One way is what they’ve already been doing, and that is to increase patrols. Just because you establish a special unit doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to always be effective, but right now we are going to increase patrols and make sure we focus on those hot spots.”

Turner is in his second month of evaluating the police department.