Video: The Power Of The Street Code

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI)- The street code.

It’s a problem law enforcement run into all the time when they’re investigating a crime.

“It’s this concept that when something happens nobody wants to snitch, to tell what happened,” said West Point police chief Tim Brinkley.

Brinkley said the street code is very powerful, and he believes witnesses are afraid of what might happen if they come forward and tell what they know.

“We’re finding that many of our millennials and younger generation really adhere to the street code, whether or not they’re involved in criminal activity or not and that’s what’s so disturbing about it, it’s getting to be a norm,” said Brinkley.

A norm Brinkley finds mind-boggling.

“It’s interesting that when something happens to somebody you love, you would want everybody in the community that has information to show up with whatever they have to help the police in the investigation, but when it happens to somebody else, you don’t want to cooperate,” the police chief explained.

When people choose not to help, it makes putting a criminal behind bars more difficult.

“And that doesn’t mean that our investigation is at a standstill, it just means. We just have to work much much harder and use investigative techniques to get the information we need,” said Brinkley.

The street code is a problem that exists in every neighborhood and in every state, however, Brinkley said one way to help combat this problem is better community involvement.

“No police agency can be effective without the community it serves,” said Brinkley.  “So when information comes into the community, and if you want the community to remain safe you can’t put all of that burden on the police agency. The community has to play a part.”

The police chief also mentioned that crime stoppers is another vital tool to solving cases because you can report information anonymously without worrying about the street code.

West Point police are still following leads in the shooting death of 21 year old Dajah Shaw.

Shaw was shot and killed at a rap concert in West Point almost two weeks ago.

Investigators have not yet made any arrests in the case, but said they have some promising leads.

The department is still asking that anyone with cell phone video from the concert to please come forward, and if anyone has any information about Shaw’s death you’re encouraged to call Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers.