Many Blame Crime For City's Decline In Population

JACKSON, Miss. — People in and around Jackson have strong opinions about the decline in population.On Friday, 16 WAPT talked to the assistant police chief about why people think things are so bad.The 2010 census said that in 10 years, Jackson has lost more than 19,000 white residents.The majority of responding WAPT viewers has said it’s all for one reason: the city’s crime rate.”Get rid of the crime, (and) people will come back. Problem solved,” said one unidentified caller to the Feedback 16 hot line.Analysts blame everything from racism to high taxes for the city’s exodus, but crime is the most frequent complaint.Jackson Police Department Assistant Chief Lee Vance said he hold the criminal justice system accountable for keeping the city of Jackson safe.”That means law enforcement, that means the courts, that means corrections, (and) that also means the public, because we could have very little success if we didn’t have participation from the public,” Vance said.Police officials in Jackson said they’re already working on the crime problem. So far this year, homicide, armed robbery and business burglaries are all down.If you have something to say about the city’s population changes, call the Feedback 16 hotline at 601-355-1616 or e-mail us at news@wapt.com.You can also leave a comment on this page, or on 16 WAPT’s Facebook page. http://www.wapt.com/video/26840155/detail.html]]]]> ]]>

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