Unfortunately, in 2021, our city witnessed six homicides. The most ever recorded in DeSoto. Four of those homicides involved a firearm, with drugs, namely Marijuana, being tied into each. Our community also realized a rise in shots fired calls and gun violence. As a result, the City Manager, the Mayor and I worked together to address shootings and gun violence in our city. We partnered to develop initiatives to curb violence in DeSoto. On July 31, the Police Department Chaplain, Oscar Epps, D.A. Creuzot and the City of DeSoto hosted a gun “ buy back ” program. This event was a huge success as 284 weapons were voluntarily turned in to the P.D. in exchange for a 100 - dollar gift card for each. That ’ s 284 hand guns and rifles that were unwanted and are off the streets. Other pro- grams are planned for 2022. Stay Tuned!! The Citizen Police Advisory Committee and the Mental Health Unit, called the Care Team, that were developed and implemented in 2020 continue to grow and be very suc- cessful. Both programs provide much needed resources to our officers and the community we serve. National Night Out was a huge success as our citizens participated all through- out the city. It was refreshing to see our community out together having fun.Thank you to our citizens for partnering with us to maintain order and a safe city. Now, more than ever, I encourage each of you to take an interest in your Police Depart- ment. Attend the next Citizen Police Academy, come on out and ride - a - long with an of- ficer for an hour or two, take a tour of YOUR Police Department building, attend a town hall meeting or become a volunteer. By all means, get involved and get to know the offic- ers that serve you each and every day. Thanks to all of our officers, employees and volunteers that work together to make our department better and our city safe! Thanks to every one of them for their efforts dealing with the challenges of 2021!
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