The month of October passed quickly, but Chief Jim Luke and myself had time to complete some very important training.

The training was conducted through the Regional Organized Crime Information Center, and held in Little Rock, Ark. The topic of training was homicide, and two of the top national homicide cases were discussed in detail — the BTK Serial Killer cases from 1974 to 2004 when the killer was apprehended, and the Scott Peterson Case from beginning to conviction.

The two case studies were very educational and informative, allowing us to see all the valuable investigative techniques, as well as the mistakes made, in the homicide investigations. We believe this type of continuing education will enable us to manage, with greater knowledge, criminal investigations within our jurisdiction.

Also during the month of October, the department had two investigators in training on narcotics law enforcement through the International Narcotics Law Enforcement Officers Association, in Phoenix, Ariz., and two patrol officers in training as field training officers at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy, in Pearl.

On another note, the Traffic Division has been working hard on out-of-state vehicle tag enforcement, with numerous citations written to the alleged violators. One of our most received complaints is the many out-of-state vehicle tags around our city. Although there are some out-of-state vehicle tags that are not in violation of state law, the illegal out-of-state tags far out number the lawful ones. This is a priority in our traffic division and citations will continue with the enforcement of this type of violation.

Our national accreditation will soon be completed as Chief Luke and accreditation manager Brenda Smith travel to Reno, Nev., to receive the award from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies on Nov. 18. This is an outstanding achievement in that only three percent of the nation’s law enforcement agencies are accredited and less than one percent of the law enforcement agencies the size of the Picayune Police Department are accredited. Again we thank our Mayor, City Council, City Manager and police personnel for their support of the accreditation process, which has made this possible.

The arrest statistics for October after answering 3,279 calls for service are 10 felony drug arrests, 19 misdemeanor drug arrests, 67 warrant arrests, 80 misdemeanor crime arrests, and nine arrests for felony crimes against persons and/or property. The Traffic Division issued 192 citations for hazardous moving violations, 157 citations for non-hazardous moving violations, 10 citations for child restraint violations, 24 citations for seat belt violations, and seven DUI violations.

As the holidays near, remember to keep your vehicles locked and valuables out of sight while shopping. Also, be aware of scams during this time of year. Remember that if it is to good to be true, it most likely isn’t true.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Stay safe.