Picayune Police's NET making an impact

Press Release - Picayune Police Department

Picayune Police Chief Joe Quave released this statement in a press release.

“At the beginning of this summer, we created a unit called the Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET). The unit consisted of officers whose sole responsibility was to proactively address neighborhood complaints. This method made certain that neighborhoods were actively patrolled and that it wasn’t interrupted by calls for service. We considered it to be a success and beginning September 1st of this year, the unit was established as full time. The unit operates side by side within the Narcotics Division since neighborhood complaints and drug activity often co-exist. This unit works mainly street level cases. Those cases then get passed on to the Narcotics Detectives to investigate, and then, if need be, will be forwarded to state and federal agencies for further prosecution.

We established this unit to not only disrupt illegal activities throughout the City of Picayune, but to continue to strengthen relationships in the community. Although we are tasked with enforcing the law, we believe that the relationships we form with the community can have a lasting impact. You have probably seen these same officers talking to your neighbors or interacting with youth.

Picayune is not a haven to commit illegal activity, however, it is a great place for the citizens of the community to play, socialize, and relax with their families. For that to happen, we will make it our mission to rid neighborhoods of crime and illegal activity.

Since September 1st, the Narcotics Division and Neighborhood Enhancement Team have made 64 arrest consisting of :

Drug possession 24

Larceny 2

Disorderly Conduct 3

DUI 10

Fraud 1

Warrant Arrest 5

Identity Theft 2

Paraphernalia 13

FTA 1

Burglarly 1

Destruction of Property 1

Assault 1

Other Arrests 4

** These statistics do not include arrests made by Patrol Officers or Detectives.

Since September 1st of this years, the Narcotics Division and Net have also executed six search warrants with the City of Picayune. The charges on those search warrants varied from anything to Possession of Paraphernalia to Trafficking a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Stolen Firearm.

This is a very hard working department and the officers assigned to the Narcotics Division and Net are no exception. I appreciate everything they do to make our city and our neighborhoods safe. Our patrol officers are very much a factor of how effective the Narcotics Division and NET can be also. They assist with many tasks from case building to manpower on search warrants. The Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics has also assisted us as well. If it weren’t for a team effort, we would not be as successful as we are.

We are thankful for the community support and the tips that come in . People often think that their neighborhood complaint is too minor to report, or they don’t want to inconvenience us, but quite often it’s the minor issues that lead us to solving major issues. We encourage anyone that has neighborhood complaint to report it; it’s what we are here for.

Tips can be reported anonymously through Central Dispatch at 601-749-5482 or Mississippi Coast Crimestoppers at 877-787-5898.