NATCHEZ — Recent shootings and burglaries led a group of residents to appear Tuesday before the Natchez Board of Aldermen and ask pointed questions about how the city plans to address crime.

Downtown resident Jessica Stubbs addressed the board about crimes of which she has been a victim, including the attempted burglarizing of her home. Stubbs spoke on behalf of a group of approximately 15 concerned residents in attendance at the meeting.

Stubbs described a recent incident during which a man tried to break into her house while she was inside with her children.

“I held a gun on the man until finally he fled on foot,” she said.

Stubbs said she called the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, but was then referred to the Natchez Police Department because she lives inside the city limits.

An officer arrived — 20 minutes later — and Stubbs said no report was made about the incident.

Stubbs said she was told by three different employees of the police department that she had to wait 48 hours before filing a report and go to the police station herself to file it.

“In my opinion, this is unacceptable,” she said.

Stubbs said she has heard from other concerned residents who told her officers have never showed up after they called police. Stubbs also expressed concern about criminals receiving light sentences only to commit crimes again once they are released.

“This is clearly a cause for fear in our community,” Stubbs said. “Every person here tonight has had a crime committed against them or are concerned about criminal and drug activity.

“We stand here as parents, grandparents, church and community leaders … we want to be able to enjoy our beautiful town. … We want to walk our children and dogs on the bluff. … We want to walk to dinner without fear of being robbed at gunpoint or shot.”

Stubbs asked the aldermen to put aside any personal agendas to work together to make Natchez safer.

“Safety is a concern for most of the citizens of our entire community,” she said. “We fear that continued inaction will lead to the empowerment of criminals … and continue to endanger our citizens.”

Following her presentation to the board, Stubbs asked Police Chief Daniel White questions about the department’s procedure for filing a report.

White said that it is not a policy of the department that residents have to wait 48 hours before filing a report.

White also said officers should make a report when they are called to incidents such as the attempted burglary at Stubbs’ house.

White promised to investigate the matter to discover why Stubbs was misinformed about filing a report.

Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis said a the city has to create a culture of trust between residents and the board of aldermen, Adams County Board of Supervisors, the sheriff’s office and police department.

Arceneaux-Mathis said crime has been a topic of discussion several times throughout her time as an alderwoman.

“I’ve said it before … it’s a tale of two cities,” she said. “There was crime on one side of the city, and it wasn’t paid that much attention to.”

Arceneaux-Mathis said she has said before that if crime wasn’t stopped in the high-crime areas of Natchez, it would be spill over into other parts of the city.

Ward 2 Alderman Billie Joe Frazier, who is chair of the police committee and a retired Natchez police officer, said the city’s officers are underpaid, which leads to turnover. Many problems residents encounter with officers are likely because of lack of training and experience, Frazier said. Once officers are trained and have experience, they often leave for higher-paying jobs.

“That is the problem,” he said. “We cannot retain (officers). The chief is steady losing people every week or every other week.”

Each alderman expressed concern about crime in the city and noted the value of Neighborhood Watch programs and community policing.

Ward 6 Alderman Dan Dillard said the city needs to take a look at the court systems and investigate the repeated release of habitual offenders.

Mayor Darryl Grennell said he called a meeting with White and Sheriff Travis Patten to strengthen the partnership and cooperation between the two agencies. Grennell said he would next be requesting a meeting with local judges so city officials can understand the court system’s protocol for habitual offenders.

Grennell said he is also assembling a task force to develop methods and programs for fighting crime, and asked Stubbs to serve as a member of the group.

Dillard asked that a follow-up meeting regarding crime be scheduled in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, White pledged to do all he can to make the residents of the city feel safe. He asked for residents to report any crimes they see or any behavior by officers they do not feel is appropriate.

“Our job is to make citizens feel as safe as possible,” he said. “I want you to feel safe. … I’ve got kids, too, and I want them to feel safe, too.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against crime … because we live in this community, too.”