NATCHEZ — After a pile of complaints from residents and tourists about a stinky problem downtown, the City of Natchez is on “poop patrol.”

City Hall has fielded calls from residents and tourists complaining dog walkers are not scooping their dogs’ poop.

With tourism season in full swing, Mayor Butch Brown said the city’s poop patrol — law enforcement, public works and other employees — will be doing their best to catch the “poopetrators.”

All jokes aside, Brown said, the city encourages residents who walk their dogs to carry bags with them and properly dispose of their animal’s waste.

A city ordinance pertaining to the removal of animal waste states pet owners must immediately remove feces deposited on public property and can face a citation for not doing so.

Ward 3 Alderwoman Sarah Smith said pet owners can purchase an inexpensive poop bag dispenser that clips onto dog leashes.

Smith said she would like to eventually see the city install poop bag dispensers on the Natchez Trails or the bluff to make it more convenient for pet owners to clean up after their animals.

Signs have been placed on the Trails as well as near Memorial Park to remind pet owners to scoop their dog’s poop.

Just like not littering, Smith said, cleaning up after pets is an important part of keeping Natchez beautiful.

“I think it’s part of taking personal responsibility by not littering, not only for our own residents, but especially because we are a tourist location, and that’s a big part of our economy,” Smith said. “We want to do what we can to make (tourists’) experience a positive one.”