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We applaud the onset of Operation Safe Neighborhoods, which was announced on Thursday by city and county officials.

In reaction to a rash of recent shootings, Sixth Circuit District Attorney Tim Cotton suggested finding a way for deputies from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office to supplement patrols in the city. Mayor Dan Gibson and Sheriff Travis Patten were more than willing, as was Natchez Police Chief Caroline Green. Thus, Operation Safe Neighborhoods.

Specifics, like how much the supplemental patrols will cost and how the city and county will pay for them, have not been released, although we are working to get that information for our readers. However, we know if elected officials asked the citizens they represented, they would be told that safety is paramount and citizens would prefer their tax dollars be spent on keeping the community safe from violent crime over most other ways taxpayer dollars are spent.

No doubt, the increased law enforcement presence will certainly lead to decreased violence in neighborhoods prone to that. The first night alone led to several arrests, including one individual hiding in plain sight from law enforcement for two years. He was wanted on outstanding warrants from both the city and the county for alleged participation in a drive-by shooting.

Our question is, why hasn’t this happened sooner?

For years, many in the city and county have called for efforts to consolidate government. For all practical purposes, fire services are consolidated now. The county contracts with the Natchez Fire Department to provide fire fighting.

One thought is for the city to contract with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office for police protection.

That suggestion is certainly not a knock on our police department. Chief Green and her commanders, Jerry Ford and Justin Jones, have put internal issues to rest, and thanks to pay increases from the board of aldermen, they have put together a solid, albeit young, police force. Our guess is that any consolidated department could very well absorb most of the department into one combined force.

Working together to patrol Natchez streets now, at a time when the city’s police department is in dire need of help, is a good start.

Let’s hope it leads to a long-term solution that saves dollars for citizens yet increases public safety and leads to increased pay for sheriff’s deputies. Despite being so respected by citizens in the city and county, they are the lowest-paid law enforcement officers in the region.

Consolidating law enforcement in the city under the auspices of the sheriff’s department is the direction this community should be headed.