Hickory Hill town hall focuses on crime, safety
Nov 21, 2024
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Crime was a big topic at a community meeting Thursday night in Hickory Hill.
City and county leaders want to hear from residents about what's going on where they live. It's also a chance to roll out more crime-fighting tools to make the area safer.
"It's a wonderful place. There are wonderful people out here," said Helen Collins, who has lived in Hickory Hill for 25 years and is known as the Mayor of Hickory Hill.
She says her community, like others, has its crime issues.
"Our crime that we have here does not come from the residents of Hickory Hill. It comes from other residents out here," Collins said.
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Shelby County Commissioner Miska CLay Bibbs hosted the meeting."The goal actually is to really have a conversation about what public safety looks like," Bibbs said.
She used her county capital improvement dollars to purchase 25 Sky Cop cameras for Hickory Hill, and talked with residents on where best to install them.
"I can't say that they solve everything immediately, but the fact that they're on the same network with MPD. And the sheriff's department, you're able to go back and pull the footage to take a look at it, as we know, has been extremely helpful in solving some of the issues," Bibbs said.
She says a new mobile Sky Cam will also be set up in shopping centers as they gear up for Hickory Hill's tree lighting and holiday parade, all to help tackle the crime they see.
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"It's car theft, it's burglary, it's pretty normal that's happening across the county and city. But I do get those alerts daily. So for me, it anything that we can do to help shift this conversation," Bibbs said.
Collins sees car thefts as the biggest crime issue. She hopes cameras can help, but knows they can only go so far.
She is glad Hickory Hill is finally getting the spotlight, saying changes won't be instant, but coming together as a community is a start.
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"Our problems didn't happen overnight, and it's not going to be repaired overnight," Collins said.