Vicksburg and Warren County is a safe place to live and work.
Our community combined to end 2014 with one homicide, the lowest rate in at least 20 years, as the City of Vicksburg more than halved its murder rate from the previous police administration.
The death of 70-year-old Emanuel Erves was the only homicide reported during 2014. Erves was pushed down the stairs of a boarding house on Walnut Street during a fight with Caleb Erves, police have said. The two men are not related.
Erves had been set to go to trial in December, but the judicial proceedings were delayed after his attorney backed out of the case. The killing is similar to most that have occurred since Chief Walter Armstrong took over the Vicksburg Police Department.
“As far back as we went in the system, we couldn’t find when they had just 1,” Armstrong said. “Those that did happen, happened from friends, acquaintances and associates.”
The Vicksburg Police Department under the administration of Armstrong has investigated 11 homicides in the last 5 and half years. In the previous 6 and half years under former Chief Tommy Moffett the department investigated 28 homicides.
Under Armstrong the VPD has seen tremendous change including the hiring of additional officers, stepped up patrols and the saturation of neighborhoods with NET teams.
Our community is a lot safer place to live today than it was just 6 years ago and the numbers prove it.
If doubt persists all a person has to do is turn on the TV and watch the news out of Jackson, rarely is there not a report of a shooting, armed robbery or homicide.
Armstrong has the correct formula to make Vicksburg a safe place to live and work.  Over the five and half year period Armstrong has been at the helm of VPD, the murder rate has fallen nearly 60 percent.
“We have really driven homicide down,” Armstrong said. “I think those are very impressive stats.”
He’s not the only one that thinks those numbers are impressive. Great job Chief Armstrong keep up the good work.