Frankie Meeks is waiting for a high-profile resident to move into a reserved apartment at Waltersville Estates.

“I have a nice three-bedroom, two-bath apartment ready for an officer or two officers rent-free,” said Meeks, Vicksburg Housing Authority’s property manager for Waltersville and Urban Court. “At one time I thought we were getting an officer.”

Meeks’ made her offer at a town hall meeting Thursday held by Mayor George Flaggs Jr. at VHA’s community center. The 30-minute meeting attended by about 25 people was Flaggs’ second of five town hall meetings. Crime was the main topic of the Thursday meeting.

The Vicksburg Police Department in March announced participation in the “Officer Next Door” program at Waltersville, originated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to encourage police officers to move in to low- and moderate-income neighborhoods to improve quality of life.

But Police Chief Walter Armstrong said he notified his officers about the apartment and the program and had no takers to live in Waltersville, adding all his officers have a place to live.

“I’m offering it to our new hires as a place to live, but so far, I’ve had no takers,” he said. “It seems like a good opportunity for someone. I’m going to put the word out again. Having someone there would give us presence, help the community and cut down on response times.”

Meeks said she’s willing to work with the police department to have an officer in Waltersville.

“Even if it’s two officers, one during the day and one at night, that would be fine,” she said. “It’s good for visibility to have a car there.”

She said she is not complaining about the police, adding officers “respond quickly, they’re polite and very helpful. But it’s that presence. You can see it when they patrol through the complex. They’ll sit at the playground in their cars, and when groups that are hanging around see them, they break up, so it has an effect.”

Besides Waltersville, people asked about patrols in the Urban Court area off Drummond Street and through the Rolling Acres complex off Alcorn Drive and the recent cases of vandalism and break-ins in the city.

Flaggs cited recent cases in which police moved quickly to solve crimes, adding in the recent citywide rash of vandalism he told Armstrong “to do what you needed to do to stop it.”

He said the police department has increased patrols across the city and he’s told Armstrong to take the necessary steps to see that people committing crimes are caught.

“Crime is Crime, I don’t care where it is,” he said. “You can’t exclude areas of the city.”

Sandra Bilbo, the manager for Rolling Acres, also commended the police for their response, but said the city needed more outreach programs to get to teens and young adults and encourage them to go back to school or get their GED.

“I am amazed at the number of young people who have never finished high school,” she said. “You need to build bridges and inspire these people to finish school”

Flaggs discussed the police department’s summer street ball program and said an application by the city for a grant to promote adult education was denied, adding he would talk with officials from the Randy J. Naylor Foundation about a possible program.

Bilbo and VHA Board member Fermika Smith also asked about clearing abandoned property. Flaggs outlined the process city officials have to go through to be able to clear the sites, adding, the process is set out in state law “and we have to give them due process.”

When asked about the old Kuhn Hospital property on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Flaggs said the city would eventually own the property under its slum clearance ordinance. The building has been condemned and is expected to be razed. He said no decision has been made on the property, but added city housing director Gertrude Young has suggested putting affordable housing on the site.

Flaggs said after the meeting he believed it went well, adding anytime he can provide information and discuss citizens’ concerns, it helps the community.

He also said the wants to police department step up efforts to increase community policing and other crime prevention programs.

“No neighborhood is immune from crime,” he said. “We have to make certain people feel safe in this community, and there is a fear in the community that if you commit a crime, we’re going to catch you and you’re going to do some time.”