The Vicksburg Police Department is beefing up its manpower for the 2016 flood, putting off-duty officers on special duty to deal with flooded areas, and police will patrol along the rail beds in the flooded areas to look for illegal activity, Police Chief Walter Armstrong said.

Armstrong’s announcement came during a meeting Wednesday of the city’s high water committee. The chief added Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace’s deputies will be available to work with his officers.

It came as city, county and state officials began closing local streets and roads either going under water or threatened by rising water as the Mississippi River approaches a predicted crest of 52 feet Jan. 15. As of 2 p.m. Thursday, the Mississippi at Vicksburg was 46.47 feet. The national weather service lowered the projected crest by six inches Thursday.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation closed Mississippi 465 Wednesday ahead of the state highway going underwater, and Armstrong indicated most of the streets in the Kings community and Ford Subdivision could be blocked by today.

“We’re going to have approximately 10 to 12 law enforcement officers who are going to be called back from their days off to secure areas in the Kings community as well as areas along (U.S.) 61 South around Cedars (Road).” Armstrong said. “These shifts will be in addition to the regular (12-hour) shifts that are already out.”

He said the officers on the flood details will work 12-hour shifts. He said police have identified the location of 12 posts that will be manned during the flood similar to what officers did in the 2011 spring flood.

“We will use our all-terrain vehicles and two four-wheelers,” he said. “We will be patrolling the railroad beds. What we learned in 2011, some people tried to access residences and other people’s property by coming in on the railroad beds. We’re going to be there as we were in 2011.

“Once people have evacuated their homes, we are going to put up barricades (in the flooded area) and we’re not going to allow people to go in and out for two reasons: It’s going to be dangerous, and second, we’re not going to know exactly who owns what property. So if we allow someone to go in by boat, we may not know which property they’re going to enter.”

He said Pace will be assisting officers with his department’s boats.

“We have a number of issues we’re having to deal with in the county, especially with the Eagle Lake area and the areas on the extreme south on 61 South,” Pace said, adding he and Armstrong have been communicating daily and he is willing to help the police.

“We have three fully equipped boats we use throughout the year, but now they’re assigned strictly to flood duties,” he said. “So any areas the city has trouble accessing we can access by boat.”

He said deputies have toured the Kings and Ford areas and identified homes being evacuated.

Fire Chief Charles Atkins reminded people to be cautious around the flooded areas.

“This is nothing to play with. In 2011, we lost one young man who drowned,” he said. Atkins reminded people leaving their homes to take all medication, important papers and pets with them, and to tell police and the sheriff’s department where they are going “in case we have to get in contact with you about your property.”

Armstrong urged people living near the flooded areas to watch their neighbors’ properties and call 911 to report any suspicious activity. “We should have an officer already in that area, and we can go check that out,” he said.