Police Chief holds First community meeting.

Police Chief Deborah Young held the first of five community meetings Monday, beginning with Ward 1. These meetings will be held every day this week to allow all wards in the community to express any concerns they may have. Cameras were not allowed into the courtroom, but we spoke with some Ward 1 residents who attended.

“I do believe this is something that is needed”, said Betty Alford, a resident of Ward 1. “She is concerned and listening to us. She is only one person and if we all get together, we can surely make Meridian better. I’m glad she took out the time to do this, it’s positive.”

Chief Young says that she believes these meetings will be helpful in building a trusting relationship between the community and the police force. The chief also announced that these meetings will now be held quarterly for all wards.

“I think the meeting went excellent”, stated Chief Deborah Young. “People were able to voice their concerns and we were able to hear their concerns and hopefully we gave them the answers they wanted to hear. We’re going try to do the best that we can to make this community feel safe again.”

Ward 2 residents will have the chance to voice their concerns Tuesday night at 5:30 P.M. followed by Ward 3 on Wednesday.