App, drone will keep Fairgrounds safer for the Fair
A new Neshoba County Sheriff’s Department app is expected to help keep the Neshoba County Fair safer this year.
In addition, a new thermal imaging drone is expected to help detect crime in remote sections of the Fairgrounds.
Though law enforcement saw a decrease in break-ins from the previous year at the 2023 Neshoba County Fair, Sheriff Eric Clark says his department will be out in full force this year.
In light of recent incidents on the Fairgrounds, including a rash of burglaries, deputies are already in the area in full force, he said.
“We have increased our patrol presence in the area, and Fair Security is already on the Fairgrounds,” Clark said.
Clark said the influx of people and parked cars is a magnet for the criminal element.
“We had a lot of vehicle break-ins last year and more than that the year before last,” Clark said.
The Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office encourages Fairgoers to “do the little things they normally do,” such as lock their car doors and secure valuable items out of sight.
In addition, Clark said his office will help cover the entire Fairgrounds, including more remote areas, with the new thermal imaging drone.
Clark said the recent release of the Sheriff’s App, which became widely available on July 18, for both iPhone and Android users, will also help keep the NCSO connected to the public.
“I have already been able to send out a few notifications,” Clark said.
Though his office and the app developer are still hammering out some bugs, Clark said the app will allow users to report crimes and will give them easy access to non-emergency lines of communication with the NCSO and other county offices like phone numbers and emails.
“The app is not the best it will ever be; it is an open line of communication with the public we did not have before, and it will continue to develop,” Clark said.
The Neshoba County Sheriff's Office mobile app is now in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
Anyone with information on crimes in Neshoba County can use the app or call the Sheriff’s Office at (601) 656-1414 or East Mississippi Crime Stoppers at 855-486-TIPS.