Page 87 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2019

POLICING IN D'IBERVILLE
Shoplifters may want to think twice before targeting shops in D’Iberville. A grant program funded by the Department of Justice has opened an opportunity for Hot Spot Policing. According to Patrolman Terry Joiner, hot spot policing strategies focus on small geographic areas or places within the city where crime is concentrated and highly predictable.
Through crime analysis, the D’Iberville Police Department identified the strong linkage between spatial mapping and crime patterns along the Interstate District Retail Corridor in D’Iberville. Focusing limited resources on a small area of high-activity shoplifting has proven to be a measure of prevention.
Patrolman Joiner was assigned to run the program in May of this year. His success has been measurable thanks
to a free mobile application called “Group ME.” The application “bridges law enforcement with corporate
loss prevention policies.” Before using the group sharing application, D’Iberville merchants didn’t have a
way to communicate in real time that a shoplifter just targeted the area.
Statistically, a shoplifter will hit many different shops within a retail center before calling it a day. The Group
Me app allows the merchants to get involved in part of the crime solving process.
“This proactive approach just recently closed one of the largest dollar theft cases for Target and will continue to prevent shrinkage and economic stress in our retail district,” Joiner said.
Merchants are encouraged to reach out to Patrolman Terry Joiner at the D’Iberville Police Department for additional information. He may be contacted via email at tjoiner@diberville.ms.us.
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January 2019 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 87
HOT SPOT