The City of Indianola probably should have been better prepared for holiday and graduation crowds last weekend.
An understaffed Indianola Police Department had six police officers on duty Saturday night as crowds gathered in streets and parking lots, public drunkenness went unchecked and gunfire resulted in at least two injuries, not to mention an assault with a baseball bat in another incident.
The city dealt with fast cars and large crowds of people last year by calling in reinforcements from the Highway Patrol and the Sunflower County Sheriff’s Department.
With two county graduations falling on Memorial Day weekend, it should not have been hard to imagine the potential for hijinks and criminal activity.
Yet, IPD was left to deal with all of this with the resources it has available.
Other towns were dealing with their own messes, so it’s not likely Indianola was going to be able to count on neighboring municipalities for support.
City leadership spent last summer in a reactive state, only approving extra resources to IPD after weeks of the city being taken over by drag racers.
It appears not much was learned from last year.
Hopefully, city leadership will become more proactive about planning for large holiday crowds, especially since the July 4 holiday is coming up in a few weeks.
Indianola had a reputation in 2023 for being a soft target for the mischievous.
We can do better, especially since we knew these crowds were going to be here.
All local law enforcement agencies will serve the public better by working together to keep the city safe, the streets clean and property unharmed.
