What Oxford Police Target on Patrol

Corporal Scott Hollowell and coworker set up command posts for a training exercise on Anderson Road. Photo by: Paris Payne.

Nobody likes to be pulled over, but Oxford Police Corporal Scott Hollowell says his number one priority is to keep citizens safe.

When cruising the streets of Oxford, he scans the area for anything that just doesn’t look right.

“When I’m going through the city looking for community safety, I will look for things that seem out of place, out of the ordinary,” Hollowell said.

Hollowell also mentioned there are common factors that could cause someone to get pulled over.

“We will pull people over for things such as not wearing their seatbelt,” Hollowell said. “A lot of the time it’s speeding.”

Officers from the Oxford Police Department (OPD) also typically drive around neighborhoods that frequently get burglarized, and they make sure to take extra precaution during spring and summer breaks for local schools.

In addition to their routine traffic checkpoints, OPD also makes a point to be present near some apartment complexes in Oxford because of the increased social activity during the weekends. Hollowell says they’re most often called out when a party gets too loud or a parking lot gets too crowded.

Residents we spoke to seem to appreciate what the officers do.  For example, although Campus Creek is relatively quiet, resident Emanuel Foster said he knows OPD would show up if needed.

“Due to them being very reliable out here, I could call them and I know they’ll be on their way.”

In addition to apartment complexes, Hollowell also said The Square keeps his the officers busy.

“Wednesday through Saturday a lot of our calls at night are generated through The Square, and it’s usually alcohol related.”

Holloway said that the amount of DUI’s during the weekends increase because of the number of people who try to drive while under the influence also increases.

Produced By: Paris Payne (ptpayne@go.olemiss.edu)