Crime is down in Holbrook since the beginning of the year. According to numbers provided by the Holbrook Police Department this year has shown a significant reduction in crime. In 2015, for the months of January and February, the department reported 1,181 incidents. During that same time period in 2016, there were 1,255. Last year in 2017, there were a reported 768 incidents and this year from January through February there were a total of 334 reported incidents.
Police Chief Mark Jackson attributes the significant drop to years of active policing by the HPD.
When asked if the decrease in the number of reported crimes was due to the loss of officers on the force Jackson said, “Absolutely not. We are taking all the calls that come in.”
However, Jackson does believe that the work he and his officers have done in the past nine years are paying off. Work that included marking all the unmarked police cars, stopping any alcohol in the alleys; even removing a lone basketball hoop and buying bus tickets out of pocket has had an effect on crime in the city.
After Jackson was named chief of police, he took all the unmarked cars and had them branded with HPD logo in an effort to make the police force more visible. Jackson noted, “When you see officers on the road, people are less likely to commit a crime. Just being seen reduces crimes.
“There was a lot of drinking and crime happening in the alleys when I came on board,” said Jackson. “Our transient crime was outrageous; there were aggravated assaults and robberies happening all the time. Transients were everywhere, lying on the roads, the sidewalks and in the alleys.”
So Jackson began to focus what gave the greatest impetus to crime in the city: drinking, sleeping and hanging out in the alleys. He went to the Holbrook City Council and asked for an ordinance that prohibited any alcohol in the alleys and on city-owned property.
With the ordinance in place, Jackson and his officers began a very proactive cleaning of the town. From weekly cleanups that filled the back of his truck with thousands of bottles, to encouraging everyone out of the alleys, the HPD has been able to make Holbrook a cleaner, safer city.
After finding success in the alley cleanup, Jackson said he saw another area of the city near Hunt Park that was a big problem. “It all revolved around one lone basketball hoop that was outside of the fenced park area,” said Jackson. A lot of the troubled kids were hanging out by the hoop selling drugs, playing loud music and starting fights.
Jackson and his officers took down the hoop and with it went the graffiti, the loud music and the selling of drugs. As Jackson said, “You have to look for the cause of the problems and then solve it.”
Jackson also wants to give credit to the team effort and support that HPD has received from the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety. “These departments were there to help us when we needed it,” said Jackson.
In spite of Internet stories that label Holbrook one of the 10 most dangerous cities in Arizona, Jackson said, “Those stats are not accurate for Holbrook.” He went on to explain that the FBI reporting used includes numbers from surrounding areas, including Joseph City and Sun Valley.
Jackson encourages folks to come and see that Holbrook is a safe, clean city. “Graffiti is less of a problem and the number of gang members remains low,” commented Jackson. “People are walking and jogging on the streets at night, enjoying the adventure on Route 66 without being in danger. I think we as a department have done a great job.”
Of course, Jackson is the first to realize that there is an element that is not easily controlled since Holbrook is an interstate city. Transients come to town and they don’t know the laws, which can cause problems. While there is no law against begging in Holbrook, it is required that one stand to beg. Sitting and begging is a crime. Jackson said there have been many times when he and his officers would pool their money to buy a bus ticket to ship a criminal element out of town. “We would buy the ticket and get them on the bus, just to get them out of here,” shared Jackson.
With his retirement in two more months, Jackson said he plans to continue to make Holbrook his home. He is hopeful that the city will find a good replacement for him. “I think Holbrook is a great place to live and raise a family,” said Jackson. “I am lucky to live here.”
