Public Safety

Living in a safe community gives residents and visitors the peace of mind they need to live a comfortable life in Greenwood. Mayor Carolyn McAdams is committed to keeping our community safe by providing our police department with the tools they need to stay ahead of the curve.

  • Several Greenwood neighborhoods have worked with the Greenwood Police Department to form citizen-organized neighborhood watch programs. By coordinating efforts with local law enforcement officials, residents have been able to recognize patterns of theft and illegal activity, often stopping crime from happening before it becomes a problem. Mayor Carolyn McAdams will continue to promote community involvement as one of the best ways to curb crime in our neighborhoods.

  • During Carolyn McAdams’ administration, the Greenwood Crimestoppers Program has been recognized for its success at reducing crime in the Greenwood area. In 2010, the Greenwood program was awarded Top New Program of the Year, and in 2011, the program won Top Program of the Year. In 2024, Greenwood’s Crimestoppers program was presented the Community Service Award. Since the program’s inception, tips phoned into Greenwood Crimestoppers have led to hundreds of arrests, helping keep our community safe.

  • Beginning in 2012, Mayor McAdams began increasing patrols in statistically heavy crime areas in the City of Greenwood. These areas of high crime are now being patrolled 24/7 in an effort to curb loitering and illicit activities that often lead to crime. Law enforcement in these areas includes walking patrols, as well as increased car patrols. In addition, over 110 security cameras have been installed throughout the city to help prevent crime.

  • ·       From April through October each year, the Greenwood Bike Patrol is in full force, protecting the downtown Greenwood and Park Avenue retail areas. The Greenwood Bike Patrol uses police bicycles equipped with lights and sirens to patrol their assigned areas. This gives the police department a recognizable presence in our city’s business districts.

  • Implemented by Mayor Carolyn McAdams, the Greenwood Police Department began using GPS devices to monitor the city’s patrol cars and other city vehicles in 2011. The system allows shift captains to keep track of their patrol cars and reduce incidents of speeding and idling within the department. In addition, the system allows police department employees to accurately answer citizen concerns in a timely manner.

  • Carolyn McAdams’ administration has enforced the use of body cameras, which are mandatory for all officers in the Greenwood Police Department when responding to an official call. These cameras have been an invaluable tool at eliminating inconsistencies in testimony and protecting both our citizens and officers.

  • The renovation of the downtown Police Station was completed in 2017, which provides the Greenwood Police Department with modern office space and a larger Municipal Courtroom. For years, the majority of the Police Department’s second floor sat vacant due to its former use as a jail. Under Carolyn’s leadership, the entire facility has been modernized to meet the needs of a 21st century police department.

  • Over the years, Greenwood has experienced relatively low rates of crime. This hasn’t happened by accident, however, and safe Greenwood communities are something that Mayor Carolyn McAdams works on every single day. In her next term, McAdams will continue to keep Greenwood safe by providing the police department with the resources they need to keep criminals off the streets and out of our neighborhoods.

Financial Stability

Mayor Carolyn McAdams has carefully balanced the budget each year during her administration without tapping into our city’s reserves, all while keeping a strong $2 million general fund reserve. And the great part is that she has achieved this while making steady progress throughout the city.

  • In these tough economic times, it is an accomplishment to end any budget year with a surplus. Because of Carolyn McAdams’ good business sense, the City of Greenwood has steadily added to the City’s reserves since becoming mayor in 2009. This is a remarkable accomplishment and is a testament to Carolyn’s fiscal responsibility.

  • Carolyn McAdams knows that keeping taxes low keeps money in people’s pockets, which in turn, helps grow the local economy. Each year, Mayor McAdams presents the Greenwood City Council with a balanced budget, and has done so with minimal increases in municipal taxes, and without draining our city’s reserve accounts.

  • To keep the taxpayers from bearing the burden of improvement projects in Greenwood, Mayor McAdams has leveraged grant funding whenever possible. To date, McAdams’ administration has secured or administered more than $21.6 million in grant funding! Every dollar received in state, federal, or foundation grant funding is a dollar saved for the taxpayers of Greenwood.

  • Mayor McAdams knows how hard the city’s employees work to serve and protect the citizens of Greenwood. She worked with the City Council to replace the old compensation plan with a new plan in 2021 that provides employees with annual raises based on each department’s budget. Prior to McAdams taking office, city employees received their final wage increase at their 10th year of service, often working an additional 20 years or more without ever receiving another raise.

  • During her first term in office, Mayor Carolyn McAdams revamped the benefits package for city employees, increasing each employee’s life insurance policy to an amount equal to their annual salary. Recognizing the importance of preventative healthcare, she also added provisions for smoking cessation and colonoscopies to the employee health insurance plan. Having these preventative measures in place makes for a healthier and more productive workforce for the City of Greenwood.

  • As the former Business Manager of Delta Correctional Facility, Carolyn McAdams has brought a businesslike approach to Greenwood City Hall. She has proven that she can get things done with a balanced budget and will continue to run the City of Greenwood like a business once she is re-elected for another term.

City Beautification

A clean and attractive community is essential to providing a high quality of life for our residents. No one wants to live in a community with overgrown lots, unkempt streets and sidewalks, littered parks and playgrounds, dilapidated structures, and neglected neighborhoods. 

  • Since taking office, Mayor Carolyn McAdams has worked hard to keep our city clean since taking office. She has worked closely with the Secretary of State’s Office to remove dilapidated housing and clean state-owned lots all over town. In fact, the City of Greenwood has removed 208 dilapidated structures over the past 16 years and has secured an additional 51 structures that posed a risk to public health and safety.

  • Mayor McAdams has consistently repaired and replaced the city’s pedestrian infrastructure, using MDOT and Safe Routes to Schools funding to build new ADA accessible sidewalks in all parts of town. The existence of sidewalks improves the walkability of our city and encourages good health at the same time.

  • To keep Greenwood clean, Carolyn McAdams has designated resources to maintain the city’s street sweepers that remove litter from roads and ditches. Knowing the importance of first impressions, the McAdams has organized clean-up crews that target entrances to the city and the Highway 82 Bypass. Most recently, Greenwood became an affiliate with Keep Mississippi Beautiful, which provides resources for citywide cleanup efforts.

  • Planting trees has been one of Mayor McAdams’ objectives for improving community appearance. She has worked diligently to restore the tree canopy in Greenwood’s historic residential neighborhoods and to replace the trees along the Highway 82 Bypass. She has also partnered with Altrusa to plant street trees along West Park Avenue, making the area more attractive for visitors and shoppers. Through a partnership with the Mississippi Urban Forest Council, fallen and dead trees are routinely replaced with new street trees.

  • Work is nearing completion on a new river wall and floating boat dock along the Yazoo River that will provide easy access to boaters and fishermen. This multi-year project required careful coordination with the U.S. Corps of Engineers. This will open Greenwood’s riverfront for further recreational opportunities.

  • Mayor McAdams has worked hard to revitalize the entryways to the Baptist Town neighborhood with new lighting, trees, and sidewalks. In addition, the city partnered with the Fuller Center for Housing to rehabilitate 12 homeowner occupied houses and provide new cottages for 11 families in Baptist Town. Under McAdams’ leadership, the City partnered with Delta Health Alliance to build a new playground at Broad Street Park.

  • Although there is always room for improvement, take a look around and you’ll see that Greenwood is as clean and attractive as it has been in decades. But an attractive city is something that takes constant attention and Mayor Carolyn McAdams will work to build on the success of her first four terms by keeping Greenwood clean.

Downtown Revitalization

With leadership from Mayor Carolyn McAdams, the city has been a proud partner in the revitalization of historic downtown Greenwood. Carolyn knows that the health of a city’s downtown is representative of the health of the overall community. That’s why she has worked so hard to preserve Greenwood’s history and architectural integrity.

  • When Carolyn first took office in July 2009, she worked hard to jumpstart the $1.3 million Howard-Johnson Streetscape Improvement Project, which had shown no real progress since 2006. With her can-do attitude, McAdams quickly resurrected the project and oversaw its implementation, which introduced new sidewalks and historic street lighting on Howard Street and Johnson Street in downtown Greenwood.

  • Next, Mayor McAdams targeted the long-neglected southern entrance into Greenwood, preserving the historic art deco Greenwood Underpass and restoring the landscaped median on Main Street. In addition, new lighting and ADA accessible sidewalks were installed along Main Street as part of the continued revitalization project. Today, the Main Street entrance into downtown Greenwood is one we can all be proud of.

  • Carrying on with downtown streetscape improvements, the City recently finished renovations to the streetscape along Fulton Street, another major corridor in downtown Greenwood. The new brick inlays, historic lighting, and ADA crosswalks make the street safe for pedestrians. In addition, similar work will soon begin on Walthall Street, thanks to funding the McAdams administration secured from the Mississippi Legislature.

  • Carolyn McAdams has long been a supporter of Main Street Greenwood, and as mayor, she has increased city funding for the organization’s popular facade grant program. Over the years, the Main Street facade grant program has helped businesses make historically appropriate improvements to their buildings in downtown Greenwood. In fact, with support from the McAdams administration, Main Street has helped restore more than 50 facades over the past 16 years.

  • When it comes to downtown Greenwood, Mayor McAdams lets no detail go unnoticed. She has worked to bring back the city’s historic traffic signals and has restored the beautiful brick streets on Front Street, Carrollton Avenue, and parts of Main Street, with plans to continue restoring the streets as funds are available. Carolyn also led the charge to have the Greenwood City Hall building listed as a Mississippi Historic Landmark.

  • As you can see, the history of Greenwood is very important to Mayor McAdams. Nothing is more important, however, than the opportunities that Greenwood’s historic downtown present for our community’s future. In her next term, Mayor McAdams will work hard to promote and preserve downtown Greenwood for generations to come.

Economic Development

Attracting new jobs and retaining existing industry will help make Greenwood the economic engine of the Mississippi Delta. Mayor McAdams knows that sustainable, high-wage jobs also create robust economies and vibrant communities in which people want to live.

  • Since taking office, Mayor Carolyn McAdams has worked closely with the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation to attract and retain industry in the Greenwood community. McAdams has also been heavily involved with the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce, having served on its Board of Directors and as chair of its Community Pride Committee.

  • When PepsiCo approached the City of Greenwood about bringing nearly 60 jobs to the area, Mayor Carolyn McAdams worked with the Greenwood City Council to provide $125,000 in local incentives. This support from local leaders allowed PepsiCo to construct a brand-new distribution facility on Highway 82, providing good-paying jobs for the people of Greenwood and Leflore County.

  • Mayor McAdams and her team worked with Dave Saylor to locate his wheel manufacturing operation in the Greenwood-Leflore Industrial Park. By renovating the former Birdsong Peanut facility, the company has made a sizeable investment in the community, promising to create more than 140 good-paying jobs in the Greenwood-Leflore region.

  • Carolyn knows that a community’s economic development potential is only as viable as its workforce. That’s why she supported the Delta Council’s regional “Delta Strong” economic development initiative, and the EDF’s Work Ready Community initiative. She was also appointed by Governor Reeves to serve on the State Workforce Investment Board. By supporting training for Greenwood’s workforce, Carolyn has positioned our community to be ready for the next economic development opportunity.

  • One of the first things a company looks at when considering a community for industrial development is its infrastructure—water, sewer, electricity, and roads, among others. By investing nearly $40 million in a new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility under Carolyn’s administration, the City of Greenwood positioned itself a regional hub for economic growth and development.

  • Economic development is about creating opportunities for job creation. Mayor McAdams has worked hard to get Greenwood citizens back on their feet by giving local employers the tools they need to create and keep good jobs in the Greenwood community, even during a troubled economy. In her next term, McAdams will continue her pledge to attract more industry and put more Greenwoodians to work in this community.

Healthy Hometown

After years of hard work, Greenwood was selected as a Healthy Hometown by the Blue Cross & Blue Shield Foundation of Mississippi. This honor was the result of Mayor McAdams’ ongoing commitment to making Greenwood a healthy place to live and work.

  • Since taking office, Mayor McAdams has make noticeable improvements to the city’s sidewalk infrastructure, making many areas of town accessible to pedestrians that were not before. In addition, the McAdams has started a "share the road" bike share project on Strong Avenue and Grand Boulevard, making Greenwood easier to navigate for people without access to automobiles.

  • When Carolyn McAdams took office in 2009, Greenwood was dumping tons of recyclable materials at the landfill each year. Under McAdams’ leadership, the city helped establish the Delta’s first municipal recycling program, Greenwood Leflore Recycling, in 2011. Since then, thousands of tons of recyclables have been diverted from the city’s waste stream, and more than $250,000 has been generated or saved by the sale of the materials.

  • Greenwood is the home of a pristine 45-acre tract of forest along the banks of the Yazoo River. Until 2012, however, the natural area was inaccessible to pedestrians and was being abused by ATV riders. With a series of grants from the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Mayor McAdams led the charge to create the Yazoo River Trail, a system of walking paths that meander through area between the river and the levee northeast of Veterans Bridge. Now, Greenwood residents can actively enjoy the beauty of Greenwood’s natural environment.

  • Greenwood’s linear park has served as a catalyst for continued downtown revitalization in Greenwood. Spanning 1.5 miles along the former C&G railroad right-of-way, Rail Spike Park has transformed the underutilized corridor into a vibrant multi-purpose path for both pedestrians and bicyclists. Mayor’s McAdams’ vision for the park was to connect the many diverse destinations along the way, including retail stores and restaurants, schools and parks, several residential neighborhoods, as well as Greenwood Leflore Hospital.

  • Under McAdam’s leadership, improvements are always being made to Greenwood’s park system. Most recently, tennis courts have been renovated at Whittington Park, and new pickleball courts have been built at Wagner Park. These improvements create opportunities for healthy, outdoor recreation, publicly available for all residents.

  • Acting on a recommendation by Mayor Carolyn McAdams, the Greenwood City Council passed Complete Streets legislation in March 2012, a first by a community in the Mississippi Delta. The Complete Streets policy states that the city will consider the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists whenever it undertakes a transportation project. This shift in public policy is the first step toward making Greenwood’s transportation infrastructure accessible by all users.

  • Since the summer of 2013, the Downtown Greenwood Farmers Market has been overseen by the City of Greenwood, a step taken by Mayor McAdams to boost the capacity of the market. The market is now housed at a beautiful pavilion along Rail Spike Park, which has increased participation by growers and shoppers alike. Providing access to healthy foods has been a priority for Mayor McAdams and will continue under her leadership.

  • Mayor McAdams knows the importance of having a healthy community and will continue to prioritize health and wellness in her daily decisions. In fact, she led the City of Greenwood’s first attempt to be named a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. This is just one example of McAdams’ pledge to continue transforming our neighborhoods into healthier places to live.