JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said his department is working with state and federal agencies to stop gang violence in the capital city.

Wade said the city has a major issue with gang activities and associated violence.

“We have to first identify the problem, and we’ve identified the problem. We have a gang problem. We have a drug problem. We have a problem with individuals with thin skin that has an enormous availability of guns and accessibility of guns in our community. And we have to address this threat holistically. And, you know, when you are in a gang or you’re affiliated with a group of individuals involved in gang activity, we don’t want to just get you, we want to get your whole group,” he said.

The police chief said the Jackson Police Department (JPD) is committed to curbing gang violence. He said it will take more than just JPD to get the issue under control.

“We’re working very closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to come up with a gang initiative. But guess what? The police department cannot do it by ourselves. We’ve got to have input, feedback, resources from the community, businesses, churches, the city government, state government as we move forward to address these issues here in the City of Jackson,” stated Wade.

The police chief said there are troubling trends nationwide of youth violence. He said part of the problem is a lack of family guidance in some households.

“You know, we’ve got to do better as a community, and we’ve got to find something more proactive for our kids to do, instead of running around at 1:30 in the morning or riding a bicycle or walking looking for somebody to victimize. We’ve got to do better. We’ve got to hold ourselves accountable. We can’t police our way out of bad parenting,” said Wade.

He hopes federal resources will help JPD curb gang violence in the city.