JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Crime is already leaving its mark in Jackson for 2022, and leaders are already discussing how to solve the problem.
Jackson Police Chief James Davis and Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS) Commissioner Sean Tindell spoke to the Hinds County legislators about what the city needs.
Sitting at 72 capitol policemen, Commissioner Tindell is looking to increase that number to 150. He says the challenge is competing with private businesses to get people to join the team.
“You’re trying to compete to get young people to join the law enforcement ranks. Salary is an issue, morale is an issue. You look at some of the complaints against law-enforcement, not just in our state but particularly outside of Mississippi, it has not been a very attractive profession,” said Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell.
To the point where currently both departments, Capitol Police and JPD are working together, and some officers working part-time for both.
With the shortage in policing Jackson Police Chief James David said the needs for his department are virtual policing, particularly, cameras.
Davis says putting cameras up in South Jackson reduced crime by 51 percent.
“As we’re tracking crime now we are seeing a lot of the crimes moving from the area where we have the cameras more north so I want to be able to provide cameras to those areas that we don’t have cameras,” said Chief James Davis.
Which Davis says is the number one request he’s heard from neighborhood associations over the years. That’s why he’s also expressing the need for the GTech in-car video system for officers.
Which allowed the officers to see the same when the cameras on the pole and a real time command center can see the same before they drive to the scene.
Commissioner Tindell said the Department of Public Safety is working to combine their dispatch offices with MBI, Highway Patrol and Capitol Police to have all divisions able to respond to calls in the Capitol district. He anticipates that will be ready around the start of 2023.