JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Six former Jackson police officers will return to the department.

Officials said 11 former officers are in the hiring process, six are on deck and 13 are in the next recruiting class, which starts on August 27, 2023.

“You don’t necessarily lose your tenure or your experience. And that is taken into consideration for the employer that’s bringing you back. And so, the chief has talked about that as being a challenge of welcoming officers back. And so, we’re looking at that to make certain that we do so in a way that takes into consideration the experience of people. At the same time, not striking against the morale of the officers that remain,” said Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba.

Cpl. Undrae Martin is one of the returning officers. He decided to leave the Jackson Police Department (JPD) in September 2022. After a conversation with interim Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade, he decided to return.

“He gave me a call, and we talked for a good while, and I explained to him that he was my lieutenant at Precinct 3 when I came on. So, he’s never treated me indifferent. He’s always been honorable and reasonable man by status. You know, he’s never treated me indifferent, so I told him, yes, I’ll come work for him,” said Martin.

Wade said he’s open to saying on at JPD as the official chief. He said he’s committed to building up the department and civilian staffing.

JPD is budgeted with 304 officers, and Wade is confident he will be able to fill the positions within the next year.