A PLAN THAT WILL allow the Jackson Police Department to better serve residents will remain just that - a plan - until the city gets back on track financially, officials say.

Former Jackson Interim Police Chief Tyrone Lewis told the Sun earlier this month that plans are on the table to redraw precinct lines across the city. However, he said department officials likely won’t begin the process of reconfiguring the lines soon, because of a lack of the necessary funding.

“It’s on our wish list,” he said in a phone interview. At the time of the interview a new police chief had not been named. “But we know it will take a budget allocation and more manpower to do it. It’s probably several years out, with the economy and budget struggles.”

Retooling the boundaries could result in smaller beats on the Northside, meaning a quicker response time by patrol officers. The city now has 40 beats.

Asst. Police Chief Lee Vance said the lines need to be newly configured to address the city’s growth pattern.

Recently, the city took in a portion of land in Byram, as well as a portion of land northwest of the previous Jackson city limits near Northwest Middle School.

While drawing new precinct boundaries might seem like a relatively simple task, Lewis said it’s not as easy as penciling in new lines on a city map.

Before the precincts are changed, the department will have to work with its communication center and records division to determine where the most calls for service originate. Public Works will also have to be consulted in the process. “We have to work with them to determine the cost of relocating or adding structures,” he added.

As a result of redrawing the lines, Lewis believes some headquarters might have to be relocated to more strategic points. Beats will also have to be redrawn, added or taken away, according to a region’s needs.

“Some parts of the city may have grown and need additional beats,” Vance said. “Others have beats that may be too big and need to be cut in half.” Individual beats range from seven to 11 square miles. Precinct Four has the fewest, with eight.

TAKING ON those challenges are less likely to occur, though, during the current recession.

The Jackson City Council recently passed a $359 million budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The police department’s budget is a fraction of that, sitting at roughly $38 million.

The current precincts were drawn up in 1990, about three years after Vance joined the force. A fifth precinct was added under former Sheriff-Chief Malcolm McMillin to target problem areas.

Eventually, Lewis would like to see seven precincts, one for each ward. The Maple-Linder study, which was completed in 1999, said the city needs 680 officers, a number that Lewis also hopes to attain. The department now has 488 officers, with several applications pending. “By the end of the year, we should have 499,” Lewis said.