During the last four months, Capitol Police issued 1,886 citations, made 76 felony arrests and 109 misdemeanor arrests and recovered 14 stolen vehicles.
Also during that time frame from November 2022 through February, Capitol Police seized 16 firearms and recovered five more. It also seized a total of $8,490 in currency, drugs weighing a total of 3.76 pounds and a total of 1,333 individual pills.
That all occured in the boundaries of the Capitol Complex Improvement District (CCID), which includes not just downtown Jackson but also many of the city’s major institutions such as Jackson State University, the Jackson Medical Mall, the LeFleur’s Bluff Complex, Belhaven University, Millsaps College and part of the District at Eastover.
Here’s how the statistics break out month-by-month:
- In February, Capitol Police issued 441 citations, made 21 felony and 37 misdemeanor arrests, recovered one stolen vehicle and seized three firearms. It took in drugs weighing .05 pounds.
- In January, Capitol Police issued 383 citations and made 16 felony arrests and 12 misdemeanor arrests. It recovered five stolen vehicles and three firearms and seized five more firearms. It also seized 1.41 pounds in drugs.
- In December 2022, Capitol Police issued 367 citations and made 15 felony arrests and 11 misdemeanor arrests. It also recovered two stolen vehicles and seized one firearm, plus drugs weighing 2.21 pounds, 1,286 individual pills and $2,095 in currency.
- In November 2022, Capitol Police issued 695 citations and made 24 felony arrests and 49 misdemeanor arrests. It also recovered six stolen vehicles as well as two firearms and seized seven additional firearms. It took in $6,395 in currency, drugs weighing .09 pounds and 47 individual pills.
Last November, Capitol Police Chief Bo Luckey spoke to members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Judiciary B Committee and attributed the success of the police force to “having boots on the ground and pro-actively policing the CCID.”
Luckey described the work of the flex unit of Capitol Police, which wears plain clothes with vests, drives unmarked cars and deals with street crimes, and that of the patrol division.
“They’re out there enforcing the law,” he said. “They’re issuing citations. They’re conducting safety checkpoints in random places throughout the city. They’re letting the criminal element know they’re out there. They’re being seen They’re being a deterrent. They’re also letting the public know, ‘We’re here for you.’”
For many years, Capitol Police mainly provided security for state-owned buildings, but the role of Capitol Police has expanded so it now works with the Jackson Police Department, the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies to fight crime in Jackson.
The 2023 legislative session will determine if the boundaries of the CCID are expanded.
Also being sought during the 2023 session are funds to hire additional Capitol Police officers and equip them. Capitol Police has about 120 officers, with the goal of growing to 150 officers.
