Attorneys aren’t sure how long it will take the Jackson Civil Service Commission to determine whether six police officers should be allowed to return to active duty, after being sidelined for months.
Last week the commission agreed to investigate why the officers have not had their police powers restored, months after they were put on administrative duty after being involved in on-the-job shootings.
The three-member panel agreed to investigate the case. However, the members did not offer details, only telling the attorneys for the officers that they would discuss the case in executive session.
“There is no set requirement for how they investigate, but they’ll do an investigation,” Attorney Michael Cory said. “We just laid out the circumstances and the facts.”
Cory represents Officers Roy Dickerson, Rakasha Adams and Albert Taylor.
A complaint was also filed by attorney Francis Springer, who represents Officers Desmond Barney, Lincoln Lampley and Anthony Veasey.
All six have been relegated to administrative roles after they were involved in on-duty shootings.
Since their policing powers have been stripped, the officers are unable to work overtime in the department and are unable to moonlight as security.
To make ends meet many Jackson patrolmen work overtime and work security.
Jackson rank-and-file officers earn a base salary of about $31,000 a year.
“All it boils down to is that I can’t live just on my police salary,” Dickerson said. “I work a whole lot of part-time jobs. Ninety percent of police officers do. That’s where they’re hurting me.”
The 18-year veteran has been on desk duty for months.
“I love what I do. I take pride in doing my job right, but it seems to me they’re trying to penalize me for doing my job,” he added. “I’m steadily getting behind on my bills. Sooner or later the bill man is coming. The repo man is coming and all I want to do is go back to work.”
The shootings occurred in 2017 and 2018, with the most recent occurring in August. In that case, two officers were suspended pending further investigation.
In June, an officer was working a special detail when he shot a perpetrator in the leg. In February, two officers were working narcotics when they were fired upon. The officers fired back, killing the suspect. Officers were also suspended following shootings in May, January and November, Cory said.
Attorneys are not releasing additional details of the case, citing the officers’ safety.
In all, nine officers have been suspended. So far, only six have filed complaints.
Each case was investigated by the department’s internal affairs division and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, Cory said. The officers, in most cases, have been cleared of wrongdoing by a Hinds County grand jury.
“As far as we can tell, the officers, except for the most recent, were cleared,” Cory said. “Two of the officers are at Precinct Three. The rest were working special details.”
In other news, four other officers are seeking relief from the civil service commission, saying promotions and demotions of personnel were made outside the authority of the civil service rules.
Five JPD lieutenants, Donald Gater, Barbara Folsom-McNeal, Sequerna Banks, Randy Avery and Jesse Robinson, are requesting an investigation into promotion and demotion practices in the department.
The officers filed suit against the city previously saying they were “arbitrarily and capriciously” passed over for promotions, despite having taken and passed the Jackson Police Department’s lieutenant examination.
Some of the officers promoted over them include individuals who had only taken and passed the department’s sergeants exam.
JPD’s only tested positions include sergeant and lieutenant. Command staff are appointed and serve at the will and pleasure of the chief.
The department’s general orders, the rules that govern JPD operations, state that individuals must only have passed the sergeant’s exam to serve in command staff roles.
The Sun reported on several changes in department leadership earlier this year, in part, to help stave off legal action.
Among changes, the administration did away with two district commander positions, and two lieutenants, who brought suit against the city, were promoted to commander positions.
Command staff includes the chief, an assistant chief and four deputy chiefs.
The department also has a number of commanders, including one commander heading up each of the four precincts.
