If Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones had the funding, he would hire 15 to 20 additional officers dedicated to work in the city of Jackson.
Those additional officers would work in the patrol division and investigations division and provide a presence in the city while allowing the sheriff’s office to also focus on rural and unincorporated areas of Hinds County that are part of its jurisdiction, said Jones, who was among members of Jackson law enforcement invited to speak earlier this month to the Mississippi House of Representatives Judiciary B Committee.
Jones said after the meeting that to hire another 15-20 officers would cost “in excess of $600,000.”
Hinds County sheriff deputies stepped in earlier this year as part of a task force to assist the Jackson Police Department when car jackings and robberies plagued the Belhaven neighborhood and that was effective, he said.
“We were successful in working with Jackson Police Department to identify the people responsible and make arrests,” Jones said.
Shanda Yates, who represents District 64 (Hinds-Madison) in the Mississippi House of Representatives, said the Judiciary B Committee hearing was planned in May after a surgent of violent crime throughout the city and Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s comment that the “city was safe.”
Jackson residents wanted to know how the crime surge could be resolved, said Yates, who sought to get law enforcement representatives in the same room to acknowledge the problem and begin talking about solutions. “Thankfully, Chairman (Nick) Bain agreed and facilitated the convening of the hearing,” she said.
Issues seem to be a lack of officers, lack of jail space and lack of fear of consequences by those committing crimes, all of which are interrelated, Yates said. The criminal backlog in the courts is also an issue but temporary judges have been appointed to help with that.
A task force to combat crime in Jackson is needed but not just within the Capitol Complex Improvement District, she said. A task force could be under the general purview of the sheriff’s office and require collaboration with Capitol Police and the Jackson Police Department, with leadership provided by the sheriff, who does a good job working with both agencies, she said.
JPD, Capitol Police, the sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies successfully worked together on the Mississippi State Fair this year and showed how they could collaborate and be effective, Yates said. No major incidents were reported during the fair.
Jones told members of the Judiciary B Committee that the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office has 70 to 80 sworn deputies, which includes those who work on patrol, in investigations, warrants, task forces and as court security and bailiffs.
Like many law enforcement agencies throughout the country, the sheriff’s office is short on personnel and its salaries lag what they should be, he said.
Jones also believes that local, state and federal partners must work together and communicate effectively with each other to reduce the amount of violent crime in Jackson. He said his office has worked with agencies, including the Capitol Police, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“I welcome all available resources to help in addressing issues in Jackson,” Jones said. “I want to work with everybody to make sure we are communicating effectively.”
Jones, who spent 20 years as a member of JPD and about five of those years in its violent crimes division, said some crimes are due to a lack of conflict resolution among youth.
Jones said he’s noticed that individuals involved in violent crime have become more negligent about when and where shots are fired, which can result in the death of innocent people. He’s also noticed rival gangs not just fighting each other but joining together to victimize people, he said.
Nationwide, there is a shortage of law enforcement personnel and offenders know that and don’t worry about getting caught, he said.
Jones said Hinds County faces a backlog of cases. About 800 pre-trial detainees are held at Raymond Detention Center, with some detainees having been there for as long as five or six years, he said.
